In simple words, vegan means that products don't contain any animal-derived ingredients or products. And cruelty-free means that the products or any of its ingredients are not tested on animals. Even though there's a specific criterion for being approved as vegan and cruelty-free, brands tend to provide ambiguous information. This conflicting information makes it challenging to find cruelty-free and vegan brands.

As of today there are several organizations that investigate companies and their products and provide a cruelty-free or vegan certificate. The three popular organizations are PETA, Choosing Cruelty-Free, and Leaping Faith. These organizations have specific criteria for brands to be approved as cruelty-free.

Cruelty Free

Some of the common criteria used to assess if a product is cruelty-free include:

• The brand does not test any of its products or ingredients on animals during the entire production process.
• The brand does not hire a third party to conduct animal testing.
• The supplier of ingredients does not do any tests on animals.
• The brand is not acquired by a parent company that conducts test animals.
• The brands do not sell in markets that require animal testing by law (like for example Mainland China)

However, three of the above organizations have differences in their cruelty-free criteria. For instance, PETA obeys the first three rules. Whereas the Leaping Bunny abides by the first three and the fifth rules. You can read more about the company’s criteria on their respective website.

Vegan

Some of the common criteria for a product to be labeled Vegan are

• It should not contain any animal ingredients.
• Does not involve testing on animals.
• Must not include any genetically modified animal substance.
• Does not include any cross-contamination of animal products.

These are the general rules for cruelty-free and vegan brands and products. However, every region and organization has their own set of standards. A brand may not be abiding by all of the above laws but still label itself as cruelty-free and vegan. It's mainly due to the change in laws. Unfortunately, it creates confusion when customers wish to buy 100% cruelty-free and vegan products. The ground rule is to see if the brands are approved by PETA, Choosing Cruelty-Free, or the Leaping Faith. You can check their approved set of standards and buy from the brands whose values match yours.

Can A Product be Cruelty-free And Not Vegan?

Yes, a product can be cruelty-free but not vegan. This implies that the product is not tested on animals but contains animal-derived ingredients. Similarly, a product can also be vegan but not cruelty-free because the brand does conduct animal testing when required by law. Moreover, a product can be Cruelty-Free and Vegan.

Cruelty-Free Brand And Cruelty-Free Product

If a brand claims to be cruelty-free, then all of the brand's products and activities should not harm or kill animals in any part of the world. Likewise, if a product is cruelty-free, it hasn't been tested on animals. Finding out if a product is cruelty-free is much easier. However, determining whether a brand used a cruelty-free approach from sourcing to manufacturing is a complicated process.

Are Vegan Make-up Products Worth It?

 

Vegan products can work wonders for you with sensitive skin because they contain fewer ingredients. The vegan products contain natural ingredients which make them super gentle on your skin. Since these products are not made to harm animals, they are a better choice for an eco-friendly environment. Moreover, they can be easily recycled and contain non-toxic packaging. Usually, vegan products are gluten-free, a huge plus point for inflammatory skin conditions. Besides, Vegan products can surpass the performance level of non-vegan products, making them a popular choice.

Are Vegan And Cruelty Products More Expensive?

You can find non-cruelty-free and non-vegan products at cheap rates because they are easily sourced, and their production is cheaper. However, Vegan and Cruelty-Free products are a bit more expensive due to the cost of their ethical production. Generally, Cruelty-Free brands take an ethical approach in the manufacturing process, sourcing their ingredients, making it costly to produce vegan products. However, many vegan brands are affordable and budget-friendly. When vegan brands were scarce, people had a hard time finding the right vegan product.

Since more and more customers favour vegan brands, the businesses are thriving and vegan products become affordable. The strong demand for vegan products led many cruelty-free brands to enter the business. Some businesses started with a mindset of providing vegan, cruelty-free, and ethical products at affordable rates. Such brands care deeply about the environment and are a great choice if you wish to switch to an ethical brand.

Since cruelty-free brands do not test on animals, there is an assumption the products might not be safe for humans. There are options other than animal testing, such as cells and tissue testing culture using software and many other methods that do not harm or kill animals. Moreover, many brands focus on using known and determined safe ingredients. There are over 7000 ingredients approved as safe, which makes it easier for brands to not test products on animals. Companies these days can choose healthy and safe ingredients to create a vegan products at affordable rates.