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Fenty Beauty

Is Fenty Beauty an ethical brand?

Fenty Beauty is a make up brand. The singer, Robyn Rihanna Fenty is the founder, face and co-owner of the brand. Fenty Beauty is owned in part by Fenty Corp (Robyn Fenty) and also by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Fenty Beauty specialises in formulating shades for a wide range of skin tones, including Black skin and deeper Global Majority skintones. 

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton produces products for Fenty Beauty through Kendo Holdings. Kendo manufacturer ‘white-label’ products for Fenty Beauty. (White-label goods are products manufactured or formulated for several different brands, but brands can put their own labels on these products.)

However, as shown by its poor Good Shopping Guide ethical rating in our Ethical Make Up Ratings Table, this brand currently scores fairly poorly for most of our research categories. Before Fenty Beauty is qualified for our Ethical Accreditation, a number of improvements must be made.

Is Fenty Beauty Cruelty-Free? 

Fenty Beauty’s policy on animal testing is short, though it does state that, “Fenty Beauty + Fenty Skin are cruelty-free brands. We never test products or ingredients on animals, nor do we allow suppliers to conduct testing on our behalf.Fenty Beauty is not sold in mainland China, but is sold in Hong Kong and Macau, and so animal testing is not required for any of its products. However, the other owner of Fenty Beauty, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, was criticised as recently as 2021 for its use of animal skins by a PETA Asia investigation. Therefore, Fenty Beauty receives a poor score for its Animal Welfare Policy. 

Are Fenty Beauty cosmetics vegan? 

Fenty Beauty is not vegan. The brand advises customers to check the ingredients list of all products, as some contain carmine (crushed beetles) and beeswax. As Fenty Beauty is not certified-Organic, then there is also no knowing if this beeswax is free from pesticides, herbicides or fungicides or if the bees and beetles have been ethically treated. Bees and insects are particularly susceptible to agrochemicals, as they are in direct contact with or consume pollen and plants.

Does LVMH Moet Hennessy  Louis Vuitton donate to political parties?

According to Open Secrets, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has contributed a total of $14,248 to US candidates (both Democrat and Republican) and has lobbied the US government, spending $120,000 in 2018. Lobbying Congress involves hiring lawyers to argue for or against certain policies, often at great cost. This kind of political activity is often perceived as unfair or unethical, as it is sometimes felt that companies with the most money have the most impact on the law and government policy. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton lobbies in themiscellaneous manufacturing and distributing’ industry policies.

In what areas does Fenty Beauty perform well ethically?

As LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton is the manufacturer and distributor of Fenty Beauty products (through its Kendo ‘brand incubator’), The Good Shopping Guide has chosen to assess its Environment Report (called the ‘2021 Social and Environmental Responsibilty Report’). 

Environmental goals can be found on page 64 of this Social and Environmental Responsibilty Report. For example, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s goal to implement environmental management systems in all production and logistics sites by 2026 is stated in this section of the report, as well as the company’s target to use zero virgin plastic packaging by 2026. 

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton also has reduced its Green House Gas emissions by 6% since 2019. It’s encouraging that huge companies such as LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton are tracking and reducing their carbon emissions. 

How can Fenty Beauty improve its ethical rating?

The Good Shopping Guide assesses Fenty Beauty’s score using 15 ethical criteria. For Fenty Beauty to improve its score of 42, it must address the Animal Welfare Policy of its parent company, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, that still uses animal furs and parts in its products. Fenty Beauty would also improve its score if it sought and achieved Vegan and Organic accreditation.

Ethical performance in category

0

GSG score

38
67

GSG category benchmark

100

Ethical Rating

Environment

  • Environmental Report

    Good

  • Genetic Modification

    Good

  • Organic

    Poor

  • Nuclear Power

    Good

  • Fossil Fuels

    Good

Animal

  • Animal Welfare

    Poor

  • Vegetarian/Vegan Verified

    Poor

People

  • Armaments

    Good

  • Irresponsible Marketing

    Good

  • Political Donations

    Poor

Other

  • Ethical Accreditation

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms+

    Poor

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