Without getting into the controversial topic of animal testings, here is a list of Japanese cosmetic manufacturers that have eliminated animal-testing (including outsourcing) for their finished products and new ingredients (except when required by law).
It’s very important to note that the information is specifically for cosmetics that are developed, produced, and sold within Japan only. It does not apply to products that are made for export (if the destined country requires it by law). For example, Anessa sunscreens produced and sold in Japan are not animal-tested; however, the ones made for exporting into China are. This might seem like a hair-splitting distinction, but it’s still a big step in the right direction — especially for top influential companies.
Some companies below also conduct pharmaceutical research and/or manufacture drugs, food additives, pesticides, chemical household cleansers — all of which have government-required animal toxicity tests (like most countries).
If you’re in Japan and you want to get involved with an animal rights organisation (or simply want more information about animal testings in Japan), I’d highly suggest checking out Japan Anti-vivisection Association (JAVA). They’re Japan’s longest-operating group that aims to abolish animal testing — and very well-known and respected in Japan. Their previous campaigns have directly led many top Japanese cosmetic companies (e.g. Shiseido and Rohto) to abolish animal testing within Japan.
For simplicity’s sake, only company names are listed. Most companies below own myriads of Japan-only cosmetic brands — it’s a futile (and mind-numbing) task for me to try to list them all below. Please search within the site or check the company’s site to find out what brands are under what companies.
| COMPANY NAME | NO ANIMAL-TESTING (for cosmetics in Japan) | REFERENCE |
| ALBION Co. | ✓ (as of 2013) | Official Response Letter to JAVA |
| ATTENIR | ✓ (as of 2014) | Official Response Letter to JAVA |
| ACRO (e.g. THREE) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| BbyE Corporation (e.g. Medel Natural) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| BCL Company (e.g. Saborino) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Bison Corporation (e.g. Baby Pink) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Beauty Experience Inc. (e.g. BENE, Loretta) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Chifure | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| CHINOSHIO | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| CLUB Cosmetics Co. | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Cow Brand Soap | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| DHC | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Dr. Ci:Labo | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| e’quipe (e.g. RMK) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| FANCL Corporation | ✓ (as of 2014) | Official Japanese Release |
| HABA Laboratories Inc. | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Hechima Cologne Co. | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| House of Rose Co. | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Ida Laboratories (e.g. Canmake, Cezanne) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Isehan Co. (e.g. Heroine Make, Sunkiller) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Ishizawa Laboratories (e.g. Shigaisen Yohou) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| FUJIFILM (e.g. Astalift) | ✓ (as of 2015) | Official Japanese Release |
| Juju Cosmetics Co. (e.g. Aquamoist) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Kao (e.g. Biore, Curel, Nivea) | ✓ (as of Mar. 2015) | Official Japanese Release |
| Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. (e.g. ALLIE) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| KohGenDo | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Kokuryudo Co. (e.g. HIPITCH) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| KOSE Corporation (e.g. SEKKISEI, ADDICTION) | ✓ (as of 2013) | Official Japanese Release |
| Kracie Holdings (e.g. Hadabisei) | ✓ | Official Response Letter to JAVA |
| LION Corporation (e.g. Bathology, Hadakara) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Mandom Corporation (e.g. Barrier Repair, GATSBY) | ✓ (as of Mar. 2013) | Official Japanese Release |
| MATSUYAMA Co. (e.g. M-mark) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Menard | ✓ (as of Mar. 2009) | Official Japanese Release |
| Meishoku (e.g. DETclear) | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| MiMC Co. | Official Japanese Release | |
| MUJI | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Nihonsakari Co. | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| Noevir Group (e.g. SANA Namerakahonpo) | ✓ (as of May 2015) | Official Japanese Release |
| NaturaPurify Institute Co. (e.g 24h Cosme) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Oshima Tsubaki | ✓ | JAVA Cosmetic Guide |
| pdc Inc. | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| PIAS Group (e.g. Naturie, Covermark, i-mju) | ✓ (as of Mar. 2019) | Official Response Letter to JAVA |
| POLA ORBIS Group (e.g. POLA, ORBIS) | ✓ (as of Jan. 2015) | Official Japanese Release |
| RAFRA | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co. (e.g. Hada-Labo, Melano CC) | ✓ (as of Jan. 2016) | Official Japanese Release |
| ROSETTE | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Sabondama Soap Co. | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Saishunkan Co. (e.g. Domo Horn Wrinkle) | ✓ (as of 2003) | Official Japanese Release |
| Shiseido Japan Co. (e.g. ANESSA, SENKA) | ✓ (as of Apr. 2013) | Official Japanese Release |
| Sunstar Inc. | ✓ (as of 2003) | Official Response Letter to JAVA |
| Taiyo Yushi Co. (e.g. PAX NATURON) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Utena Co. (e.g. PURESA) | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Yakult Honsha Co. | ✓ (as of 2018) | Official Japanese Release |
| YANAGIYA | ✓ | Official Japanese Release |
| Companies’ policies and practices are subjected to change. Please direct any related questions or concerns you may have to the company in question. | ||
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Love you posts. Do you have any information on Kiku Masamune Sake Brewing and if they test on animals?
Kiku-Masamune actually only produce alcoholic beverages. They don’t produce any cosmetic products at all — everything is outsourced to various cosmetic contract manufacturing companies. They use different OEM companies for different products so it really depends on which product you’re looking at.
