July 10, 2017

NARS No Longer Cruelty-Free

It’s old news by now but for those who didn’t know, NARS is no longer cruelty-free. NARS has made the decision to move into the Chinese market which could prove a huge sales margin for the brand but in doing so they unfortunately have to abide by Chinese laws about ingredient safety and animal testing laws.

NARS released a statement on their Instagram account stating they are fighting against animal testing and hope to globally eliminate as they believe in product safely proven by non-animal testing methods. According to the brand they continue to not test on animals however, there’s a big BUT here, as the brand states “NARS does not test on animals or ask others to do so on our behalf, EXCEPT where required by law.” And considering China’s strict laws on cosmetic and beauty testing that would mean the brand is forced to do so.

They are apparently working to change that testing method and whether or not they will be successful remains to be seen but as of now NARS is no longer a cruel-free makeup brand sadly.

How do you feel about this news?

Will you continue to buy NARS here in the US even though they are testing on animals in China?

Do share!

43 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Sarah

    You know…I’m still going to buy NARS just as I’m still going to buy MAC and I know it’s unpopular to say it. But NARS has one of the few concealer formulas that works for me, and I’m willing to purchase it again and again because I don’t want to go on the hunt for another concealer, not after this hunt lasted so long.

    All I can do is what I can do on my speck of the planet and stay accountable to me and mine. I can’t stop China from doing what it does. I can’t stop China from testing on animals, I can’t stop China from polluting its rivers and air when they melt down electronic waste for precious metals. And as much as I would like to buy strict cruelty free everything (and stick to a vegan diet, I have tried but I fall off that wagon and hop back on again), it’s just not feasible for all products. At least in America it isn’t tested on animals.

    Wow, this was a depressing comment. I wish I could follow up with something pleasant but…uh…hmm. I’m sorry. 🙁

    • Jay

      Wow, your comment says everything I wish I could about animal testing (way better than I ever could ha). Of all that is wrong with this world, it’s not a cause I’m particularly passionate about. But I’m happy that so many people ARE and hope they can make a positive difference. I try to be more conscious of my consumption but my heart lies with other causes.

      • Sarah

        I use Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, it really hides my blemishes and problem areas without creasing or caking. And it feels very light weight and looks natural. It took a long time to find a concealer this nice.

    • Em

      Try looking up DUPES. There really are knockoffs. Some even have similar ingredients. CFree and save some $. Double win.

  • kjh

    This is a disappointment, but not surprising. I will continue with Nars, bec the brand perhaps best channels my color preferences, at least in blush and lip products…and always has. Their formulas are not loaded with my problem ingredients. When your product choices are limited, for whatever reason, you may choose to patronize a brand, despite disagreeing with another aspect in principle. I feel the same way about KGD foundation. It took me 2 years+ to find a foundation with no problem ingredients that color matched. Do I think KGD would be a better brand by being more diverse and inclusive? Certainly. Do I think it’s absurd that I get the darkest cool shade and am ~nw 15-20? Sure. If you are committed to no animal testing, bravo. Let Nars go. There are many choices that carry the rabbit. But animal testing notwithstanding, I’m staying. And I trap live mice, spiders, etc. to relocate them. It’s a question of how you order your priorities and the weight of those priorities.

  • Shana

    I’m a little saddened! But I’m not a huge NARS user.. I think I have maybe 1 or 2 products. And they should probably be thrown out.

    Although did you see that Smashbox got the cruelty free logo back?

  • kimkats

    Totally agree with Sarah. China gonna do what China gonna do, and we aren’t (and maybe shouldn’t even be) in a position to tell them what to do or how to do it. Like most Americans, I don’t like animal testing, esp. when so much of it is superfluous, and really unnecessary. But China’s a huge market, and I can’t blame a company for wanting to tap into it. I don’t have that much nars, but the concealer is top drawer and I’ll buy it as long as they make it. I guess the animal testing thing, while it bothers me, isn’t a deal breaker for me, as long as the company isn’t doing it wholesale, and only where/when it is required.

