Young Living is a leading manufacturer of essential oils and other linked products. The US-based company was formed in 1993 by Gary Young.
The company is renowned for carrying the widest range of essential oils and related items, compared to any other brand.
With more than six hundred products to offer, the company sells in more than 180 countries worldwide. It also makes health and wellbeing products.
But the burning question is, is it cruelty-free and vegan? I have explained everything in detail below. Keep scrolling down to find out.
Young Living Brands
The company has multiple sub-brands from different categories. Here is a brief detail of them all.
- Animal Scents – Petcare brand that offers scents and products related to animals.
- KidScents – As the name suggests, this brand offers products specifically tailored for kids.
- NingXia Red – is a fruit drink that contains wolfberry pulp and a mixture of some other delectable fruits. It also contains several essential oils.
- Slique – This weight control brand offers snacks, teas, and other similar items to help you shed weight by reducing your appetite.
- Savvy Minerals – A mineral-based, essential oil instilled makeup brand that uses only natural ingredients.
- Seedlings – offers infant care items that mainly include toiletries.
- Thieves – This brand offers a versatile blend of domestic items, such as cleaning products, personal care stuff, and more.
Other than these sub-brands, the company offers essential oils in various forms like single oil, blends, massage oils, edible oils, and more. You can also shop different collections for gifting purposes.
From where does Young Living Source its Ingredients?
The major sources of ingredients and essential oils are the company’s own maintained farms and farms of the other corporate partners.
It also uses other suppliers for obtaining raw materials but the brand makes sure that all of them are Seed to Seal® qualified.
The company is very specific about the quality of the materials it uses and hence makes sure that it is consistent throughout.
Is Young Living Cruelty-Free?
For the most part, it is. But, we can’t call it an entirely cruelty-free company. The brand itself is against torturing animals for testing the efficacy of its products.
As per the company’s statement, it doesn’t try out its products on animals during the development phase.
Neither do its products require any kind of animal testing. It also states that its products are completely safe to use for everyone.
I find these statements a bit imprecise. Plus, the fact that the company sells in numerous other countries, some of which do conduct animal testing, makes me even more skeptical.
I am not in any way alleging the company of animal brutality. I am sure if it is claiming not to do it, it won’t be doing it.
However, the brand hasn’t clarified anywhere if its products are not animal tested anywhere else in the world or by any other foreign bodies either. So, unless and until the brand comes up with an explanation on this matter, we can’t call it 100% cruelty-free.
Is Young Living Sold in Mainland China?
Yes, it is. The company started its operations in Mainland China in 2018. The CEO of the company, Gary Young dreamt of expanding its presence all over the globe. Entering the Chinese market has brought the company closer to this objective.
Apart from selling in China, the company also partnered up with a farm in Ningxia in 2019, resulting in the birth of Ningxia Red.
The company claims that it ensures to maintain its brand identity and values wherever it’s present. But, it doesn’t shed any light on whether it allows China to conduct animal trials on its products or not.
Is Young Living Vegan-Friendly?
Since 90% of the essential oils are derived from plants and herbs, they are instinctively vegan. Young Living also offers products that are entirely vegan-friendly and do not contain any traces of animal byproducts.
However, a while back, the company was using mink oil in its famous Rose Ointment. Mink oil is obtained from the fat of slain animals’ fur.
The formula was made to cater to skin dryness issues and was very successful due to its effectiveness. But, the brokers weren’t happy about this specific ingredient.
When the brand came to know about the source of mink oil from PETA, it decided to eliminate it from the product. This gesture was immensely lauded by PETA.
The rest of the products by the company are already vegan. So I can safely say that the brand is vegan-friendly.
Harmful Ingredients that Young Living Never Uses
Young Living makes sure to examine every single ingredient carefully before incorporating it into its formulations.
The majority of the companies don’t care about the long-term detrimental consequences of several ingredients. But, Young Living keeps the safety of the end-user its top priority.
That’s the reason, the company steers clear of using any harsh chemicals or FDA-banned ingredients. Some of those eliminated ingredients include glycole, Formaldehyde, Nanoparticles, BHA & BHT, Triclosan, sulfates, parabens, artificial dyes, and a few more.
So, rest assured, Young Living products are actually safe to use, validating the company’s claims.
Non-Certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny
I haven’t found any data regarding the company on any of the aforementioned certifiers, thus endorsing my verdict that Young Living isn’t entirely cruelty-free.
Is Young Living Ethical?
Apart from the slightly dubious cruelty-free status, the company adheres to ethical practices. Not only does the brand care for the law, but it also ensures that no form of human rights violation occurs throughout its worldwide chain.
The firm also observes sustainable farming techniques, making it eco-friendly. None of its farms make use of pesticides. The waste material left behind after oil purification is also used in compost for making fertilizer. Plus, it’s vegan.
Hence, there is no doubting that the brand is ethical.
Final Thoughts
I am happy to see that Young Living is one of those companies that are interested in making the world a better place.
Even though it’s not entirely cruelty-free, it’s good to see that the company is trying. Hopefully, someday it will get there.