Oh wow. I see now on your post on the Rice Made Mild Milk Peeling Senil Laboratories. They produce ‘quasi-drugs’, so probably do test on animals then?
Not necessarily but they do develop (in addition to producing) new raw material ingredients for cosmetics and quasi-drugs which require safety test data. Although validated alternative methods can be used, animal testing is inevitable.
I contacted Meishoku. They confirmed to me that they don’t conduct animal testing on their products that are sold in Japan. However, they can not confirm that none of their ingredient suppliers do not conduct animal testing. They also confirmed that they do export to main land China and carry out the legally required animal testing in China. I know everyone has their own standard for what they deem acceptable, but in my opinion it can not be said that Meishoku does not conduct animal testing.
I keep getting conflicting answers on whether KOSE is cruelty-free. Where can I find current info.
From Kose’s official Japanese website (linked in the post)!
I assume you’re specifically concerned about animal-testing (vivisection) because “cruelty-free” is nothing but a meaningless marketing term — it (and its translated equivalent term) isn’t used in Japan at all. The production of many raw materials used in beauty products is directly linked to animal cruelty and human rights abuse amongst other issues.
Thank you for this list.
I’ve looked everywhere and have found no information on whether Candydoll is cruelty free.
Is there a way to find this out?
Sorry, I meant whether they do animal testing or not.
The company behind CandyDoll (T-Garden) is a fashion and marketing company. They don’t produce cosmetic products — everything is outsourced to various OEM companies. Every single CandyDoll product is manufactured by a different OEM company so it really depends on which exact product you’re looking at.
Thank you for this helpful response! The product in question I was looking at was the CandyDoll Bright Pure Base (in colors Mint Green, Lavender, and Pearl Pink). I found some sources on the product like this: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?setid=48878bce-cdf3-70db-e054-00144ff8d46c
I’m new to using Japanese makeup products and I was curious if there was a simple way to find out which OEM company a product is manufactured by. I don’t buy a product unless I’m certain the product has not been tested on animals, but was very interested in buying the CandyDoll Bright Pure Base. Thank you again for your helpful response!
That product you linked has been discontinued in Japan for years! It’s so old that even its replacement product launched back in 2016 has been reformulated already.
Simple way to find out? Read the back of the outer packaging. It’s printed (in Japanese) right on there!
Ah! Thank you. I had no idea! I was watching Japanese beauty youtubers and I saw this was a product that she would use a lot. So I had no clue it was discontinued haha!
I can’t actually read Japanese so I suppose I won’t be able to figure this one out. Thank you for all your help!
Hello there! Thank you for the list, however as far as I’m concerned, MUJI still has branches in mainland China where requires animal testing. Although I am not sure if they sell any cosmetics or skin care products there, but they do have shops there… so they may not be eligible to call themselves ‘cruelty free’ anyway thank you for listing such useful information 🙂
Deciding which products to use is a very personal decision. Unfortunately, beauty products that are truly cruelty-free don’t exist (I deliberately avoided using this marketing term in my post). In my view, any brand that uses palm oil-derived ingredients (and realistically, they all do!) has no rights calling itself “cruelty-free” since the production is directly linked to deforestation, climate change, indigenous rights abuses, and animal cruelty. And what about cruelty to humans, ie. abuse in the workplace? Muji Japan don’t call themselves “cruelty-free”. They state they do not conduct animal-testing in the development and production of their cosmetics, except when… Read more »
Do you have a list of cruelty free cosmetic list that are truly (meaning does not sell in china, dont export to china) cruelty free and not just in japan?
“Truly cruelty-free”? That doesn’t exist — there is a specific reason why I avoided using this non-regulated marketing term in the post. Products that contain palm oil (or any of its derivatives) aren’t cruelty-free regardless of animal-testing. Industrial palm oil production is directly linked to deforestation, climate change, indigenous rights abuses, and animal cruelty! If a brand uses palm oil-derived ingredients (and realistically, they all do!), it has no rights calling itself “cruelty-free”. It’s near impossible to avoid palm oil and its derivatives since they’re hidden under alternative names (e.g. glycerin, etc). Keep in mind that some of these companies… Read more »
I meant animal testing wise. or they do not physically sell in china (online sales do not require testing some loop hole huh).
Thank you so much for this list.
I was wondering if WORLD Co. would be relevant to this check? They own It’s Demo, a popular beauty shop in Shibuya that sells a lot of products directly under the brand name It’s Demo (as well as other brands).
I love the concept of It’s Demo but don’t want to shop there if they can’t confirm no in-Japan animal testing.
No, since World Co. is a clothing company. They don’t product cosmetics at all. It’s Demo isn’t a beauty brand — it’s a fashion store chain that sells time-limited collaborative items manufactured by various unrelated companies.
Thank you for the super helpful information! Very much appreciated, because it was very confusing trying to figure out what they were. I will keep researching.
Hi thank you for this list! I am going to Japan this summer and I wanted to know where these products can be found (which stores)? Thank you!
These are companies not products! There’re thousands of brands here in the widest possible price range.
Apologies! do you know then if they label their products with something clear to indicate they are cruelty-free/not animal tested?
There’s no labels. “Cruelty-Free”/”Not Tested on Animals” are like “Dermatologist-Tested” and “Non-Comedogenic” — they’re meaningless claims since there’re no legal definitions for these terms in any countries. Companies have unrestricted use of these labels.
THANKSS