E.l.f.

How ethical is E.l.f? 

E.l.f, a make up, skincare and health and beauty brand, has been researched and assessed by The Good Shopping Guide. The brand receives a below-benchmark Good Shopping Guide ethical score in our Ethical Skincare Ratings Table and therefore does not meet our ethical benchmark for a good ethical brand.

Is E.l.f Cruelty-Free?

E.l.f receives a middle rating for its Animal Welfare policy. Although the company claims to be cruelty-free, it does not have any certifications to confirm this and its Animal Testing Policy lacks sufficient detail.

E.l.f Cosmetics and North Korea

According to The Guardian and CNBC, E.l.f avoided US$40 million penalties in 2019 by agreeing to pay just under US$1 million to settle a civil liability lawsuit for 156 ‘apparent’ violations of the North Korea Sanctions Regulations. It was discovered that over the course of almost five years, the mass market beauty company purchased 156 shipments of fake eyelash kits from two Chinese vendors, totalling US$4.43 million. The disputed providers had obtained components for the kits from North Korea.

Read more in this article.

To achieve our Ethical Accreditation Award, E.l.f should consider gaining Vegan accreditation; though it claims its products do not contain animal parts or products, this should be validated by an external, independent body.