  • Jay

    No way. I will never buy anything again from this crappy company. I don’t buy from any brands that sell in China and am so dissapointed in the brand. It makes me sick that they don’t care about animal torture ie animal testing. It also makes me sick that people will still buy from this brand. I think anyone who buys from a non cruelty free company should have to atch under cover footage from these horrible testing facilities before they make a purchase. Animals are tortured during testing. NO MAKEUP IS WORTH THAT. Not only does China torture/test on animals they have the dog meat festival every year. Thousands of dogs are captured/stole every year. These dogs are beaten, tortured and boiled alive. How can you sell in a country that allows this. The lame excuse about it being to expand their vision is a crock of crap. No animal should be tortured for their vision. Trust me when I say that their vision is not that important. I honestly hope their sales tank big time. I urge everyone i can to not to buy from them or any brand that sells in china. It makes me so sad that people think a lipstick or foundation is worth the suffering that these animals endure on a daily bases. Honestly to be quite blunt noone is important enough for animals to deserve this. I will learn to live without products knowing that i did not contribute to their torture. We as a human race need to stop being so self centered and selfish and start thinking about others, animals and humans included.

    • Carrie

      Well said Jay!

      I look at it this way, now my list of brands to be loyal to has shrunk by one. I will now give that money to a company worthy of getting rewarded.

      There is NO REASON in 2017 for any company to be testing on animals. While I respect anyone’s right to spend their money where they wish, supporting companies like Nars that say they want to fight animal testing then give into the greed of making money in China are hypocrites in my opinion. China is allowed to get away with their horrific practices and cruelty against animals BECAUSE companies keep giving into greed and chose to sell there.

      I’m only one person but I can do my part in the fight against animal cruelty by only spending my money at companies that are against cruelty. I can give money to charities fighting for animal rights and fighting to get these horrific practices stopped. It’s been proven to work. It would work against China if more companies had the balls to stand up for what they believe in. (Hello Tarte!)

      My vanity isn’t worth the torture and murder of an innocent animals’ life.

    • Rina

      I agree, I only buy cruelty free, so Bye NARS. I also want to avoid makeup made in China to avoid possible dubious ingredients or contamination. I’m researching the brands I own, but really can’t find any info on where Lorac manufacturers. Does anyone know???

  • Thea

    I find it incredibly hypocritical, seeing as François Nars is apparently a vegan.

  • Christina D.

    Bravo, Jay. I sooo agree with you. For years, I was extremely active in the animal rights movement. After awhile, I just couldn’t cope with all the horrors I witnessed. I still do my best to not buy from companies that test of animals, but sometimes I find out after the fact that a company that doesn’t test is owned by another company that does test. NARS just happens to be one of the brands that continually disappointed me, so this is the proverbial nail in the coffin. No more NARS.

    • Jay

      Thank you. It makes me happy that others feel the same. The horrors are unbelievable and it does take a toll. I’m glad they have lost another customer 🙂

    • kjh

      Just so you know, Nars is under the Shiseido brand, business wise. You may have to google to see what cos are included, and then that does not nec mean that specific co animal tests. But, you may have many more cos to boycott than you think. Shiseido is a big player.

  • Terri

    I agree with Jay’s comment above (or below- not sure how it’ll land). NARS ain’t the only game in town. I have made a complete 100% switch to cruelty-free products and find them to be better performing than the older standards. I’m not so focused on a concealer being the reason for my life. If we don’t take a stand and let these companies know they WILL NOT GET OUR DOLLARS, nothing will ever change. Money is power- USE IT.

    • Jay

      Yes this. I just dont understand how people are ok enough with animal torture that they will still purchase. It just boggles my mind.

  • Christina D.

    I have to chime in with a positive note. I’m probably older than many of the readers of this blog, and when I first talked about cruelty-free products, the vast majority of people didn’t know to what I was referring, or disagreed with me, primarily due to ignorance. But we have come a long way and cruelty-free is not so strange a concept anymore!

    On the other hand, we still have a long way to go. That’s why I don’t think we can just “let China do what they do” — we have to let them know testing on animals is not OK by not giving them our business. That’s how this all started decades ago.

    • Jay

      Agree. We have come so far yet still have so far to go. If everyone would just stop buying makeup that is sold in china most companies would stop.

      • kjh

        This is a great sentiment, but I highly, highly doubt it. I am old. I’ve seen many boycotts, and have never seen an international one work. In fact, in my memory, the only one that worked was national: the grape boycott on behalf of the farm and migrant workers. I still don’t eat grapes. Boycotting on behalf of whale based products did little in the bigger picture:some products were dropped, most continued. And whaling is massive torture of very large, sentient mammals. I think that a boycott assuages one’s conscience, but that it has only a small financial impact. They won’t quit. I have read responders on this issue cite the necessity of animal testing for the development of medicines. The irony of this issue is that animal testing on beauty products IS completely unnecessary.

