If I were supposed to come up with a crisp answer, I’d apologize because there’s none.
Still, I’m gonna try and lay it out before you, backed with a detailed analysis of the research I’ve done.
Sometimes, the answers apparently neither fall in Yes nor a No zone. At times, it’s just a grayish area where things still have got to be probed in.
This, I believe, goes with the Younique because the information this brand has disseminated over the internet is pretty vague. Other than that, the claims Younique is seen holding upfront are more like fired bullets in the air.
Yes! FIRED BULLETS IN THE AIR!
It’s because the claims Younique presents and citing itself to be cruelty-free are unfortunately not yet certified.
The scrutinizing network including Leaping Bunny, PETA, and Logical Harmony hasn’t yet certified Younique to be cruelty-free. That’s the reason we feel, it would still be too soon to declare Younique a cruelty-free cosmetic brand.
One thing that I found dubious and concerning is that the co-founder of Younique gave a statement that went like this,
“Without science, we’d still be using pigmented dirt and crushed berries on our faces as ‘makeup.”
Younique is found backing the scientific research and supports the fact that each of the ingredients they use to manufacture their products, is tested by their in-house scientific team. And only then, does it make its way to the suggestion list.
Science would never exist, wasn’t it for the experimentation it practically incorporates. So, there’s a red flag signifying that the experiments are performed. Either on animals or human beings, that’s still to be found.
“Our goal is to provide healthy, clean and pure cosmetics.”
Providing healthy, clean and pure cosmetics to the community is the primary objective of the company. But is it really so? This still needs to be dived in because there’s not as such any certification uploaded by Younique yet.
Note: The information we’re providing here on this website isn’t merely a personal opinion but an extracted juice of the research done by our team.
Well, there’s one more thing that’s kind of shady and that’s the involvement of third-party manufacturers in Younique.
For a second, if we acknowledge that Younique itself is a cruelty-free brand, then how about the manufacturers who still are playing their part in the creation of cosmetic products sold by Younique?
These are unanswered questions and that’s one of the prime reasons why Younique needs to get a third-party certification as soon as possible. Because there are so many red flags out there popping out of nowhere, waving against Younique.
To avoid these messy and mystifying statements, they’ve got to present a comprehensive report of proving themselves to be cruelty-free.
This, now, involves a number of factors. They’ve got to share the details of the manufacturers they’re partnered with, and everything has got to be transparent.
Otherwise, the more confused it gets, the more repelling it is for the customers conscious of their choices.
That could be one of the reasons for them failing to get a certification from a reputable organization, no? It’s understandable because vagueness needs to be eradicated and clarity should be brought into Younique’s policies.
Is Younique Vegan friendly?
A lot went into the fact, and Younique does emphasize a great deal in stressing the argument that it’s cruelty-free.
And in 2021, they attached a short banner at the bottom of each of their websites’ pages in order to convey a single message, that they are Cruelty-Free. But one thing that’s still missed and needs to be tested, is the “Vegan-friendly” status of Younique?
One distinction that we better draw at the beginning of our analysis is that Cruelty-Free and Vegan friendly isn’t the same.
Cruelty-Free is a broad term and we’ll see in the upcoming section how it casts an umbrella over several other factors too. But, Vegan does represent just one single thing and it’s that the product ain’t derived from any animal.
You know what? A product can be cruel-free & vegan at the same time OR one at a time. Before you proceed any further, have a clear distinction between these phrases in your mind.
Younique is considered a Vegan-Friendly brand.
Now, there’s a difference between being considered and actually being something, does that make sense?
Sifting through the customer opinions and the brands’ propositions, it’s understandable that Younique is vegan-friendly. And any of their cosmetic products are not derived from animals directly or indirectly.
However, Younique has not managed to win certification for its vegan-friendly claim. But still, it’s a widely accepted statement that it is.
The certification undoubtedly will add more value and authoritativeness to the claim.
Is Younique Ethical?
Anything would be ethically wrong if it damages its surroundings in its making. Ethical is more of a generic term that encapsulates numerous facets.
Only if what we’ve stated above is true, and Younique actually is cruelty-free and vegan friendly, then of course it wouldn’t be wrong to label Younique as ethical.
You know what? The law in China dictates that all the imported products in the country need to be tested on animals before their usage on human beings.
So, if Younique exports to China, it’s evident that they’re indulging in some sort of foul game, where they are exploiting their customers, right?
This was validated when Younique inquired if they export to China, and they responded that it’s not China where they ship their cosmetic products but Hong Kong.
On these grounds, I’d say Younique is ethical and it apparently looks like they stand by their stakes.
Takeaways:
i) Younique isn’t yet certified as the Cruelty-Free Brand or Vegan Friendly.
ii) Based on the incident documented above, Younique is ethical.
