Toni & Guy is a prominent name in the world of hair care. With a wide array of products ranging from shampoos to conditioners to hairsprays and more, Toni & Guy is considered one of the best hair care brands in the world.
If you have used its products, you’d be well aware of how amazing their results are. I’ll be honest, it used to be my favorite brand too until I learned a dark truth about it that it is not 100% cruelty-free.
But, hey! Don’t lose heart, there is a silver lining over here too. Not all of its products are non-cruelty-free. I’ll get to it later. First, let me give you a brief introduction to the brand.
Toni & Guy was started by two brothers, Toni Mascolo and Guy Mascolo, as an international chain of coiffeur services in the UK in 1963.
The brand immediately caught everyone’s attention for its distinctive and voguish hairstyling techniques and still holds this status.
Brand Overview
With more than 400 salons worldwide, the brand also offers a variety of hair care products that include both cleaning and styling products.
Is Toni & Guy Cruelty-Free?
The UK has banned animal testing of makeup, skincare, and hair products for a long time. However, being a UK-based brand, Toni & Guy is not entirely cruelty-free.
Most brands often present vague information regarding their animal testing policies. Similar is the case with Toni & Guy.
The brand’s website states that they are committed to ending animal testing, which implies that they are already involved in this practice.
The brand also sells its products worldwide, even in those countries where it is a legal obligation to consent to animal testing of your products, like China.
So, whether the brand carries out animal trials itself or outsources them, it doesn’t really matter.
Although the brand has introduced some cruelty-free products lately, as long as the non-cruelty-free ones outnumber them, I won’t call the brand cruelty-free.
Is Toni & Guy Vegan-friendly?
Despite Tony & Guy’s new vegan product lines, we can’t label it as a 100% vegan-friendly brand. The company offers an extensive assortment of products, many of which, contain questionable ingredients.
I think the best bet is to go for brands that are advertised as 100% vegan. Otherwise, there is no concrete way of knowing if something is vegan or not unless you are up for thorough research.
Vegan and Cruelty-Free Products by Toni & Guy
While the majority of the products offered by the brand are non-cruelty-free, it is refreshing to see that the company is realizing the prominence of going green and animal-friendly.
The brand has introduced a whole range of vegan hair products under a separate brand name “Pureology”, among a few other cruelty-free options.
All of the products in the Pureology range are completely vegan and sulfate-free. This sub-brand has also won several awards for being the best hair care range for colored hair over the years.
Here is an overview of the vegan products by the brand. Take a look.
- For Dry Hair: Hydrate color care shampoo, conditioner, and mask
- For damaged hair: Strength Cure shampoo, conditioner, and treatment mask.
- For frizzy hair: Smooth Perfection shampoo, conditioner, and mask.
- For color fixing: Colour Fanatic hair mask and spray.
- For fine hair: Clean Volume shampoo, conditioner, levitation mist, and lightweight hair mousse.
- weDo/ Professional Light&Soft Shampoo – This is not included in the Pureology range but this formula is also 100% vegan and cruelty-free. The packaging of this shampoo is also environmentally friendly. It doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals either.
Who Owns Toni & Guy?
As I mentioned above, the brand started as a UK-based hairdressing salon chain but it was later acquired by Unilever in 2009. So, Unilever owns Toni & Guy now.
Is Unilever Cruelty-Free?
Unilever is one of the world’s biggest producers of household items, sauces, and food staples. However, sadly, it is quite notorious for its worst policies concerning animal cruelty.
In fact, the company holds the poorest score for its animal testing practices.
The company claims that it is working towards the elimination of animal trials and is against it.
However, it appears that the MNC has no definite plan of doing so as it states in its policy that it has to allow animal testing wherever necessary.
Moreover, the company doesn’t seem to be interested in withdrawing its operations from countries where animal testing is a legal constraint.
PETA and Free the Bunnies Status
Tony & Guy does not hold cruelty-free certification from either PETA or free the bunnies. The same is the case with its parent company Unilever.
Is Toni & Guy Ethical?
Toni & Guy may be a bit ethical in terms of labor laws. Nevertheless, the parent company of the brand makes it unethical in my opinion.
Other than being involved in blatant human rights violations for obtaining palm oil, Unilever is also known for its reckless marketing tactics and debatable political stances.
The packaging of the majority of its products is also non-eco-friendly. The company has to go a long way to gain the status of an ethical company.
Is Toni & Guy Sold in China?
Yes. Apart from operating as a salon chain in China, the brand also sells its products over there.
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Alternatives to Toni & Guy
While you can certainly go for the vegan options by Toni & Guy itself, not all of them are cruelty-free. If you want a broader range of hair products that are animal-friendly plus vegan, then I have got you covered.
After a lot of trial and error, here are some of the products and brands that I prefer using over Toni & Guy.
- Paul Mitchell The Cream
- Shea Moisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Leave-in Treatment
- Acure Hair Products
- Attitude Hair
- Cake Beauty
- Pacifia Hair
- Virtue Mini Recovery Shampoo
- OrganiGrow
- Love Beauty And Planet Hope & Repair Shampoo & Conditioner for Dry Hair and Split Ends Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang Damaged Hair Treatment
- Avalon Organics Shampoo
- Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl-Defining Anti-Frizz Shampoo
