Animals don’t need to suffer so we can feel good – here are all the reasons why we’re against animal testing. 

Rituals has never and will never test any of our products on animals. In fact, it’s been forbidden in the EU since 2004. Rituals was founded in 2002 and chose not to test on animals before this ban was in place. “Aside from the fact it's often ineffective, animal testing is cruel and inhumane. Rituals is a company that prides itself on caring not just for the wellbeing of our customers but also for the planet - we take this responsibility and our impact on the world around us seriously. Animal testing is something we have never and will never consider,” says Niki Shilling, Director Impact. 

Why we don’t test on animals 

It’s unnecessary & unethical 

We won’t go into all the details – but animal tests can involve all kinds of species enduring painful experiments, being deliberately sickened and ending in death. This is a fact most of us sadly already know. But one thing you might not know, is that it’s actually highly ineffective. Animals and humans are very different. So much so, that The National Institutes of Health reported that 92% of drugs that passed tests on animals actually failed on humans. These misleading animal tests can result in formulas containing risky substances putting humans at risk.  

Times have changed 

Animals have been used to check the safety of human products since 500 BC - and there are not many practices that have lasted from this period. It’s archaic and science has progressed. Did you know that it’s possible to extract human cells or tissue into a petri dish for testing, so neither the human or any animals need to be there while the tests take place? There’s also the wild fact that scientists have been able to create artificial human skin for testing purposes. When it comes to testing, the benefit of including humans over animals is that they can provide their consent. All our tests are done on willing and consensual volunteers.  

But don’t you operate in China? 

Since 2004, animal testing for cosmetic ingredients has been banned in the EU and in many other countries globally. One country that has continued to require animal testing, however, was China. For this reason, we chose not to operate there, but in 2021, there was a change in their regulations. Now, general cosmetics are not required to be tested on animals. Though it’s not a legal requirement, it goes without saying that we chose not to. 

If you’re wondering what ‘general cosmetics’ means – it’s things like body cream, shower foam and perfume. A separate set of rules are in place for ‘special-use cosmetics’, this includes products like SPF and hair dyes.  Since we do sell some products that fall into this category, these are excluded from our assortment in China.  

Animals are a vital part of many ecosystems across the world. For us, sustainable wellbeing, showing kindness and preserving our planet is just as important as creating products you all love. To know more about our sustainability efforts, click here.