Cruelty-Free and Vegan Cosmetics Claims

BEAUTY · GLOBAL

Cruelty-Free and Vegan Cosmetics Claims

What the certifications mean, vegan and cruelty-free are different, and checking a claim

Cosmetics labels carry several ethical claims, and only some of them are backed by a scheme you can check.

Testing on animals

Testing finished cosmetics on animals has been prohibited in the EU and the UK for years, and marketing products tested on animals is also banned. That is why the claim alone tells you less than people assume within those markets.

The complications are ingredients tested under chemical safety regulations, and markets that have historically required animal testing for imported cosmetics.

Certification schemes

Leaping Bunny is the most widely recognised independent scheme, with supply chain auditing and a fixed cut-off date for testing. A logo without a named certifying organisation is a self-declaration.

Check the brand on the scheme's own register rather than trusting the logo on the packaging.

Vegan and cruelty-free are different

Cruelty-free is about testing. Vegan is about ingredients — no beeswax, lanolin, carmine, collagen, keratin or milk derivatives. A product can be one without being the other.

Carmine, a red pigment from insects, appears in many lipsticks and blushes and is the one most often missed.

Parent companies

A certified brand may be owned by a group that tests elsewhere. Some schemes certify at brand level and some at company level, which is worth knowing if that matters to you.

Reading an ingredient list

Ingredients are listed in descending order to one percent. Carmine may appear as CI 75470 or cochineal, and lanolin, beeswax and silk derivatives are the other common animal ingredients.

Check every time you repurchase, since formulations change without the packaging changing.

Patch testing

Apply anything new to the inner forearm daily for several days, since reactions are frequently delayed. Vegan and natural ingredients cause reactions as readily as any others.

Testing beyond cosmetics

Household cleaners, toiletries and personal care products are regulated differently from cosmetics, and testing rules vary. The same certification schemes cover many of them, so check the register rather than the packaging.

Medicines are a separate case again, where animal testing remains a legal requirement in most countries.

Buying

Buy small sizes of anything new, check the open-jar symbol and use products up rather than accumulating them.

Hygiene and tools

Wash brushes weekly in warm soapy water and dry them flat, clean sponges after every use and replace them regularly. Dirty tools are a frequent cause of breakouts blamed on products.

Never share eye products, and discard anything used during an infection.

Vegan alternatives

Synthetic brushes have improved enormously and handle cream products better than natural hair. They are also easier to clean.

Other claims

Natural, clean and non-toxic have no legal definition. Organic certification does.

Fragrance-free is the useful label for reactive skin.

WHERE TO BUY

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