Rimmel London Is Officially a Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Brand

Rimmel London is joining the likes of Garnier, Charlotte Tilbury, and The Body Shop as a 100 percent cruelty-free brand. Each and every Rimmel London product, from nail polishes to mascaras, is now Leaping Bunny-approved after partnering with Cruelty Free International. But what exactly does this mean?

The Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny Programme is an internationally recognised logo that guarantees a product is completely free of new animal testing. Pretty much every ingredient, even water, has been tested on animals in the past, but brands that are part of the Leaping Bunny Programme must agree not to conduct any animal testing after a fixed cutoff date. This is the only standard that guarantees a product to be free of new animal testing so that you don't have to compromise on morals to buy your favourite beauty items.

The Leaping Bunny logo is therefore the global gold standard for assessing cruelty-free beauty products. It was introduced by eight American national animal protection groups that banded together in 1996 in a bid to make cruelty-free shopping less confusing and misleading. Contrary to popular belief, testing on animals is not illegal in the UK. In fact, the UK has one of the highest numbers of experiments each year in Europe.

A ban on testing cosmetics on animals was put in place in 1997/98, which means that the Home Office should not grant licences for animal tests for cosmetics products or their ingredients. However, Kerry Postlewhite, director of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Cruelty Free International, explains that the way in which the interface between cosmetics regulations and chemicals safety legislation has been interpreted in the EU — and now in the UK — means that this testing is still being permitted. "At Cruelty Free International, we are challenging that and have recently been granted permission to take a judicial review against the UK Government," she tells POPSUGAR UK. "Cosmetics brands know that their consumers want products that are not tested on animals. It's not the brands that want to carry out these tests. These tests are required by regulatory authorities."

Loyal Rimmel fans, don't worry. Nothing is going to change about your favourite products. The Leaping Bunny logo will start to appear on Rimmel packaging soon, but the existing formulas of the Rimmel products are sticking around. Sarah Al Shohaib, SVP Rimmel at Coty Inc., the company that owns Rimmel, tells POPSUGAR that it partnered with Cruelty Free International in 2018 with CoverGirl, another Coty brand, to gain Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny approval first, so "it made total sense to continue this with Rimmel." The lengthy process includes meeting rigorous criteria which apply globally and extend over and above laws governing animal testing, as well as a thorough audit process.

As one of the world's largest beauty brands available in more than 80 countries, this is a huge step towards making cruelty-free products accessible. Available at Boots, Superdrug, ASOS, and selected supermarkets, to name a few stockists, Rimmel London is your one-stop shop for affordable, cruelty-free products. Stefano Curti, brands officer of Consumer Beauty at Coty, adds: "At Coty, we know that consumers don't want to make trade-offs; they want accessible, kind and cruelty-free beauty. Rimmel stands for a better kind of beauty for all, and I'm thrilled that it has achieved Leaping Bunny approval. We are proud to stand with Cruelty Free International in its aim to end animal testing in the cosmetics industry." Well done, Rimmel. We hope more British beauty brands follow suit.