Rihanna's Fenty Beauty Not Animal Cruelty Free? TikToker's Claim Raises Questions

Health and beauty influencer Samantha McGraw recently claimed in a video that Fenty Beauty, owned by Rihanna, will no longer be considered cruelty-free due to its decision to sell in China, where animal testing is required. McGraw also claimed that Fenty lacks PETA or Leaping Bunny certification, necessary for avoiding animal testing in China.

"Fenty is now subject to animal testing. If you didn't know Fenty was cruelty -free because they weren't selling in mainland China But they made the decision to start selling in mainland China which means they are now subject to animal testing The only way you can sell in mainland China without being subject to animal testing is to have a PETA or leaping bunny Certification and they have neither," she claims in the video.

"Plenty of brands selling mainland China that do have their cruelty -free certification and I trust that those brands are not testing on animals But Fenty is owned by a parent company that animal tests. They obviously made this decision thinking about profit over animals so for that, I'm no longer using Fenty until they can prove that they're cruelty -free by getting a leaping bunny or PETA certification," she adds.

Her video sparked criticism, with many expressing disappointment and questioning Fenty's commitment to cruelty-free practices.

"This is disappointing! Definitely expected so much better from @fentybeauty @fentyskin @badgalriri that they’d be considerate of animals and not test on them," one person wrote.

Another wrote, "There’s no justification to TEST animals for the sake of makeup. It’s archaic."

A third person expressed, "But fenty announced they'd still be cruelty free when people questioned it, after they heard fenty decided they will be selling in china. Did they straight up lie?"

Starting in 2014, China initiated a gradual relaxation of its animal testing requirements, focusing initially on domestically-produced cosmetic products. By 2023, this relaxation extended to imported items, marking an official ban on animal testing for most cosmetic categories, including skincare, makeup, and personal care products. However, the exemption remains for 'special use' cosmetics, which includes products with functional claims such as hair dyes, perming products, sunscreens, whitening solutions, anti-hair loss treatments, and those claiming new efficacy.