Is NARS ethical and cruelty-free?
Not really — NARS fails 3 of the 4 ethics signals we track, including its animal-testing position, and holds no third-party certification we can verify.
NARS, owned by Shiseido, is a prestige cosmetics brand known for bold color and artistry, but it lacks comprehensive ethical certifications and has a mixed record on sustainability, with no major controversies.
The evidence, signal by signal
Cruelty-freeflagged
Does not test on animals except where required by law; products sold in China may be subject to post-market animal testing.
Vegan optionsunverified
Limited; select products are vegan-friendly, but the brand is not fully vegan and uses animal-derived ingredients in some formulas.
Sells in mainland Chinaflagged
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
Third-party certifiedflagged
No independent certifications recorded on the products we track.
Public pledges: Parent company Shiseido targets net-zero emissions by 2050, but NARS has no brand-specific packaging or carbon reduction commitments.
Scored with our public methodology. Profile last updated 2026-09-23.
More on NARS
Is NARS ethical? FAQs
Is NARS cruelty-free?+
Does not test on animals except where required by law; products sold in China may be subject to post-market animal testing.
Does NARS have vegan products?+
Limited; select products are vegan-friendly, but the brand is not fully vegan and uses animal-derived ingredients in some formulas.
Does NARS sell in mainland China?+
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
What is NARS's ethics score?+
NARS averages —/100 across 0 products we score on certifications, sourcing, labour, packaging and transparency.
What are the best alternatives to NARS?+
See our full list of ethical alternatives to NARS for better-scoring options in the same categories.