  • Tabitha

    Nars has been on a downward spiral for awhile now. In short I just think there are too many other great cruelty free brands that offer better makeup than Nars. I predict a crash and burn.

  • VAdoglover4

    I am not a huge Nars fan and only have a few products from them, so it’s not a great loss for me to never use Nars again. My problem with Nars and companies like them is their shameless hypocrisy. Instead of their generic commit about fighting the good fight for animal cruelty and helping China see the light. I call BS on that. Nars just wants to make money in the ever growing Chinese market, which makes me ill. Their prescense and that of all the other makeup companies in China has not halted animal testing requirements nor will it. Animal testing is a cultural issue in China. Whereas, many in the west look to FDA or safety boards to determine if a product is safe for us, China’s preferred use is animal testing to ensure safety. Nars and all the other companies selling cosmetics in China will never change that thought, but it does reinforce to China and the rest of the world how greedy we are and our willingness to split hairs on principles just to make money.

  • Etta B

    NARS makes some of my very favorite lip products so I was dissappointed when I heard the news. I have to aggree with Jay, Thea, and Christina. This is extreemly hypocritical. I’ll use what’s left of the products I own (the money’s already spent) but I won’t purchase anything more from NARS.

  • Robin

    Does this mean that NARS will no longer be sold in the U.K. ? They passsed a law a few years ago stating that if a cosmetics company does animal testing anywhere in the world, then those products could not be sold in the U.K.

    I understand and I’m happy that people are passionate about animal testing, but for those who do purchase products from China, that’s their choice do they are not evil people.. I don’t use NARS, but there are brands I do use that test in China. ive had rosecea for years and I’ve found products that make my skin look normal. I remember that taunt s I received as a child and even as a young adult for having problem skin. I can now look in a mirror and feel pretty and confident. One of my products is sold in China. I’m not going thru a ton of money and heartache to find something else that works just as well. I support animal rescue group and groups that help fight human trafficking. I’m just as passionate about my causes as the groups who fight animal testing. This world needs all the help it can get. I do what I can do, but I’m staying with the products that work for me.

  • Cil

    I threw my Cruella in the trash waaaaaaay before this because it has parabens. I don’t own anything NARS. People want to support NARS. That is ok. Nars wants China’s money. That is ok. Just please, NARS shouldn’t even try to abuse our inteligence with that ridiculous statement. NARS supported scientists of IIVS so no animal test was done. Now what? They threw it all away because they want more money now. They supported the development of technologies they WON’T BE ALLOWED TO USE in China to prove their products are safe. It is not out of the goddness of their heart or because they give a damn about changing the law there. If so, they should have fought to change them before they went there. They want the money a 1+ billion population can give them. That simple. That is also ok. Just no BS please! History shows that no evil can be improved from within. Hell, even Hollywood showed it on several occasions (the TV show Angel comes to mind when the main character assumed Wolfram and Heart with this same mind set). I am a scientist and I know that animal testing can’t be completely abolished, but no place I know uses the kind of torture China does in animal testing. That said, is IIVS accepting money from a company that said it was cruelty free, but now do it because money spoke higher? I’d rather accept the money from a company that has been testing in animals its whole life, but want to get out, than from the one that betrayed its commitment. I guess this is why so many people are pissed off. They gave money for this company to become big enough to ditch what these same people supported. By the end of the day, their losses won’t be that big because a lot of people don’t really care as long as their concealer or fundation match their skin.

  • Mo

    I will absolutely not purchase Nars. There is NO reason to test cosmetics on animals. I love makeup and skincare, but I want no part of animal torture and do not want to support a company that condones it. (Saying you don’t like animal testing, but will sell in China anyway, is just corporate double-speak. If you believe in something, put your money where your mouth is.) And one assumes Francois Nars doesn’t care. He sold Nars to Shiseido in 2000 and bought an island (Motu Tune) with some of the profits. Corporate greed seems to overrule care of the planet and its inhabitants (including all animal life) at every turn. 🙁

  • Christina D.

    It’s easy to say things will never change and give up. If that were the case, no one would have stopped testing their products on animals when it was the norm for years and years. I’m not comparing, but there have been many barbaric practices that were considered acceptable by numerous cultures; China can change it’s stance on this matter, too.

