Is Aesop ethical and cruelty-free?
Mostly — Aesop scores 76/100. It clears our bar on 2 of 4 ethics signals, with gaps worth checking before you buy.
Aesop is a luxury skin, hair, and body care brand known for its botanical formulations and minimalist aesthetic, but its parent company L'Oréal and limited independent certifications raise ethical questions about true sustainability and transparency.
The evidence, signal by signal
Cruelty-freeverified
Aesop states it does not test on animals, but lacks a third-party cruelty-free certification; parent company L'Oréal sells in China where post-market animal testing may be required.
Vegan optionsunverified
Aesop offers some vegan products but does not have a fully vegan range; some items contain animal-derived ingredients like beeswax and honey.
Sells in mainland Chinaflagged
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
Third-party certifiedverified
We record 3 distinct certifications across this brand's products.
Public pledges: Aesop uses recycled PET in some packaging and offers store refill services, but lacks a comprehensive, publicly reported sustainability strategy or carbon targets.
Scored with our public methodology. Profile last updated 2026-09-13.
Aesop products we score
A luxury botanical hand cream from a certified B Corp that combines high-end design with a commitment to sustainable ingredient sourcing and circular packaging initiatives.
More on Aesop
Is Aesop ethical? FAQs
Is Aesop cruelty-free?+
Aesop states it does not test on animals, but lacks a third-party cruelty-free certification; parent company L'Oréal sells in China where post-market animal testing may be required.
Does Aesop have vegan products?+
Aesop offers some vegan products but does not have a fully vegan range; some items contain animal-derived ingredients like beeswax and honey.
Does Aesop sell in mainland China?+
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
What is Aesop's ethics score?+
Aesop averages 76/100 across 1 product we score on certifications, sourcing, labour, packaging and transparency.
What are the best alternatives to Aesop?+
See our full list of ethical alternatives to Aesop for better-scoring options in the same categories.