The cruelty-free community went into a frenzy earlier this week when Suzana from Cruelty Free Kitty posted an article on her website entitled “Wet N Wild Caught LYING About Being Cruelty-Free and Secretly Selling in China.” This exposé (which can be read in its entirety here), provided some damning evidence including photographs showing a full WNW display in China’s most popular drugstore, Watsons. Suzi confirmed with multiple resources that WNW had a presence in mainland China, specifically Shanghai, where animal testing for cosmetics is mandatory.
When the news first broke, I witnessed a power of the mob mentality that immediately began bombarding WNW’s social media. I thought it was very important to not jump to conclusions before the company released an official statement. Wet n’ Wild has been a vocal advocate for cruelty-free and vegan beauty. They have released collections that benefit animal charities (i.e. Flights of Fancy), display Peta’s Beauty Without Bunnies logo, and label “V” on all vegan products. They have worked with cruelty-free influences and makeup artists, and promote their CF beliefs with the use of hashtags like #crueltyfree and #vegan. Below is the statement that they proudly display on their website:
This is why I was convinced that this had to be some sort of mistake. Makeup that is made in China, but not sold in China, is not required to be tested. WNW products are manufactured in China, so I thought it highly plausible that a vendor had possibly stolen and sold the products to Watsons. I eagerly awaited an official statement from the company.
After 24 hours, the following message (seen right) was posted to their IG stories. Their Global President, Stefano Curti confirmed our worst fears: that they have been selling in the Chinese market since 2018. Up until the morning before this message was released, WNW maintained that they did not have distributors in China. This means that the company has been lying to consumers knowing that they would not be considered cruelty-free if they admitted to selling in China. This statement is no better than what is provided by companies such as L’Oreal, MAC, and Estee Lauder.
Suzi from Cruelty-Free Kitty writes, “Although there recently were developments in mainland China concerning both pre-market and post-market animal testing, the Chinese government may still require animal tests to be performed on cosmetics. Even though Wet n Wild is made in China, all cosmetics sold in China may undergo tests on animals post-market as of May 2019….
There’s no possibility of a “loophole” here.
…the risk of animal tests exists there, and Wet n Wild products might have been tested on animals, or could be tested on animals in the future if they don’t pull out of China.”
In layman’s terms, as long as their products are on the shelves, China can pull the products at anytime and test on animals.
Tashina and Justin from Logical Harmony released a video that can be watched here explaining why WNW is no longer CF.
Further investigation shows that the company is no longer Leaping Bunny Certified. They are still listed on Peta’s website, but I do not consider them to be the gold-standard of cruelty-free certification.
I am heartbroken and deeply disappointed in Wet n’ Wild. They were my favorite brand and I owned more products from them than any other makeup company. They provided on-trend makeup at an affordable price.
They have taken advantage of the cruelty-free community that so vocally supported them. This company cannot be considered cruelty-free and I will no longer support them.
