Kiehl’s

Is Kiehl’s an ethical brand?

Kiehl’s receives a low Good Shopping Guide score in our Ethical Skincare Ratings Table. Kiehl’s was founded as a Manhattan health and beauty store and homoeopathy pharmacy in 1851 but was sold to L’Oréal in the year 2000. Unfortunately, L’Oréal is a hugely controversial parent company and currently does not adhere to basic ethical standards.

The Good Shopping Guide encourages all brands in the Skincare sector, including Kiehl’s, to reach for a higher ethical standard of business practice.

In what areas does Kiehl’s perform well for its ethics?

The Good Shopping Guide carefully researches a brand’s Environmental Report since a brand or company’s documents relating to environmental issues frequently provide a good indication of that brand or company’s awareness of its impact on our planet. L’Oréal has released an Environmental Report with satisfactory record keeping of goals and progress made so far.

In what areas does Kiehl’s perform badly for its ethics?

Due to its lack of organic or vegan certified products, Kiehl’s receives a bottom rating in the Organic and Vegetarian/Vegan Verified criteria.

Additionally, Kiehl’s receives a bottom rating for Public Record Criticisms+, an extension of the Public Record Criticisms criterion that is only applied to brands that have been subject to multiple severe criticisms for unethical practices. Although the issues are mostly due to L’Oréal’s activities, it is important to recognise the poor practices of the company that owns Kiehl’s.

The criticism of L’Oréal, both by the press and reputable NGOs, includes accusations of greenwashing, plastic pollution, worker exploitation, unsustainable palm oil consumption and many more.

How can Kiehl’s improve its ethical rating?

The Good Shopping Guide uses 15 ethical criteria to establish Kiehl’s score. Although it has achieved a top rating in some areas, Kiehl’s must seek to attain a top rating in the areas in performs poorly before it is able to meet our ethical benchmark. Most importantly, L’Oréal must address its unethical practices that have led to its bottom rating in the Public Record Criticisms+ criterion.