Just like fellow Estee Lauder brand MAC Cosmetics, Smashbox has also had a change of heart when it comes to their stance on animal testing. Smashbox is a brand that I have promoted here on Logical Harmony before. They didn’t used to test on animals, use ingredients that were tested, and they offered a lot of vegan options. Smashbox had quite possibly the best customer service when it came to helping people find vegan options, too. This is why sharing this news is so sad.
For years, I’ve relied on Smashbox to give me great products that I knew weren’t tested on animals. After I decided to go vegan, I knew that I could rely on them for vegan options. Their former customer service department was extremely helpful and was even willing to check on specific shades of products to find out if they were vegan or not. Knowing that, for the first time in years, I will need to replace my PhotoFinish Foundation Primer is just heartbreaking. A lot of people were upset by the news about MAC, but I’m a Smashbox girl and have been for years. To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement.
Just as with MAC, Smashbox is owned by Estee Lauder. This company has been openly testing on animals for a long time, and with all the recent changes to their once cruelty free brands, I wanted to check in on Smashbox as well. By some standards, Smashbox being owned by Estee Lauder is enough to not consider them cruelty free. With a parent company that supports animal testing, any profit Smashbox makes does then support animal cruelty. However, I’ve always found it best to support the animal friendly brands and let people make their own decisions about the parent companies.
Normally I post the entire email response from companies, but this email from Smashbox has a disclosure that prohibits me from doing so without permission. I have emailed asking for permission to copy the entire email but have received no reply. So I am only going to re-post one sentence here, and, just like with MAC, it’s the only sentence that matters.
Smashbox has a longstanding policy to not test on animals, nor ask others to test on our behalf, except when required by law.
This means that Smashbox is no longer cruelty free and now tests on animals. The only place that requires animal testing by law is China. It seems that Estee Lauder has decided opening up their brands to a bigger consumer market outweighs the benefits of Smashbox being a cruelty free company with lots of vegan options.
Because of this, Logical Harmony will no longer be supporting Smashbox cosmetics. All previous posts mentioning them will have a disclaimer added and Smashbox will be removed from any lists of cruelty free or vegan cosmetics. Also, just as with MAC, both PETA and PETA UK have quietly removed Smashbox from their lists of brands who don’t test on animals.
Just as when Logical Harmony broke the news that MAC Cosmetics is No Longer Cruelty Free, there are steps that you can take to let Smashbox hear your voice.
- If you are concerned about buying animal friendly cosmetics, please no longer purchase Smashbox items.
- If you are a cruelty free or animal friendly blogger, please don’t feature Smashbox on your blog anymore. Please do a post about their change in testing policies and spread the word to your readers!
- Promote this post on social networking sites to let your friends know!
- Let your friends who use Smashbox know about the change!
- Let Smashbox know that they are losing customers. Unsubcribe from their email updates, un-like them on Facebook, and un-follow them on Twitter!
- I urge you to contact Smashbox yourself and ask them to change their stance on animal testing!
I also urge you all to consider trying vegan cosmetics brands. There are so many out there who produce amazing products without any harm to animals!
What do you think about this recent change to the animal testing policy of Smashbox?
Source : Smashbox, Images : WeHeartIt
Thank you for letting the world know of your company’s new substandard morals and ethics, you have just saved me quite a bit of money. I will never support or recommend your products.
Hi Mariana,
While I do not represent Smashbox, I am glad to hear that you are no longer going to support a brand who tests on animals when it’s so unnecessary.
I can’t believe how many companies are going backwards. You’d think they’d be more aware of how people feel about the earth nowadays.
I completely agree, MarciaF! It would be so easy to not test on animals or use any animal ingredients. It’s clear that these companies care far more about making money than anything else.
Tashina, as you know, I posted this to my Facebook Page to let others know what you found out about Smashbox. Although I don’t use anything from them, I am sick thinking about yet another company who is no longer cruelty free—thank you again for finding out about MAC. There is no reason to be torturing poor animals for testing.
Thank you for letting us all know about about Smashbox, Tashina.
x
Thanks for sharing this with your readers, Moxie! I really appreciate you helping to spread the word!
I, too, am a Smashbox fan and am saddened to read this. Thanks for the bad news; however, I now have a great excuse to try new primers, blushers and glosses.
That’s how I’m thinking of it too, TJ Jordan – an excuse to try a ton of new products. Hopefully we both find some good replacements!
