Best Cruelty-Free K-Beauty Brands
In the last few years, the world of Korean beauty has gone viral. However, with animal based ingredients such as snail mucin, propolis, collagen, and even squalane having their moment, it’s important to acknowledge the cruelty of these ingredients and shop plant-based/vegan whenever we can.
Animal testing has been banned in South Korea for cosmetic products since 2018, but this doesn’t mean every Korean brand is automatically cruelty-free. Their suppliers still can conduct animal testing, or brands may opt to sell in physical stores in China were animal testing is sometimes still a legal necessity.
Here is a list of some of the best cruelty-free k-beauty brands for your glass skin fix, as well as recommendations for their plant-based products:
SKIN1004
There is a reason SKIN1004 is also known as ‘The Untouched Nature’. They’re most well-known for their use of pure Madagascan Centella extract in their products, making them soothing and repairing for the skin.
SKIN1004 is PETA certified cruelty-free and ALL of their products are 100% Vegan, so take your pick!
We recommend the entire tone brightening range for something skin calming as well as brightening.
https://gentlepanda.co.uk/collections/skin1004
Beauty of Joseon
Beauty of Joseon is a brand that champions plant-based ingredients such as rice, ginseng & green tea. They harness the power of local korean plants, and they went viral with their Rice Relief Sun SPF. They are also 100% cruelty-free.
Out of dozens of products only 4 are not vegan. Here are some of our vegan favourites:
Original Rice Relief Sun SPF as well as the aqua fresh variant (if you were to only buy one SPF for the rest of your life, it should be this):
Ginseng Essence Water: an all in one glowing and toning essence, with the power of Korean ginseng to combat dark spots and anti-aging:
https://gentlepanda.co.uk/collections/beauty-of-joseon
Dear, Klairs
Dear Klairs have been popular in the k-beauty scene for a really long time, and it isn’t hard to see why. They use simple formulas, making them perfect for individuals with sensitive skin. Their formulas are 100% cruelty-free. They are currently in the process of phasing out all animal ingredients, having used ingredients like snail mucin in the past. They are now working on a vegan alternative for honey in order to make the switch to 100% plant-based but the vast majority of their products are already 100% vegan. Here are some of our fully vegan favourites:
Midnight Blue Calming Cream: packed with chamomile extract, the blue hue of this cream is guaranteed to calm down sensitive and irritated skin:
Vitamin E Mask: a multifunctional mask packed with niacinamide and Vitamin E to promote healthy aging and skin repair as well as targeting dark spots. Use this as a moisturiser or layer it on thick as a sleeping mask: