What cruelty-free means and who certifies it

What does cruelty-free mean on a cosmetics label?

Cruelty-free on a cosmetics label means only what the brand says it means, because the claim has no legal definition in the US and Canada. Leaping Bunny states that companies there can call their products cruelty-free without having to back the claim up. A certification turns the claim into a checked standard: the brand, its suppliers and its manufacturers commit to no animal testing of the product, its formulations or its ingredients.

Why is a brand that does not test on animals sometimes not cruelty-free?

A brand that does not test on animals is sometimes not cruelty-free because a government can test its products for it. Leaping Bunny lists the loopholes in national testing bans, and the main one is animal testing required by a foreign regulator, such as China. China has let imported “ordinary use” cosmetics skip pre-market and post-market animal tests since 2021, while “special use” products such as sunscreen remain subject to them.

Is cruelty-free the same as vegan?

No, cruelty-free is not the same as vegan. Cruelty-free covers animal testing, and vegan covers ingredients of animal origin, such as beeswax, carmine or lanolin. PETA keeps a separate designation, “animal test–free and vegan”, for brands whose entire line is free of animal-derived ingredients.

Which certifications prove that a brand is cruelty-free?

The certifications that prove that a brand is cruelty-free are Leaping Bunny, run by a coalition of animal protection groups in the US and Canada and by Cruelty Free International elsewhere, and PETA’s Ultimate Cruelty-Free List. Leaping Bunny requires supplier monitoring and openness to independent audits, and PETA requires a signed statement of assurance.