Is Skin Proud Cruelty-Free and Vegan (The Ultimate Gen Z Brand)

November 24, 2022

Skin Proud wants you to embrace the “au naturale” skin look – texture, pores, and all. They don’t beat around the bush about their clean, cruelty-free, and vegan formulas. But they still have some growing to do – here’s why.

Skin Proud is cruelty-free. It doesn't conduct animal testing on its products, nor does it distribute its cosmetics where animal testing is required by law. Skin Proud is also 100% vegan – it doesn't use any animal-derived ingredients.

Skin Proud launched in 2020 as the pandemic hit. It didn’t only survive the uncertainty – it’s thrived.

Some say this Gen-Z-focused brand is set to become a billion-dollar company by 2025.

Skin Proud is ethical, conscious, effective, and affordable! It’s also a big advocate for inclusivity and loving your imperfections. Retouching images is a big no-no with this company.

But will this rapidly growing brand start cutting corners to keep up with the increasing demand?

Or can we trust them to stick to the core values they’ve set from the start?

Our Cruelty-Free Beauty Standards: Skin Proud

Cruelty-free: Yes

Vegan: Yes

Clean ingredients: Yes

Sustainable & Ethical: Substantial efforts

Mica Mining Policy: Does not use mica  

RSPO Palm Oil Certified: Undetermined

Is Skin Proud Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

Skin Proud Product Range

Skin Proud is Cruelty-Free

Test any of its products or ingredients on animals

NO

Purchase any ingredients tested on animals within its supply chain

No

Distribute its products to any countries that require animal testing by law.

No

Skin Proud is proudly cruelty-free. It’s UK-based (where animal testing is banned on cosmetics) and has external accreditation.

Skin Proud is also privately owned by founder and CEO Charlotte Knight.

This brings us to our next point:

Skin Proud is Vegan

If you want a well-priced, accessible, and vegan brand – Skin Proud is here for you! It does not use any animal-derived ingredients in any of its products.

However, it's worth knowing that Skin Proud is the exception and not the rule.

Most mainstream skincare brands are not 100% vegan. Some animal-derived ingredients to look out for in general include honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, carmine, and squalane.

If you're interested in the best Skin Proud vegan products or finding brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: Skin Proud vegan products.

Animal Testing Policy and History

This new brand is fully committed to the cruelty-free and vegan cause. It seems like it has no intention to change this anytime soon.

Cruelty-Free Status in 2022

Here is a statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:

Skin Proud cruelty-free and vegan website claim

Skin Proud's Certification

Skin Proud is PETA certified.

While this is a good start, it would be nice to see more certification, and here’s why.

PETA surprisingly doesn't hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations. It seems only to require a brand's written consent that abides by the PETA code of conduct.

Certification from Leaping Bunny is ideal because it holds rigorous standards and does regular audits to ensure they are upheld.

Is Skin Proud Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law? 

Skin Proud does not distribute any of its products to China or any country that requires animal testing on cosmetics by law.

China conducts the most animal testing globally, with over 20 million animals used annually.

If you live in China or are concerned about its cruel beauty policies – please know that there are a couple of loopholes.

Here's how to find cruelty-free cosmetics in China: Are Cosmetics Made in China Cruelty-Free?

What Skin Proud Products Are Vegan?

You have more vegan options than you’ll know what to do with. Skin Proud has a great vegan range, and it just keeps on growing.

But we’ve spared you the painstaking work of reviewing each one and listed some of its most popular skincare products to try first:

  • sorbet skin - everyday jelly moisturizer
  • frozen over - gel-to-ice hydrator
  • velvet cloud - foaming cleanser
  • detox tonic - exfoliating toner
  • sleep hero - hydrating mask

To explore this brand’s full range, you can visit its website.

Vegan Alternatives to Skin Proud

Skin Proud is dedicated to giving great cruelty-free and vegan products at an affordable price.

These are the values you’ve been looking for in such a new brand. But if the brand isn’t very accessible or it’s just not your style – here are some alternatives you can try instead:

Brand

price range

100% vegan

Certification

$20 - $80

Yes

Leaping Bunny

$20 - $50

Yes

Leaping Bunny

$30 - $80

Yes

PETA, Leaping Bunny

$5 - $20

Yes

Leaping Bunny

$20 - $70

Yes

PETA, Leaping Bunny

Is Skin Proud Natural and Organic? 

Skin Proud doesn’t claim to be natural or organic. However, it still uses a wide range of natural ingredients and cleaner synthetics.

They also have an excellent ingredient glossary to give you a helping hand.

Does Skin Proud Use Safe Ingredients?

Skin Proud is transparent about what ingredient it uses – and yes, it is safe!

Reading the ingredient list is crucial, though, because Skin Proud is not 100% hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic, and they do not claim to be.

However, certain products are specifically for these concerns, so make sure you buy what your skin needs.

The EU/UK Have Stricter Ingredient Regulations

We don’t want to scare you, but you HAVE to read up on any product’s ingredient list before you make a purchase – especially if you live within the United States. The reason why will shock you.

The FDA has only banned or restricted 11 harmful chemicals from cosmetics within the country. Europe and the UK, on the other hand, have banned 1,328!

Skin Proud is a UK-based brand with strict ingredient policies – so you don't need to worry too much.

Some skincare ingredients to avoid:

  • PPG, PEG, and polysorbate
  • DEA, MEA, and TEA
  • Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, aka teflon®)
  • DMDM Hydantoin
  • Formaldehyde

Are Cruelty-Free Ingredients Safe?

There is no reason why cruelty-free products shouldn’t be as safe as anything tested on animals.

Not only is it easy to test ingredients without using animals altogether, but there are so many pre-approved ingredients you can use to make cosmetics that there is no need.

If you’re interested, here’s more on the subject: Are Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Safe?

Is Skin Proud Sustainable and Ethical? 

Skin Proud is three years old and has already taken on some sustainability and ethical initiatives.

It’s a big supporter of mental health and has even partnered with Sad Girls Club and artist Bunny Michael to create a chatbot on Twitter that promotes skin positivity, self-care, and happiness.

Skin Proud also launched The Cowfunding campaign to raise money for the Animal Equity Charity. This specifically focuses on the treatment of cows in the dairy farming industry.

Some of the ways Skin Proud is taking strong environmental accountability is by:

  • Developing formulas that are kinder to the environment.
  • Working on sustainable packaging developments like using planet-friendly soy ink.
  • Using sustainably sourced paper (FSC certified) to create all outer packaging.
  • Prohibiting synthetic microbeads that pollute our waters and harm marine life.
  • Using a synthetic mimic of natural mica made in a lab instead of natural MICA that is often mined using child labor.

Final Thoughts

Skin Proud is already well on its way to competing with the big guys, and we love it!

We can’t have enough affordable and effective skincare brands that are 100% cruelty-free and vegan.

It’s also rare to find brands actively trying to get people to feel represented and better about themselves instead of capitalizing on their insecurities.

Currently, it only has PETA certification. It would be nice to see that change into a Leaping Bunny stamp of approval, but hopefully, we’ll see that happen soon (especially if we all push for it).

We’ll keep an eye on this young brand's developments and look forward to seeing what they do next!

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