No Products in the Cart
With the cruelty-free movement on the rise, we’re constantly being ambushed with new beauty products claiming to be vegan or cruelty-free, but what do these labels actually mean? It’s important to know what logos we can trust to help make more sustainable, informed decisions. Even if you’re not a vegan, you still want to know what exactly is in your products and whether or not they are ethically made, right? Today, we’re going to look at Leaping Bunny & PETA; both are well recognised organisations that verify brands as cruelty free, but is one better than the other? Let’s take a look…
If you see any of these logos used on packaging, it means the brand is officially cruelty-free. However, these logos do not all mean the same level of cruelty-free. You might notice that the brands on the Leaping Bunny's list is considerably smaller than PETA's. This is because the Leaping Bunny is far more selective and has a more thorough system to ensure all cruelty-free claims made by a brand are true.
To be PETA approved, they only require a written agreement from a company...
“Company representatives interested in having their company’s name added to our cruelty-free list(s) must complete a short questionnaire and sign a statement of assurance verifying that they do not conduct, commission, or pay for any tests on animals for ingredients, formulations, or finished products and that they pledge not to do so in the future.” - PETA
The main difference between PETA & Leaping Bunny is that the Leaping Bunny requires that the company agrees to independent audits. This means they can actually verify if the claims are true...
“The Standard is short for the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals, a voluntary pledge that cosmetic, personal care, and/or household product companies make to clear animal testing from all stages of product development. The company's ingredient suppliers make the same pledge and the result is a product guaranteed to be 100 percent free of new animal testing. All Leaping Bunny companies must be open to independent audits, and commitments are renewed on an annual basis.” -CCIC
This means that if the productise found on the Leaping Bunny list, it is thoroughly checked and verified. PETA's database of cruelty-free brands is filled with good intentions, but it's unreliable due to the lack of any investigation.
It's important to note that brands can easily create their own logo or take one from the internet to perceive their products as being verified cruelty-free. The thing is, the brands using fake logos could still be 100% cruelty free, but without the certification to prove it, there’s just no way to know for sure. Below are some fake cruelty-free examples that you could come across.
If you spot a fake logo, definitely do your own research. Even though they could be 100% cruelty-free, the term “cruelty-free” isn't regulated. This means that any brand could add a bunny logo on their bottle, no matter how true it is. Claims such as "cruelty-free" or "not tested on animals," or even the use of a bunny logo on packaging may only refer to the final product, when in reality, majority of all animal testing occurs at the ingredient level. Likewise, a company can claim, "We do not test on animals," but it could still contract other companies to do the testing on their behalf. The only way to be 100% sure a company is cruelty-free is to buy products from companies that have been certified by the Leaping Bunny Program, which requires that no animal testing be done in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or ingredient suppliers.
At TanOrganic, our products are specifically designed for women and men who want to look beautiful and feel confident but want to know the products they use care about people, animals and the environment. We want to be able to give our customers that ‘back from the Bahamas’ glow without hurting any bunnies or beagles in the process. We’re so proud to be Leaping Bunny certified so that our customers know they can trust us and our products.
Hopefully this will help you have a better understanding on which cruelty-free logo you can trust so that you can live your best cruelty-free life!