    If we don’t take a stand because of the rationale that “they won’t change,” they we are guilty of going along. “They” are counting on your complicity.

  • Christina D.

    It’s easy to say things will never change and give up. If that were the case, no one would have stopped testing their products on animals when it was the norm for years and years. I’m not comparing, but there have been many barbaric practices that were considered acceptable by numerous cultures; China can change it’s stance on this matter, too.

    If we don’t take a stand because of the rationale that “they won’t change,” they we are guilty of going along. “They” are counting on your complicity.

  • Heather

    Even though I do love their concealer and orgasm blush/gloss, I won’t repurchase. There are other brands I like just as much and won’t have to feel guilty about using.

  • Jodi

    Well that stinks! I hope they suffer enormous losses on the Chinese market! Poetic justice please!
    BTW, I’ve heard that Stila is now Cruelty Free ; can anyone verify this? ( I’ll feel really stupid if The Muse has already covered this & I missed it )

  • Flicka

    No way will I purchase one more Nars product! Just imagine: animal testing in China. Have you seen how they treat animals? Wanna eat live fish? Pure horror… and Nars is a vegan? Greedy How hypocritical!! You can only wear Nars concealer? Look around, there are many cruelty free options that are better than Nars.

  • mariana prado

    no! I’m a decent person and I won’t give my money and neither contribute with animal cruelty and I think every decent and good person should do the same.
    Theres a lot brands and good products out there and we should not sacrifice our principles for make up, this is as selfish and futile as can be.
    If Nars have choosen to be mean, cruel and heartless I choose to not buy Nars.

  • Viki

    I’ll probably not buy from the brand as much as I used to. There’s so much options now.

  • genevieve

    I am not a Nars fan – I find the names of a lot of their products offensive and generally the brand has been very hard to get in Australia (sold at one beauty retailer for ridiculous amounts). So I don’t buy their products anyway.
    I am dismayed that they are choosing to go to China – it is obviously a commercial decision as perhaps the brand wasn’t profitable enough in the Western world.
    Apart from a few of their niche products that suit customers with specific complexion concerns, most of their products are easily dupable and available using cruelty free brands. Phyrra has a whole list of them and supports cruelty free makeup.

  • amy

    I will continue to buy NARS. I has been one of my absolute favorite brands for many years, and I actually understand the law of Supply & Demand. I also understand the obligation(s) of any brand to its shareholders. Yes, it is an economic decision, not based on “greed”.

    I’ve been reading many comments across the Internet over the last week or so, and what stands out the most is the fact that the angriest comments are from those that didn’t particularly care for the brand in the first place… If one doesn’t buy in the first place, will a brand/company be affected by that individuals “boycott”? To save time/effort to think that through, the answer is, “No.” Perhaps, if *more* people in the US, Europe, Canada, and Australia were buying nominal amounts of product in the first place, from well a established brands, then maybe the “Chinese Market” wouldn’t look like such an appealing option… I feel I do my part by *only* buying from brands that have paid their dues; in an already overly saturated industry, these small “pop-up” brands are just pushing the pioneers to China, or forcing them to shut their doors. This is why I don’t buy Morphe, Colour Pop, Kylie Cosmetics, etc…

    Another point to make to the *animal activists”: even if the threat of boycotting did work, and every brand pulled out of China, what do you think would happen? Again, I’ll give you the answer: companies would close (or, at the very least, downsize considerably), meaning people would lose jobs. People lose jobs, they lose homes. They lose homes, pets get placed in shelters (and, I think you know the rest…). We’re not quite in a place where people can just pick up, and move on to another job, especially those in the “lower skilled” positions. As much as I love animals, I care for people as much…

    I know this is a lot to digest, and isn’t your run-of-the-mill, PC, SJW response, but it is the bitter pill of reality.

    • amy

      Also, I’m not “boycotting” smaller, pop-up brands, so no, I’m not being a “hypocrite”. Instead, I’m simply staying loyal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a free market, and a little competition keeps prices down, when done reasonably. However, a saturated market *must* be expanded. There are more than enough brands to create healthy competition, but unless someone brings something new to the market, it has to stop, unless brands expand.

      I’m not judging anyone, but I want people to understand that while they want something less expensive, there’s still a price at the end… Just something to think about!