Tarte Purchased by KOSÉ

ByCordelia

Tarte Purchased by KOSÉ

Many of you have contacted me asking what I thought about tarte being purchased by KOSÉ. If tarte remains cruelty free, and Maureen from tarte issued a statement on Facebook stating they would still be cruelty free, I’m fine with it!

Tarte Purchased by KOSÉ

(Check out My Beauty Bunny’s, Logical Harmony’s and Musings of a Muse’ thoughts on tarte being purchased by KOSÉ)

Here’s Maureen’s statement:

I’ve been reading your comments and concerns over the past hour and wanted to let you know I hear them all loud and clear. I promise, I’m not going anywhere. I started tarte out of my one bedroom apartment and I’m still just as passionate about making innovative, eco-friendly products that deliver real results. I’ll still be in the office every day working with my team to develop new products I hope you’ll love as much as I do. Remember, tarte will NOT be testing on animals, or EVER test on animals. We are a cruelty-free company and will remain one. KOSÉ is completely on board with our position as an eco-friendly, cruelty-free company and has given tarte such a great opportunity to grow and expand around the world. It’s really an exciting time and we can’t wait to reach more tartelettes worldwide. Please look at the checklist below and be assured tarte is in great hands.

  • We will remain a cruelty-free beauty brand focused on high-performance naturals™
  • We will continue to manufacture our high-quality products to our exacting standards, which means our formulas will continue to be formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, and gluten
  • We will continue to formulate with good-for-you ingredients like Amazonian clay, maracuja, minerals, colored clay, superfruits and vitamins
  • With my team, we will continue to innovate and create products we believe tartelettes will love
  • We will continue to expand internationally where are our high standards are met—we can’t wait to reach more tartelettes worldwide!

Recently a reader left a comment on my blog (paraphrasing) that said “If you don’t want to buy from a cruelty free company because they belong to a parent company that is not cruelty free, why stop there? You shouldn’t be shopping at your grocery store because they sell meat in addition to vegetables.’  To extrapolate, you shouldn’t shop at Sephora because they sell non cruelty free brands alongside of cruelty free. If you can afford to buy your food from a home grown co-op and never have to buy anything from a store that might be involved in cruelty, that is amazing. That is an example of privilege that most people cannot afford. The majority of the world cannot currently do this.

At the end of the day, the parent companies of cruelty free brands look to see how much money the cruelty free brand makes. If the company is profitable, they help the company to reach a bigger market, as L’Oreal did with Urban Decay or the Body Shop, while still allowing the brands to stay true to their morals / values. If the cruelty free brand is making a lot of money, the parent company is going to want that to continue. If the cruelty free brand is floundering, the parent company may change things or close the company. That money that the cruelty free brand makes goes back into paying salaries, research and development for new products, etc, everything that a company needs to be viable and successful. This is why I feel it is critical to support cruelty free brands, such as tarte and Urban Decay, because the parent companies will look at the results. And they will base future decisions off of the success of the cruelty free brands.

My stance has always been that I will support cruelty free brands even if they are owned by parent companies that are not cruelty free. I will continue to support tarte. I will also continue to look at Leaping Bunny to see who spends the time and energy to get certified, as I think that is a crucial step to making customers feel like products are truly cruelty free. I applaud the brands that go that extra mile. While this is my opinion, I respect those of you who disagree with it.

Tarte is currently PETA approved as being cruelty free. I do not see them on Leaping Bunny’s list.

What are your thoughts on tarte being purchased by KOSÉ?

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

13 Comments

  1. This is awesome, I’m so glad Tarte is sticking to being cruelty free when there are so many companies recently who have not.

  2. I’m fine with it as long as Tarte stays cruelty free. I look at opportunities like this as a chance for the parent companies to learn. When Clorox bought Burt’s Bees a few years back, BB said in their press release, “This could be our chance to teach Clorox that going cruelty free is a better way of doing things”, and I have to agree. Tarte could easily set an example for the parent company.

    1. Great point! Thank you for sharing this! I think the only way we will end up with all beauty brands being cruelty free is by people continuing to support the CF brands and show them that we spend money there.

  3. Phyrra, you make a very excellent point that a lot of “cruelty-free” advocates seem to miss: Just because the parent company of a brand is not cruelty-free, it does not mean that the brand itself isn’t. It is also very dependent upon whether or not animal testing is required by statutory law, as is the case in the EU. In the end, as you pointed out, it totally depends on the financial performance of the brand and its sustainability – if the brand is generating profits, then the status quo is maintained. If it isn’t, then the setup is there for the parent company to make the changes it wants.

    Personally speaking, I don’t care one way or the other about whether a brand is cruelty-free or not. If the product works as advertised on me and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, then I’ll purchase it. I respect the values and mission statements of companies that are cruelty-free, but that is not my driving decision to purchase one product over another. Like you, I will take a “wait and see” approach to this matter. Thanks for the heads up!

  5. The part that I’m concerned about right now is that they haven’t blatantly stated that they won’t be entering countries that require animal testing. It’s implied in her last bullet point, but I’ll be waiting to purchase more Tarte products until that is clarified.

    1. I took that last bullet to mean the UK / Australia etc. I was under the impression that it was very hard to get tarte products in those countries.

    2. That was my concern as well. Expanding into new markets is great… but it makes me very very wary. 🙁

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