The popularity of cruelty-free and vegan skincare and cosmetics is due to the rise of growing vegans these days. Brands are fighting to compete for this market as consumer demand for animal cruelty-free products grows.
Several new cosmetic products are marketing themselves as “cruelty-free” and “vegan” with clear labelling on their packaging. The two labels are often used interchangeably but they actually don’t mean the same thing.
The term “cruelty-free” has been under much speculation lately as people are wising up to large brands marketing ploys & pr bullshit.
Brands can call their products vegan but not all are as good as they seem. There’s a big difference between cruelty-free and vegan and many are deceiving their customers. A lot of people believe the lies they’re being fed by some companies.
It can be really confusing, especially when there is such a lack of transparency from brands but I’m here to help.
So What’s The Difference Between Cruelty-Free & Vegan?
Cruelty-Free means: The products or their ingredients were not tested on animals.
What some brands think Vegan means: The products do not contain any animal ingredients or by-products.
Vegan means: The products do not contain any animal ingredients or by-products and were not tested on animals.
Many companies who test on animals or use animal products deceive their customers with labels and the way they word their policies.
Example: Garnier (Loreal) claims their Ultimate Blends hair products are ‘vegan’, they say these products have a vegan formula and do not contain animal-derived ingredients. But Garnier is not a cruelty-free brand, they do test on animals when required by law.
*Garnier products are sold in mainland China where all imported cosmetics are required by law to be tested on animals. Garnier claims, “Garnier is in China with a few Ultimate Blends products only. And these products are part of the nonfunctional products category, which is no longer subject to animal testing since 2014.” Although China may not require pre-market animal testing on ordinary, domestically-produced cosmetics anymore, China may still conduct post-market animal testing on products that are sold in their country. Post-market testing is where Chinese officials will pull products off of store shelves and test them on animals, this is often times done without the company’s knowledge or consent. At this time, any cosmetic brand that is selling its products in-stores in mainland China cannot be considered cruelty-free because of the risks and possibility of post-market animal testing.
Example: L’Oreal’s Botanicals range, they claim these products are ‘vegan’ in which they don’t contain animal-derived ingredients, but L’Oreal is not a cruelty-free brand. L’Oreal does test on animals when required by law.
These products are not vegan and they are deceiving their customers.
More of L’Oreal’s bullshit from their website
We don’t include animal ingredients – or those derived from animals, in our formulas. We’ve also been committed to a world without animal testing for 30 years.
L’Oreal
The last sentence absolutely gets me! They are one of THE worst brands out there for animal testing and just want to make a profit. Do not be fooled by these products or what they say on their website, they’re liars.
*L’Oreal products are sold throughout mainland China where animal testing is required by law for all imported cosmetics. Although L’Oreal can make claims that they are not conducting these animal tests themselves, but they are consenting and paying the Chinese authorities to test on their behalf in order to sell within their country. L’Oreal is not considered cruelty-free by my standards.
Sadly, there is no standard or legal definition for the terms “cruelty-free” and “vegan”. Companies can use these labels in whatever way they want without consequences or liability.
Because of this, it’s super important to call these brands out and stay informed on what these labels mean and who is trying to deceive their consumers.
Labels You Can Trust
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