Is Wet n Wild Cruelty Free?

     Hello all! Today's post is about Wet n Wild which is a successful drugstore makeup brand that has been an outspoken advocate about and for being cruelty-free. But are they actually cruelty-free? No, Wet n Wild is no longer a cruelty-free brand and it is unclear if they ever have been.

     In May of 2019, Suzana Rose, from Cruelty-Free Kitty, posted an article about Wet n Wild's cruelty-free status and about them lying to consumers about the company selling in China. There are several reasons that this is such a large issue. Firstly, they straight up lied to their consumers about selling in China and then tried to pretend it was a "miscommunication." Secondly, no beauty company in China can guarantee that they are cruelty-free.

Here is a break down of China's laws on animal testing.
1. If the beauty product is not made in China then premarket animal testing is required.
2. If the beauty product is made in China then no premarket animal testing is required.
3. However, all makeup can be subject to postmarket animal testing if there are complaints or if it randomly selected for (non-routine) animal testing.
4. Furthermore, all specialty products are required to be tested on animals premarket. An example of a specialty product is SPF.
5. No company is exempt from these laws. There are no loopholes.

How does this apply to Wet n Wild?
1. Wet n Wild produces its makeup in China. So no premarket animal testing is required.
2. Wet n Wild is not exempted from any of the other laws. So postmarket animal testing could take place and Wet n Wild could do nothing to stop it. 
3. If they decide to sell any specialty products there, then the products would have to be tested on animals first. However, it does not appear that they are currently selling any specialty products in China.

     So what does this mean? It means that while Wet n Wild sells its products in China they are not cruelty-free and they are not advocating for brands to be cruelty-free.

     Is Wet n Wild certified cruelty-free in the US? No, they are not. Wet n Wild is no longer Leaping Bunny Certified. Leaping Bunny is the leading certification of cruelty-free products for cosmetics and household products. Sometime between 2017 and now, Wet n Wild was removed from Leaping Bunny's certified cruelty-free companies list. Which means they would not recommit to Leaping Bunny's standards.

     Wet n Wild is still claiming that they are cruelty-free and are avoiding answering any questions about them selling in China. They have not been transparent about any of this even after it all came out. They have continued to lie and avoid the consequences of their actions.

My opinion on all this:
     In the past few years, I have made a great effort to only buy cosmetics from cruelty-free brands and have loved Wet n Wild as an affordable brand that has good products. So, I am angry and disappointed about what they have done. I will no longer support them and I wish that they would just be honest about what is going on.

     This has been a simple breakdown of what happened and I didn't go into all the details, so if you want to learn more about it I highly recommend you read Cruelty-Free Kitty's post about Wet n Wild, which you can find here. I also read Emily Wolf's post about Wet n Wild and thought it had some interesting points, so if you are interested in reading it you can find it here.


Love you all,
~Kate ⁕

About Me

Hello all! If you are looking for a blog mainly about alternative fashion and lifestyle and occasionally books, sustainable living, makeup, and just creepy and cute stuff then you're in the right place. I'm creating this blog because alternative fashion is a passion of mine and I want to share it. Also, I want to have a creative outlet while at college. I plan to share some of my other loves on this blog as well such as reading, photography, sustainable living, and makeup. Though these posts won't be as regular.

A little about me:
I am a pansexual female.
I live in the southern United States.
I love horror movies, animals, and cute things.
I'm an environment and sustainability major as well as a theater administration major.
I have five fury babies.
And of course, I love fashion.

Love you all,
~Kate