Is Shea Moisture Cruelty Free and Vegan? (2024 Update)

Shea Moisture is an awesome hair, body and skin care brand that is 100% cruelty free. Although they do have some vegan products, Shea Moisture is not a 100% vegan brand.

If you want to learn everything you need to know about this awesome hair care brand, keep on reading!

And if you’re looking for some new haircare products, you can find some Shea Moisture recommendations at the end of this post.

Let’s dive right in!

Is Shea Moisture cruelty free? Are Shea Moisture products tested on animals?

Shea Moisture doesn’t test on animals and is 100% cruelty free.

• Shea Moisture’s finished products aren’t tested on animals by anyone, anywhere in the world
• The ingredients used in their products are never tested on animals by anyone, anywhere in the world
• Third parties never test Shea Moisture products on animals
• Shea Moisture is not sold in mainland China, or in any country where animal testing is still required by law

As a cruelty free brand, Shea Moisture is certified by PETA.

By the way, something interesting:

Shea Moisture’s motto is: “Tested on our family for four generations. Never on animals.”.

Let’s take a look at the details.

Is Shea Moisture sold in China?

No, Shea Moisture products are NOT sold in physical stores in mainland China.

Why can’t cruelty free brands sell in mainland China?

Animal testing is still mandatory for all imported products sold in physical stores in mainland China.

Pre-market animal testing is required for all imported products, and non-routine post-market testing on animals may also be done in cases of customer complaints.

However, please keep in mind that this doesn’t apply to products sold in stores at the airports, or in Hong Kong.

Also, products can be sold online and shipped to mainland China without being tested on animals.

Is Shea Moisture owned by a parent brand? If yes, is it cruelty free?

Shea Moisture is owned by Unilever.

Unilever is not a cruelty free company.

They also own Dove, Rexona, Axe, and other popular brands that test on animals.

However, I must note that Shea Moisture is still cruelty free as they have their own animal testing policy, independent of their parent company.

Is Shea Moisture vegan?

Shea Moisture is not a 100% vegan brand.

Although they do have some vegan options, a lot of Shea Moisture’s products do contain animal-derived ingredients or by-products. 

Non-vegan ingredients listed on the ingredients page on their website include black pearl protein and honey.

However, they have also posted the following on their website:

Here is a list of those ingredients that are derived from animals. Please use this list to see if the product you are interested in is vegan or not.

Beeswax, Collagen, Conchiolin Protein, Honey, Keratin, Lactose, Lanolin, Milk, Pearl Protein, Silk

source: official answers by SheaMoisture to customer questions on their website for several products

In conclusion, always check the ingredient list if you’re only interested in vegan Shea Moisture products.

Best Shea Moisture products

Shea Moisture is a cruelty free beauty brand well known for their high-quality hair, body and skin care products.

They focus on using high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients from all over the world.

Additionally, Shea Moisture avoids using all of these dangerous ingredients: parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, petroleum and formaldehyde.

You can find Shea Moisture products on Amazon.

Try the SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner, which is also featured in my post about the best cruelty free leave in conditioners. If you want to discover more awesome cruelty free hair care brands, I encourage you to check it out!

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And now, I’d like to hear from you.

Do you like Shea Moisture as a brand? Have you tried any cruelty free hair care or skin care products? If so, what are your favorites?

Tell me in the comments below!