Is SK-II ethical and cruelty-free?
Not really — SK-II fails 3 of the 4 ethics signals we track, including its animal-testing position, and holds no third-party certification we can verify.
SK-II, a prestige Japanese skincare brand owned by Procter & Gamble, is renowned for its Pitera-derived formulas. While not explicitly cruelty-free due to parent-company retail in China, the brand has made incremental sustainability strides, yet lacks comprehensive third-party ethical certifications.
The evidence, signal by signal
Cruelty-freeflagged
SK-II, via parent Procter & Gamble, conducts animal testing where required by law, including for imported cosmetics sold in mainland China.
Vegan optionsunverified
SK-II does not offer a dedicated vegan product line and does not label products as vegan.
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: SK-II has committed to using recycled glass for its flagship bottle by 2025 and offers refillable packaging, aligned with P&G’s broader 2030 sustainability goals.
Scored with our public methodology. Profile last updated 2026-09-25.
More on SK-II
Is SK-II ethical? FAQs
Is SK-II cruelty-free?+
SK-II, via parent Procter & Gamble, conducts animal testing where required by law, including for imported cosmetics sold in mainland China.
Does SK-II have vegan products?+
SK-II does not offer a dedicated vegan product line and does not label products as vegan.
Does SK-II sell in mainland China?+
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
What is SK-II's ethics score?+
SK-II averages —/100 across 0 products we score on certifications, sourcing, labour, packaging and transparency.
What are the best alternatives to SK-II?+
See our full list of ethical alternatives to SK-II for better-scoring options in the same categories.