💄 Beauty
Cruelty-Free vs Vegan
Two different labels. They mean two different things. Here's how to read them.
2 min read Updated 14 June 2026
The two labels
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cruelty-free | The finished product (and ideally ingredients) was not tested on animals at any stage. |
| Vegan | No animal-derived ingredients in the formula. |
A product is fully ethical only when it's both.
How to verify
- Leaping Bunny logo — strictest cruelty-free certification, audited.
- PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies — checks cruelty-free, vegan, or both.
- The Vegan Society Sunflower — gold standard for the vegan claim.
- Brand's own claim — readable, but cross-check on PETA's database.
Common animal ingredients to watch for
- Carmine (red colour from beetles) — in lipsticks, blush.
- Beeswax / Cera alba — in lip balms, mascaras.
- Lanolin — from sheep wool, in moisturisers.
- Honey — in face masks, scrubs.
- Silk powder / sericin — in foundations, primers.
- Squalene — sometimes from shark liver (squalane from olives is fine).
- Guanine — fish scales, in shimmer products.
- Collagen / elastin — usually animal-derived in skincare.
The parent-company question
Some 'cruelty-free' brands are owned by parent companies that do test (or sell in markets requiring testing). You can decide where to draw your own line — both approaches are defensible.
References
Written by Malavika Malaviya. Last updated 14 June 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us.
