I've recently been recommended a number of products from Merumaya, however I hadn't heard of them before. So I went on the hunt for their animal testing policy and came back a little short handed. Their Q&A page state that:
Do you test products on animals?No we do not and we have been assured that our ingredient suppliers do not either
Obviously this is not enough information, so I sent them an email. I asked them six very specific questions, but the reply I got back told me to look at the Q&A page. Not only did this just try and fob me off, but it was also, in my eyes, trying to avoid the questions. So I emailed again asking them to answer the specific questions I asked. After a bit of back and forth, here is the reply I ended up with:
Are any of your finished products tested on animals either by your company or through a third party? ANSWERED ON Q&A
Are any of the ingredients you use in your products tested on animals either by your company or through a third party? ANSWERED ON Q&A
Are you or your manufacturers owned or affilliated with any companies that may test on animals? IN ALL HONESTY I DO NOT KNOW
Do you currently sell your products in China? NO
Do any of your product contain any animal by-products (eg. lanolin, carmine, albumen, whey, beeswax etc.)? NO
Do you have a list of vegan friendly products? ANSWERED ON Q&A
In regards to their list of vegan-friendly products, here is what they state on their Q&A page:
Are your products suitable for Vegans?As my previous formulator confirmed, my contract manufacturer's cosmetic scientist has also confirmed that the products are suitable for vegans. Out of complete respect, I want to add a caveat that in order to be 110% we would have to check with every single manufacturer of ingredients and we have not done that.
This is a red flag to me, if they haven't checked with every ingredient manufacturer, how can they be sure that something is suitable for vegans? Not only did their lack of proper response leave a bad taste in my mouth, but the fact that they cannot be certain that their products are free of animal ingredients make me unable to buy from them. They are also not sure if they or their manufacturers are owned or affiliated with companies who test on animals. Unfortunately because of these two reasons I cannot consider them vegan-friendly. Unless someone wants to get back to me with more information, they will remain on my brands to avoid list.
