Buying Cruelty Free Beauty Items at Shoppers Drug Mart
When I think of places where Canadians shop frequently, Shoppers Drug Mart is near the top of the list. But what cruelty-free brands do they carry? Shoppers is a massive Canadian shopping chain that you can find in most major cities. And yet after searching the web, I was shocked there were zero cruelty-free guides for Shoppers Drug Mart! That’s pretty crazy, eh?
Buying cruelty-free (and vegan!) is becoming easier and easier. It’s such a relief that more brands and consumers are opening their eyes to the reality of animal testing. Thankfully, the range of cruelty-free beauty options available at Shoppers Drug Mart is growing. Some of these brands even caught me by surprise, as I wasn’t aware of their stance on animal testing until I researched them. During this research, I also came across some products that I came to love. For example, tucked away in the designer beauty boutique area I stumbled upon Dr. Roebuck’s skincare line. I was shocked that not only had I never noticed the Australian brand before, but they are also cruelty-free. Their creamy face wash is a favourite of mine now. Then there’s Cake Beauty, which is newer to Shoppers. Surprise, surprise! Cake Beauty is cruelty free and made in Canada! Check out their dry shampoos and styling products—You’ll thank me later.
I hope you find some of your favourites on this list, and perhaps give a few others a try.
Your Key To Cruelty-Free Shopping
Brands with a 🐰 (bunny) next to them are cruelty-free! These brands do not pass their profits on to larger companies that commit animal cruelty. An “*” (asterisk) means the brand is somewhat cruelty-free, but there is no guarantee that the brand is 100% cruelty-free. For example, their parent company may test on animals or their products are sold in China where imported beauty items are required to go through animal testing.
If a brand has product lines that fall into both makeup and hair/skincare categories, they will be included in both lists.
Quick Jump Links
1. Shampoos, Conditioners & Styling Products
2. Skincare & Body Products
3. Makeup & Nailpolish
Legend
🐰 = Cruelty-Free Brand
* = Mainly Cruelty-Free Brand
I will make my best effort to keep this list up-to-date. But of course, if you see something missing, please let me know in the comments section below.
Shampoos, Conditioners & Styling Products
Cruelty-Free Haircare Brands at Shoppers Drug Mart
- Cake 🐰 – PETA approved and 100% vegan (PS: Based in Toronto, manufactured in Canada and the UK)
“We do not buy ingredients from any supplier that tests on animals. We do not test our final formulations on animals. And we don’t sell our products in any environment that requires us to conduct animal testing. Period.” – Cake
- Love Beauty and Planet * – Their bottles are made from 100% Post-consumer recycled plastic, many of their ingredients are sourced responsibly, and they also claim to never test on animals. However, Love Beauty and Planet is owned by Unilever, who does test on animals. I’m going to reach out to see if I can get an official statement.
“For us, loving the planet means caring for all the creatures who share it. That’s why we make all of our products vegan, and we never ever test on animals.” – Cake
- OGX * – OGX does not test their ingredients or finished products on animals. But OGX is owned by Johnson & Johnson, who does test on animals.
“OGX® does not initiate animal tests on either finished products or ingredients whether directly or indirectly. All ingredients used are carefully monitored. All suppliers are requested to confirm that their materials have not been tested on animals. Ingredients which do not have this data supplied for them are not used in any products. OGX® is against the suffering endured by animals when ingredients and products are tested. We support suppliers and organizations that are developing alternative methods of testing without using animals.” – Cake
Skincare & Body Products
Cruelty-Free Skincare Brands at Shoppers Drug Mart
- Being by Sanctuary 🐰 – This UK brand is new to Shoppers AND is budget friendly! I love their super-sassy packing. It was a little difficult to try track down their animal testing policy, but I was finally able to get an answer via Instagram chat.
- Side note – Being is owned by PZ Cussons, who takes a strong stance against animal testing, you can read their statement here.
“@the_purist_, Being cruelty free is core to our brand principals and is super important to us. We have robust procedures in place during product development to ensure that all materials, ingredients and suppliers we work with comply with our cruelty free policy. We continually audit our suppliers to gaurantee they continue to comply with this policy too.”
- BVspa by Bon Vital’ * – Approach with caution. Their packaging states they are against animal testing, but I haven’t been able to find any in-depth information yet. I’ve reached out for an official statement.
- Calgon * – Approach with caution. Some of their packaging states they are against animal testing, but I haven’t been able to find any in-depth information yet. I’ve reached out to their parent brand PDC beauty for an official statement.
- Cocokind 🐰 – A natural-ingredient focused skincare line made with lots of botanicals, seed butters, and plant extracts. Many of their products are vegan, and most contain organic ingredients. (Check each label for information on specific formulas.) They claim to be cruelty free. I don’t see any information that they currently ship their products beyond the U.S. or Canada, so it’s unlikely that they sell in China where animal testing is required.
- Delectables, by Cake 🐰 – PETA approved and 100% vegan (PS: Based in Toronto, manufactured in Canada and the UK) See the Cake cruelty free statement above.
- Dr. Roebuck’s 🐰 – Made in Australia and formulated with a strong focus on natural botanicals.
- Embryolisse 🐰 – European brand, does not test on animals. I’ve contacted them to see if they sell to China where animal testing is required.
- Indeed 🐰- A Canadian-based, cruelty free beauty brand that does not sell to country where animal testing is required.
- J.R. Watkins 🐰 – Made in the USA and Leaping Bunny approved.
“J.R. Watkins does not conduct or commission any animal testing in the safety assessments of our ingredients, formulations, finished products or any new product formulations.
