Vegan label in cosmetics

Finally clear explanations on the different vegan labels!

There are many vegan and cruelty-free labels. They are also so diverse that we sometimes no longer know which one to trust. We have therefore prepared this article for you to finally help you find your way around the different certifications and understand how they are granted to companies and why they appear on certain products and not others. To provide you with the most accurate information possible, we have contacted the associations distributing the labels.

However, there is one point we need to clear up first. Indeed, certain vegan and/or cruelty-free labels can sometimes strangely be attributed to products which are not vegan and which contain products of animal origin, such as those from the hive for example. These vegan labels will only guarantee that the labeled cosmetic has never been tested on animals. To be sure that a product is vegan, the only good advice we can give you is to carefully check the composition of the products.

The vegan and/or cruelty-free labels we have selected are as follows:

• Vegan Society Label

This label is issued by the Vegan Society, an association founded in England in 1944 and a pioneer in the field of veganism. For a product to receive this certification, there must be no question at any time of using materials and ingredients of animal origin during the development and manufacturing process. Similarly, whether carried out on the finished product, the composition or the ingredients, tests are prohibited and the company cannot ask a third party or association to carry them out on its behalf. The association also pays attention to GMOs and refuses any product containing GMOs that have caused the suffering or death of an animal. The acquisition of the logo is for 12 or 24 months and the association is very careful about the misuse of their logo.

• PETA's “Beauty without bunnies” labels
  

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), a world-renowned animal protection association, needs no introduction. PETA has two paid labels, one cruelty-free and one cruelty-free & vegan. To obtain it, companies only have to pay financial compensation once. However, this does not prevent a company from being regularly audited by PETA and its members to prevent fraud (which may result in legal action).

It is important to clearly differentiate between the two labels. cruelty-free certification is for companies that do not test their products, ingredients and formulations on animals and whose suppliers do not test any of their neither do products. However, this label does not guarantee that the compositions are vegan and contain no ingredients of animal origin. This is why PETA also has the cruelty-free and vegan certification. In this case, to obtain it, companies must have an entire range of products that are not tested on animals and do not include any ingredients of animal origin in their compositions.

The last two logos on the left may not be familiar to you… Know that they will gradually replace the two rabbits with pink ears that we know.

• CCF – Choose Cruelty Free

The CCF is an Australian paying label, which certifies a brand in its entirety.For this, none of the products and none of the ingredients have ever been tested on animals by the company or by a third person on behalf of the company, by the suppliers or by a third person on their behalf. products and none of the ingredients have been tested on animals for a period of at least five years before applying for the label. In addition, if the company belongs to a group that does not respect these ethics, it will not be accredited.

However, even if certain sentences on the association's website give the impression that the question of ingredients of animal origin is very strict, this is not necessarily the case. Indeed, after contacting the label, the latter explained to us that it focuses more on non-testing on animals than on the composition of the products. Some labeled brands may therefore contain animal products such as beeswax or dyes of animal origin. It also does not prohibit the use of palm oil. On the other hand, the CCF strongly encourages labeled companies to find natural and cruelty-free alternatives.

• Leaping Bunny, or HCS (Human Cosmetics Standard)

The internationally known Leaping Bunny, created by British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), is a free UK label for businesses . To obtain it, a company must not test or have tested on animals its cosmetic products or household products, nor their formulations or the ingredients used.

However, the label does not provide any information about the composition of the products and the ingredients. Since companies are obliged to mention the composition of their products by law, the label does not consider it necessary to take this parameter into account, especially since it is more difficult, according to the organization, to find information on animal and ingredient testing.

The association regularly carries out audits to check that companies are still in compliance with the rules imposed by the Leaping Bunny.

• IHTK

The German Association for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (IHTN) has created the IHTK label. To obtain it, a company must not carry out (or have carried out) any animal testing during the development of a product until it is placed on the market. In addition, no ingredient used must have been tested beforehand on animals and must not be of animal origin (cf. bee products, cochineal, etc.). The company that wishes to be labeled must also not work with other companies that perform animal testing, such as in the pharmaceutical industry.

• One Voice

The One Voice association, with a global focus, campaigns for animal rights. This association has created two vegan and cruelty-free labels: a blue label for products not tested on animals and vegan, and an orange label for products not tested on animals, vegan and organic.

However, you have to be careful with these two labels. Indeed, even if they both guarantee that a product is vegan, this is not necessarily the case since this certification authorizes the presence of hive products of biological origin in the products certified by them.< /p>

• Certifieded Vegan

To be certified and obtain this paid label created by the Vegan Awareness Foundation, a product must not contain any ingredients of animal origin (even products from the hive, the label is really careful.) and have never been tested at any time during its development and manufacture However, as this label does not apply to an entire company, it does not prohibit the latter from using the same machines to produce cosmetics vegan and non-vegan.

Some organic labels also prohibit animal testing. This is the case for the Soil Association and Nature & Progrès labels. However, they do not guarantee the absence of animal products in certified products.

Overall, we can say that each of these labels prohibits animal testing at all stages of the manufacture of the labeled products. However, if you want the composition of your products to be 100% vegan, it is always necessary to pay attention to the list of ingredients, since some labels allow the use of products of animal origin (such as products from the hive). In addition, brands sometimes create their own vegan and cruelty-free label. The best way to verify the honesty of their label is to contact them and ask them about the manufacturing conditions of their products.

Feel free to comment on this article and share your impressions and advice on vegan and cruelty-free labels 🙂

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