In the year 2000, Raymond Cloosterman launched a cosmetics company named Rituals. The vision behind this brand was to introduce people to luxurious yet pocket-friendly home and body care products.
This led the brand to produce products that had the highest quality ingredients and the most stunning packaging, all at affordable rates.
The Dutch brand’s concept of affordable, luxurious fragrances is well-received by everyone. Today Rituals has over six hundred stores spread across twenty-seven countries.
Rituals believe that there should not be a dull moment in your life. Their team of experts works day and night in the laboratory to produce unique fragrances for your body and home.
Their mesmerizing fragrances boost your mood, calm your nerves and create a soothing environment that helps you chill with your friends and family.
There is a massive demand for Rituals’ products everywhere, from Europe to Asia. These products include body scrubs, foot scrubs, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, hair styling treatments, scented candles, reed diffusers, and perfumes for men, women, cars, travel-size toiletries, and much more.
One thing that sets Rituals apart is that they believe in giving back to the community. The brand supports many NGOs and tries its best to protect the environment.
We believe that someone who is so into protecting nature must prove it by becoming cruelty-free. So, is Rituals just like all other brands making claims but not acting upon them? Or is Rituals cruelty-free for real?
To answer that, we first need to see what a brand must and must not do to become cruelty-free.
- A band must not test any of their individual ingredients on animals.
- A brand must not test final products on animals.
- The brand must not have a contract with a third party that carries out animal testing on its behalf.
- The brand’s suppliers and distributors must not indulge in animal testing.
- The brand must not sell its products in a country where animal testing of cosmeceutical items is mandatory.
- Lastly, and most importantly, the brand must have a certificate from an internationally recognized organization that supports the cruelty-free movement.
So, do Rituals fulfill all these conditions? Is Rituals cruelty-free? Let’s find out through the checklist above.
Is Rituals testing the individual ingredients on animals?
According to the official statement on the brand’s website, they do not test their ingredients on animals.
Is Rituals testing the final products on animals?
The brand’s website says that since they sell their products in countries that do not require animal testing by law, Rituals does not test on animals.
Is Rituals in contract with a third party or have distributors who test the products on animals?
The company claims they are not in contract with any third party, and neither do they have any distributor that carries out animal testing.
Is Rituals selling in any country where animal testing on cosmetics is required by law?
China has a big market for cosmetics, but the country has laws that make animal testing mandatory. This means any company selling in china is not cruelty-free.
As for Rituals, the brand only has stores in Hong Kong which is not a part of mainland China and does not require animal testing by law.
Do Rituals have a cruelty-free certificate from a known organization?
Three well-known organizations issue cruelty-free certificates. Those are PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Program. Leaping Bunny Certification through CCIC. Leaping Bunny Certification through Cruelty-Free International.
Rituals is not certified by any of these organizations, meaning the brand is not certified cruelty-free.
Now that we have the answers to all our questions, let’s conclude them.
It is 2022, and no brand can get away with just written claims. Since Rituals do not have any certification to prove that it’s cruelty-free, we put this brand in the grey zone.
Grey zone means that although it meets the rest of the criteria, Rituals is not certified cruelty-free. Avoid the brand until it obtains a certificate from a trusted organization.
Is Rituals vegan-friendly?
Vegan-friendly products do not contain any animal products or by-products. They are made up of plant-based ingredients only.
Although Rituals cares about the environment, the brand claims that not all of its products are vegan. Some of their products contain some quantities of animal extract.
The brand recommends its vegan users check the list of ingredients at the back of the product to ensure it’s vegan-friendly.
Rituals also offer their customers to e-mail them any queries regarding an ingredient’s origin.
This means Rituals is not 100% vegan-friendly.
Is Rituals ethical?
Rituals is built on moral grounds. The brand offers its customers affordable products with recyclable packaging.
The dutch brand also cares about the well-being of its employees and gives back to the community by supporting different NGOs.
92% of the palm oil used in their products comes from a certified sustainable source. The brand is making efforts to take it up to 100%
Their products do not contain toxic substances such as parabens and phthalates.
All this proves that a brand cares for humans and the environment, but since Rituals is not cruelty-free on vegan-friendly, we can not call it ethical.
So, the answer is, no. Rituals is not an ethical brand.
