Animal welfare

Oriflame was one of the first in the cosmetics industry to reject animal testing. Since we were founded in 1967, for over 50 years, we have never tested our products on animals to substantiate safety or efficacy. Oriflame’s stance on animal welfare was unique 50 years ago, long before a ban on animal testing for cosmetics became an EU legal requirement. We have always been an advocate for alternative non-animal test methods and still stand by that today.

How does Oriflame evaluate the safety of cosmetic products?

All Oriflame beauty products are developed through a Swedish balanced approach:

Performing – to always perform and deliver what they promise
Safe – whilst working in harmony with your body, skin and mind
Responsible – and respecting our planet and overall society

As part of this approach, our inhouse team of safety experts conduct a comprehensive review of our cosmetic formulations before any testing begins. This review is done to reassure ourselves of the safety of the ingredients and the product. We then employ independent specialist laboratories to test the products on adult human volunteers, under the supervision of qualified medical personnel to confirm the safety of all cosmetics. These clinical tests are standard industry practice for safety evaluation, and are widely accepted as a robust, safe, and ethical alternative to animal testing. In addition, where there is potential to cause injury or irritation to a volunteer (such as for eye irritancy), we ensure the latest non-animal in vitro test methods are used instead.

Is animal testing allowed in cosmetics?

In 2013, more than 40 years after Oriflame first stood against the use of animal testing, the EU prohibited the sale of cosmetics that have been animal tested. This means from 2013, to be sold in Europe, no cosmetic product or ingredient can be tested on animals. Unfortunately, this approach is not always followed globally. Test data gained through animal testing may be required by local authorities to legally register a product in their market, according to local laws and regulations.

What steps is Oriflame taking to eradicate animal testing?

We want to live in a world where no animal testing ever happens. To make that ambition a reality for our cosmetics, Oriflame is actively assessing: product portfolios in the countries in which we operate; potential product range changes; specific product reformulation; and location of manufacture, in order to limit and ultimately eradicate all animal testing. Oriflame is conscious of our ability to work with any authority in the world to provide them with robust non-animal test data that confirms the safety of our products. In doing this, we can continue to advocate non-animal testing, progress the positive dialogue we’ve already had, and continue the progress we’ve made. To make a real and lasting difference for animal welfare, we are committed to working with the authorities in all the countries in which we sell our cosmetic products to ensure a more humane and ethical approach to safety evaluation globally.