What does Cruelty-Free really mean?


Today we received our official certificate from the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) stating we’re part of the Leaping Bunny cruelty-free program.

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What does it really mean to be cruelty-free? A company that is truly cruelty-free has verified that its own practices of testing never involves animals, but ALSO it means none of the ingredients from their suppliers/distributors were ever tested on animals, either.

You may be surprised to learn about the animals used for testing.

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*Photo credits are linked to each picture.

Animal testing, especially in the cosmetics industry, is not only inhumane, it’s completely unnecessary. As stated on PETA’s website, animal testing does not translate to humans, and human testing is eventually necessary. The main difference is that human testing requires permission and a series of legalities that allow humans who opt-in the knowledge of possible outcomes. Animals are never given the choice. Animals cannot speak for themselves. Animals are DISCARDED after they’re “used up.”

There are still many countries which require animal testing for cosmetics, but the United States is not one of those countries. Companies who sell internationally may claim to be cruelty-free in the USA, and that may be true, but it’s important for the consumer to check and see if this applies internationally, which is why the Leaping Bunny program is so effective.

In the United States, there are two forms of verification for cruelty-free, PETA and Leaping Bunny; however, the PETA verification (which we also possess) is only for the company itself, Leaping Bunny (which is recognized internationally) also verifies all ingredients are cruelty-free. The quickest verification is to check for true logos, but also note that many companies can be listed as cruelty-free WITHOUT the logo. For example, we are currently licensing the PETA logo, but we have not yet purchased the Leaping Bunny logo.

So how can you find out if your cosmetics company is truly cruelty-free? As mentioned above, you cannot always rely on looking for the logos, so the most proactive action you can take is to search the company online.

Search Leaping Bunny: http://leapingbunny.org/guide/brands

Search PETA: http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx

I hope you will consider the ethics behind your cosmetics and make more informed choices for the future.

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