E45 is a famous name in the world of skincare. The brand produces nondrying formulations for people suffering from dry skin and they are quite effective.
The famous E45 cream by the brand is used far and wide for the treatment of various skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and crusty skin. The cream also makes your skin super soft and gets rid of the rough texture.
This magical product that brings a noticeable improvement in your skin in as less as two weeks sounds too good to be true, isn’t it? But, what if I tell you that it is NOT CRUELTY-FREE? Yes, you read it right.
Since a lot of big skincare and makeup manufacturers are adapting to non-cruelty-free practices, you might have been under the impression that E45 is also one of them.
Sadly, there are still a lot of brands and companies that care about their profits more than the world they are living in. E45 is also one of such brands.
Let’s dig a little deeper to know more facts about it.
List of Famous E45 Products
Before going any further, let me shed some light on the famous products offered by the brand.
- Cream: This is probably the most popular product by the brand and is targeted toward people with dry skin.
- Itch Relief Cream: This is used for certain skin conditions, like eczema, dermatitis, flaky skin, and more.
- Hydrocortisone Cream: This formula contains hydrocortisone, a type of steroid, and is used for battling problems like insect bites.
Is E45 Cruelty-Free?
As I stated above, the brand is sadly not cruelty-free. The parent company of the brand has active involvement in animal testing. It doesn’t necessarily conduct the testing itself all the time. Sometimes it used 3rd parties to do it.
According to the company’s policy, it concurs with animal testing in the country of operation. This means selling in a state where you are legally bound to test your products on animals.
The company also volunteers to get its products tested on animals even if there is no legal restriction.
Who Owns E45?
E45 is owned by Reckitt Benckiser, a British-based MNC that specializes in producing consumer goods in various categories. The company is known for conducting animal testing on its multiple products, either directly or through someone else.
Some of the brands offered by the company only do animal trials where the law bounds them. The MNC also uses ingredients that are not vegan.
Is E45 Vegan Friendly?
Apart from being non-cruelty-free, it isn’t vegan friendly either. Now, the brand hasn’t made it easier to discover whether it’s vegan or not. Why? Because it hasn’t mentioned anywhere if it contains any animal-derived ingredients.
But, I didn’t rest until I did my research to find out all about it, and here’s what I found out. E45 uses emollient-based recipes for its skincare products, thus making it non-vegan.
For those of you who do not know, emollients add a defensive moisturizing fence to your skin that keeps your skin super supple. But where do these emollients come from?
The two main ingredients of E45 are liquid paraffin and lanolin. While paraffin is vegan, the latter one is obtained from lamb fur, which is often referred to as the “fat of the fur”. This sticky material inhibits the moistness to escape from the skin.
I can’t say if all of its products contain lanolin or not but I do know that its most renowned products, i.e. lotion and cream, both contain it. So, I don’t think I need to assert that E45 is in no way vegan.
Interestingly, before learning about this brand, I had no idea what lanolin is and where does it come from? It’s safe to say that we should always do a proper background check on all the ingredients of a product to know their source.
Is E45 Ethical?
At this point, I really don’t think you should be wondering if the brand is ethical. Besides being non-vegan and non-cruelty-free, the parent company of this brand is also involved in purchasing palm oil from Wilmar group.
That establishment promotes child labor, in addition to making its employees work with poisonous and barred chemicals. Some of you might be of the view that Reckitt Benckiser is not directly involved in these acts so why consider it unethical?
The thing is, there are huge profit margins involved in such dealings. As long as there is demand for something, the supplier will make sure to do anything in his power to meet that demand.
So, whether RB directly uses child workforce and hazardous chemicals or not is just a redundant argument.
Is E45 PETA Approved?
The brand is not approved by PETA or any other such body.
Are there any vegan and cruelty-free alternatives to E45?
You are probably one of the many people who have been using this brand without knowing that it’s neither vegan nor cruelty-free and I don’t blame you for that.
The brand’s vague label can leave anyone perplexed. But, the good news is that it is never too late to do the right thing.
If you are now thinking about turning to E45’s vegan and cruelty-free substitutes, you are in luck. I have assembled a list of some of my personal favorites and I hope you are going to love them as well.
Check them out:
- Upcircle
- Irene Forte Skincare
- Vegan by Happy Skin
- Pacifica Beauty Vegan Ceramide Barrier Repair Daily Facial Moisturizing Cream
- Yes To s Ultra Hydrating Moisturizing Oil Stick
- Andalou Naturals Deep Hydration Multi Correcting Cream
- Nourish Organic | Pure Hydrating Face Serum – Apricot & Argan
- Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Face & Body Crème
- Sun Bum Mineral SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Face Lotion
- Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion
Every brand on the aforementioned list is neither directly nor indirectly involved in any form of animal testing. None of these brands promote their products in the states where the law demands experimenting on animals.
These brands also make sure to use ingredients that have no connection to animals. Yet, all of these products are amazing and almost equally effective at their jobs.