Natural & Cruelty-Free Ingredients:
Free from: Parabens, Petrolatum, Chemical Sunscreens, Glycols, Phthalates, Ethanoloamines, Synthetic polymers, Formaldehyde Donors, Synthetic Dyes, Silicones, Talc, and Mineral Oil
Whenever possible use biodegradable and plant-derived ingredients, safe for people and the planet
J.R. Watkins Bath & Body and Home Care products are 95% or more natural
Responsible Business Practices:
Full disclosure of all ingredients
Not tested on animals. Leaping Bunny approved. Learn more about Leaping Bunny at LeapingBunny.org” – J.R. Watkins
- Lise Watier * – Approach with caution. They state they are against animal testing. Lise Watier also has a line in their FAQ page about complying with laws of where their products are sold. Commonly, this is a loophole phrase used by companies to point the finger at someone else when animal testing needs to be conducted to be sold in a foreign country. I will try to reach out for clarification. (Text emphasis added by me.)
Lise Watier products are NOT tested on animals, nor do we have animal testing conducted on our behalf. We are committed to selling only safe products, using only safe ingredients in our cosmetic products and complying with applicable regulations in every country in which Lise Watier products are sold. Lise Watier ensures product safety through testing using “in vitro” or “self-testing” methods on human volunteers. The development of all Lise Watier products is carried out with the goal of offering innovative, high-quality products to our clientele, while insuring the security of their use. – Lise Watier
- Pixi by Petra 🐰 – London based (follows EU ban on animal testing)
Pixi does not test on animals, nor do we have any other parties, such as suppliers, conduct any animal testing on our behalf. Pixi uses only the highest quality ingredients which have a proven safety record and are widely used in the cosmetics industry. – Pixi
- PÜR Cosmetics 🐰 – Cruelty Free with the majority of products made in the US.
Are your products tested on animals?
“No. We are a cruelty-free company that never tests on animals.” – PUR Cosmetics
- Yes To 🐰 – Leaping Bunny approved.
Makeup and Nailpolish
Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands at Shoppers Drug Mart
- Bare Minerals * – Approach with caution. Bare Minerals is Owned by Shiseido.
- Burt’s Bees * – Approach with caution. Burt’s Bees does great things for the bees, but they are owned by Clorox, who tests on animals.
- e.lf. Cosmetics 🐰 – A budget-friendly makeup line that does not test on animals.
- Essence Cosmetics 🐰 – Complies to EU standards for cosmetics where animal testing is forbidden. (Note: they do not use leaping bunny or cruelty free labeling because they follow EU standards for cosmetics.)
“testing on animals is a no-go for essence. we do not conduct animal testing and do not commission anyone else to do so either. not in the european union or anywhere else in the world. we never have and we never will. the contracts with our clients state that they must manufacture products in compliance with european union law, which strictly prohibits testing on animals. to us, this is a matter of course – and always has been on a voluntary basis – because we know that we can manufacture good and safe products without torturing animals. in the cosmetics industry, alternative tests have been used for many years instead of testing on animals. …
“our suppliers must comply with our strict criteria as well as the law – this means that they have to manufacture our products in accordance with european union legislation, which says that testing on animals is forbidden. we promise that there are no loopholes or tricks!” – Essence“for us quality is not just talk. we strictly follow the international guidelines, the good manufacturing practices and the eu-cosmetics regulation*. and that’s great because it regulates the ban on animal testing amongst other things. but we do even more! that’s why essence created its own negative list, where products with ingredients under critical review do not have a chance – even though it would be legal to use them.” – Essence
- GOSH Cosmetics 🐰 – PETA approved and based in Denmark (follows EU ban on animal testing)
- Joe Fresh Beauty * – Approach with caution. I’ve heard some buzz that the cosmetics line from Joe Fresh may by cruelty free. I would like to do some further digging and reach out to a representative to confirm!
- nude by nature 🐰 – PETA approved Australian company with a focus on more natural ingredients.
Proudly animal cruelty-free and PETA certified. At Nude by Nature, you don’t have to compromise your beliefs for your beauty.
We recognise that being animal cruelty-free is just as important as producing high quality and powerful natural cosmetics. – nudebynature
Nude by Nature is cruelty-free and is PETA-certified. Our company does not support testing on animals of any kind. – nudebynature - NYX Cosmetics * – Approach with caution. NYX is owned by L’Oreal, who tests on animals.
- Lise Watier * – Approach with caution. They state they are against animal testing. Lise Watier also has a line in their FAQ page about complying with laws of where their products are sold. Commonly, this is a loophole phrase used by companies to point the finger at someone else when animal testing needs to be conducted to be sold in a foreign country. I will try to reach out to rep to clarify this. (Text emphasis added by me.)
Lise Watier products are NOT tested on animals, nor do we have animal testing conducted on our behalf. We are committed to selling only safe products, using only safe ingredients in our cosmetic products and complying with applicable regulations in every country in which Lise Watier products are sold. Lise Watier ensures product safety through testing using “in vitro” or “self-testing” methods on human volunteers. The development of all Lise Watier products is carried out with the goal of offering innovative, high-quality products to our clientele, while insuring the security of their use. – Lise Watier
- Physicians Formula 🐰 – PETA approved and is a good option for those with sensitive skin.
- Pixi by Petra 🐰 – London based (follows EU ban on animal testing)
Pixi does not test on animals, nor do we have any other parties, such as suppliers, conduct any animal testing on our behalf. Pixi uses only the highest quality ingredients which have a proven safety record and are widely used in the cosmetics industry. – Pixi
- PÜR Cosmetics 🐰 – Cruelty Free with the majority of products made in the US.
Are your products tested on animals?
“No. We are a cruelty-free company that never tests on animals.” – PUR Cosmetics
- Smashbox * – Approach with caution. Owned by Estée Lauder.
- Urban Decay * – Approach with caution. Urban Decay is owned by L’Oreal, who tests on animals.
