What does it mean if a brand is “cruelty free”?
A brand is cruelty free if they don’t engage in animal testing at any point during the production of their products. This means that their finished product and individual ingredients are not tested on animals and their suppliers also don’t conduct any animal testing themselves or through a third party. A cruelty free brand also doesn’t sell their products in a country where animal testing is required by law.
How can I determine if a product is cruelty free?
Many cruelty free products will have a Leaping Bunny, Choose Cruelty Free or PETA icon on the back of their packaging. PETA’s certifications aren’t as well regulated as the other two organizations so I suggest doing more research when determining if a PETA certified brand is truly cruelty free. However, if a product doesn’t have those icons, it doesn’t mean they necessarily test on animals. Applying for a cruelty free certification from Leaping Bunny, CCF or PETA is an optional process that some companies just haven’t done yet or don’t want to do for financial reasons. If the packaging of the product doesn’t have any indication of the cruelty free status, the best thing to do is to reach out to a brand directly through email. If the company says “we do not test on animals unless required by law”, it means the company is not cruelty free because they choose to sell their products in a country where animal testing is required (China). Simply visiting a company’s website and looking at their FAQs page is simply not enough because many companies openly lie about their animal testing policies without facing any legal consequences (particularly L’Oreal and Dr. Brandt).
How is going cruelty free going to have any impact?
There are so many reasons to go cruelty free and each individual who chooses to go cruelty free has an immense impact on ending unnecessary animal abuse. Firstly, you will spread awareness about the animal testing practices of large cosmetics brands. The vast majority of individuals who buy beauty, hygiene and cleaning products don’t even think about animal testing or it’s simply an afterthought. The more people that become aware of this issue, the more people will take a stand against it. Secondly, you will be investing your money into brands that condemn animal testing and no longer giving money to brands that do test on animals. The lower the demand for products from unethical brands, the lower will be the supply and that will directly impact how many animals get harmed. Thirdly, you will be supporting smaller brands. Most small and local companies don’t test on animals. It’s the big giants in the cosmetics industry like MAC and L’Oreal that do because it’s required by law in China, a very profitable market for cosmetics. Although shopping from indie brands and local businesses is by no means the only option when going cruelty free, since many large brands don’t conduct animal testing, going cruelty free would encourage a consumer to explore new brands that they wouldn’t have otherwise payed attention to.
Is vegan and cruelty free the same thing?
No. Vegan products don’t contain any animal ingredients whereas cruelty free products are not tested on animals. Cruelty free brands aren’t necessarily vegan and vegan brands aren’t necessarily cruelty free, although it’s not uncommon for brands to be both. This guide is focused specifically on cruelty free brands, although you can select the “100% vegan” option on our cruelty free brand list to see a list of brands that are completely vegan.
If a brand isn’t on your cruelty free list, does it test on animals?
Not at all. There are so many brands out on the market that it would be practically impossible to include every single one. We have included some of the most popular brands, brands that are sold in Sephora and Ulta as well as some smaller brands that are only sold on Amazon or elsewhere online. We are constantly adding new brands to the list and removing older brands if their animal testing policies have changed. If you discover a cruelty free brand that isn’t in our database, don’t hesitate to contact us and we would love to add it.
What if a cruelty free brand is owned by a parent company that isn’t?
The logic behind buying from cruelty free brands that are owned by parent companies that aren’t is as follows – a parent company tracks the sales from all of their brands and determines how much funding they will provide for the development of new products. If a parent company sees that the sales from brands that test on animals are going down and sales from brands that are cruelty free are growing, they will make executive decisions regarding the animal testing policies of non cruelty free brands. These decisions could include pulling out of the Chinese market or cutting funding towards animal testing in order to increase their sales. It’s up to each individual person if they choose to support cruelty free brands owned by non cruelty free parent companies or not and either decision is arguably reasonable.
Isn’t testing on animals necessary to ensure product safety?
Absolutely not. Our animal testing page explains that animal testing is actually very unreliable as a scientific practice and that many alternatives have been developed that determine the safety of cosmetics products much more effectively. Bunnies and guinea pigs that suffer from these experiments have vastly different skin than humans, so testing cosmetics products on them does not yield accurate results. In fact, testing on animals results in accurate data only 5-25% of the time. It’s an extremely unethical, wasteful and expensive practice that costs tax payers millions of dollars every year. For more information on alternatives to animal testing, visit our animal testing page.
Why do companies still choose to test on animals if it’s unnecessary?
Money. Animal testing is already illegal in over 30 countries, but there is one big market in which animal testing is not only legal but often (*see below) required by law – China. If a company chooses to sell in China, they not only agree to compromise on their values as a brand, but they also have to use their own funds to pay for this animal abuse. Nobody is forcing them to sell in China and the animal testing requirement is the reason many companies have decided not to pursue the Chinese market. Companies always have a choice and blaming the Chinese legislature is not the solution. A company that “doesn’t test on animals unless required by law” is not a cruelty free company. Regardless of what part of the world animal testing is conducted, if a company abuses animals in the process of making their products, they cannot be considered cruelty free.
What are the exceptions to the Chinese animal testing law?
- Hong Kong, the Chinese capital, has their own laws. Products sold in retail stores only in Hong Kong and nowhere else in the country don’t have to be tested on animals. Lush, for instance, has a store in Hong Kong. Lush is a cruelty free brand and does not have any locations in China outside of Hong Kong. This allows them to be present in the Chinese market without testing on animals.
- As of June 30th, 2014, China does not require cosmetics manufactured within the country to be tested on animals. Products sold outside of Hong Kong have to be tested on animals, but products manufactured (and not sold) outside of Hong Kong don’t have to be. This means a cruelty free brand can have their products made in China by cruelty free manufacturers, but they cannot sell these products outside of the capital. There is a big difference between something that is made in China and something that is actually sold in retail locations in China.
- The animal testing law doesn’t apply to products sold to China through the internet. A Chinese consumer can order their cosmetics products through, for instance, Amazon. Since these products are not available in physical Chinese stores, they don’t have to be tested on animals. Animal testing laws only apply to products sold in actual retail locations.
If you have any other questions that remain unanswered, feel free to contact us.
