Which Korean Brands Are Cruelty Free?
South Korea phased out all animal testing on domestic cosmetics in 2018. Some brands do however sell their products into China, where animal testing is a condition of sale. That's why we've compiled a list of confirmed cruelty free Korean beauty brands below.
What About Snail Mucin And Bee Venom?
We often get asked how brands are able to obtain cruelty-free certification when their products contain ingredients like snail mucin and bee venom.
The answer is simple: These ingredients are the by-products produced by snails and bees and not the animals themselves. As long as the method for collecting the ingredients does not harm the animal itself, they can also be cruelty-free.
Although the process used to collect snail mucin varies from breeder to breeder, it usually involves an environment that encourages the snails to excrete their mucin, like placing them in a dark room with a mesh. Similarly, bee venom is collected by placing a glass pane near the bee’s hive.
The bees are inclined to try and sting the glass as it has a very mild electric current, which attracts them. When they sting it, the bees release their venom but their stingers don’t eject, meaning the bees aren’t at all harmed and they don’t die. Research has shown that there is no shortening of the bees’ lifespans when the venom is collected this way. For more information on snail mucin and bee venom and their collection methods, see our blog posts here and here.
Confirmed Cruelty Free Brands
APLB
Beauty of Joseon
Benton
Half Moon Eyes
Klairs
COSRX
B-Lab
Jelly Ko
JJ Young by Caolion Lab
Pyunkang Yul
Purito
Skin79
Thank You Farmer
RE:P
Neogen
Olivarrier
Subi
The Vegan Glow
ISNTree
Cruelty Free K-Beauty Brands
Shopping cruelty-free is important to a lot of you and so STYLE STORY stocks a wide range of brands that are cruelty-free. These are just a few of our cruelty-free brands:
APLB
APLB is a Korean Beauty dedicated to creating gentle, cruelty-free cosmetics. It makes 7 promises to its customers – the creation of products for all skin types, continuous research, natural ingredients, growing the science around fermented skincare, strict quality control, results that the eyes can see and scientific prescriptions.
Purito
Purito works in a 100% cruelty-free environment where no animal testing is done. The brand prides itself on its other environmentally friendly practices as well, including avoiding excessive packaging. Pyunkang Yul Developed by Korea’s renowned Pyunkang Oriental Medicine Clinic, Pyunkang Yul is a cruelty-free Korean beauty brand that focuses on ingredients from nature. Based on their natural beauty philosophy, Pyunkang Yul rejects the notion of cosmetics as simply another “shopping” item. Instead, they carefully select each and every ingredient in their products to ensure they are gentle and safe for skin. Pyunkang Yul creates products that maintain the right balance of oil and moisture in the skin, to ensure skin is optimally balanced.
Jelly Ko
Forget boring skincare - Jelly Ko makes products so decadent you'll want to eat them. But these tasty treats are just for your skin. If bubble tea for your skin sounds like your jam then this is one K-Beauty brand you won't want to miss out on. Luckily, the brand doesn't need to test their products on animals because they test them on real humans instead.
Benton
Benton is a PETA-approved certified cruelty-free Korean beauty label. In addition, Benton also uses ECOCERT approved ingredients and produces products that contain high percentages of active ingredients while avoiding parabens, mineral oil, alcohol, benzophenone, chemical preservatives and steroids.
Subi
Subi is a Korean Beauty brand based that uses the latest Korean skincare technology blended with Australia’s no fuss, minimalist approach to skincare and ingredients. Subi means “defence” in Korean and that’s exactly what Subi products are – a defence for your skin. The brand designs vegan and cruelty free products that boost your skin using clean, natural ingredients. They do not sell into China.
Love your cruelty free K-Beauty brands? You’re not alone! As the South Korean legislation banning animal testing is now in force, we can enjoy even more Cruelty-Free K-Beauty brands, and that’s good news for everyone!
STYLE STORY – Your Style, Your Story