This is very disappointing. Try Tarte Cosmetics.
That’s for the suggestion, Amalia. I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about Tarte. However, I haven’t purchased anything from them or featured them on Logical Harmony because they have been completely unresponsive to several requests about their stance on animal testing and ingredients. :-/
Tarte does not test on animals. They have the cruelty free logo on their products! I know this because I just bought some of their products at Sephora today.
I’m also a Smashbox fan so I’m disappointed with this appalling move from them.
Thank you for being so thorough in your knowledge and investigation of companies. I saw that they are still listed as cruelty free with PETA. Do you think this is because it still meets their standards in that it isn’t the actual company doing the testing?
Hi Jessica!
Smashbox is no longer listed on PETA’s list of companies who do not test on animals.
A friend of mine tweeted about this, and they responded “Hi ladies, just wanted to assure you that Smashbox actually doesn’t sell in China, hope that helps!”
Helps? I wouldn’t say that… if they supposedly don’t sell in china then they shouldn’t add the whole “required by law”…
My guess is that this means they plan to start selling in China. Otherwise, why revise your animal testing policy?
I am guessing they had to revise their animal testing policy because they are now owned by EL, which apparently does sell in China.
Thank you for this great post, it pains me a lot to know that smashbox is no longer cruelty free. I just recently found out that yves rocher test on animals too now, wich pain me too because I kept buying makeup and products from them because they were supposed to be cruelty free…
ARGH Yves Rocher too? Ive never had to cut out so many brands in a while! :’(
So disappointed to hear about this. I personally LOVE(D) Smashbox (and MAC) but will not be purchasing from them any longer. I can’t believe how little coverage there is online about their policy changes, I only found out about this TODAY because I was giving cruelty-free makeup advice and wanted to check and make sure the brands I was recommending were still listed on PETA’s “Do not test” list. SO disappointing
Hi Deanna,
I know how you feel. I loved Smashbox, too! I was so disappointed to hear that they had decided to make this change in their policy.
I love your blog! It’s so insightful and really helpful for consumers who want to go Cruelty Free!
Thank you so much, Emily!
I understand your anger towards this, but not all the information you have is true. Smashbox is still cruelty free unless it is require BY LAW. E.L. Isn’t going to pull everything out of China because of Chinas law. Smashbox is not testing on animals, the Chinese govnt is testing smashbox on animals.
Deciding to sell your products in a market that requires that they be tested on animals is still animal testing. The reasons for testing on animals are a non issue. If you test on animals, required by law or not, you are still testing on animals. Choosing to sell your products in a market where it is required is choosing to support the testing of products on animals.
I’m furious. I just bought a lipstick and eyeliner yesterday after seeing the cruelty free badge on the cosmetics. I haven’t heard of the brand before but after MAC turned their back on principles for profit I have been hunting for a new brand which I thought I’d found yesterday! I’m angry that they can continue to use the logo when they are not cruelty free, is this allowed??!!
Thanks for clearing this up though!
Hi Jennifer!
Unfortunately, there is no regulation for the terms “Cruelty Free”, “Not Tested on Animals” etc. The PETA and Leaping Bunny certification logos that appear on a lot of products are an indicator that they are, in fact, cruelty free. However, many brands also have a similar logo that they use on their products to confuse consumers. It could also be possible that the packaging of your products was made before PETA removed their cruelty free endorsement of Smashbox as well.
WHAT?! NO!!! I LOVE Smashbox! This is so sad, guess I’ll have to be on the look out for new brands:(
What was the disclaimer they used preventing you from printing the whole letter? Are you sure it is actually legally binding or are they just trying to scare you? I would look into it.
Hi Keira!
It was a standard email NDA. However, they have also updated their FAQ answer. It also states that they test when required by law – http://www.smashbox.com/customer_service/faq#animal_testing.
Great post- i too am devastated by Estee Lauder, etc decision to animal test for profit and will not be supporting them by buying their products. I have also written to all these companies expressing my extreme disappointment and hope that they will stop testing on animals
Hi!
since it’s so hard (at least in my country) to find cruelty -free and/or vegan products.
Great post! I am so disappointed too
Just curious, peta.org still lists smashbox as cruelty-free. Does smashbox sell in China? Is peta behind or did smashbox change their philosphy again?
Because Urban Decay was removed from the cruelty-free list and added again now because of public pressure. Is it the same with smashbox maybe?
I just wish we would stop all animal abuse and live a happy vegan life