Giant multinational conglomerates with questionable ethics are buying up cruelty-free brands like hotcakes as the once-small niche has steadily been gaining popularity. You might be surprised to learn that Method is owned by SC Johnson; Seventh Generation is owned by Unilever; and NYX is owned by L’Oréal.

Whether you’re going cruelty-free as a protest in the form of a boycott or doing it as a matter of personal integrity, it’s important to take a parent company’s animal testing policy into consideration.

Cruelty-free shoppers can have differing views when it comes to this issue: should brands such as Urban Decay, NYX, and Kat Von D Beauty still be considered cruelty-free?

Profits go to the parent company

As consumers, our money is our power. When we purchase a product from a cruelty-free brand with parent company, our money doesn’t stop with them; it travels up to the big guys at the top. This means that when you purchase Kat Von D products, you’re really giving your money to LVMH.

This is troublesome because it means that giving your support to a cruelty-free brand can indirectly fund further animal testing by their parent company.

From a personal integrity standpoint, if we’re against animal testing and we have the option to choose a cruelty-free brand that doesn’t have a cruel parent company, we should be giving our money to those brands first, right?

That being said, sometimes it’s impossible to find truly cruelty-free companies in your area. In those rare cases, I recommend either trying to buy directly from that company’s website or if all else fails, supporting cruelty-free brands that are owned by animal testing parent companies only as a last resort.

Choosing to buy from totally cruelty-free brands sends a powerful message

While some would argue that we should support cruelty-free brands of parent companies that test on animals to send a message to those parent companies that will hopefully get them to change, I disagree.

I don’t believe in rewarding bad behavior.

I do, however, believe in rewarding good behavior.

There are literally hundreds of cruelty-free companies and brands that aren’t owned by parent companies that test on animals. These truly cruelty-free companies are consciously turning down higher profits in favor of staying true to their ethics. This is a big deal and it’s why I believe we should be rewarding ethical businesses FIRST.

We send a much stronger message to companies that test on animals by giving our money to their cruelty-free competitors than we ever could by supporting the cruelty-free brands in their portfolio.

By giving our dollars only to totally cruelty-free companies, a loud and clear message is sent to the entire industry: we consumers truly value cruelty-free products; we care about the ethics behind those products; we have plenty of options; and we will not compromise.

These brands are still trying

Situations aren’t always perfect. Because these brands are still individually cruelty-free despite being owned by cruel parent companies, they should remain a last resort if finding truly cruelty-free companies has proven impossible in your area.

Ultimately, supporting cruelty-free brands owned by companies that test on animals is better than purchasing from brands that aren’t cruelty-free, but supporting cruelty-free brands that aren’t owned by companies that test on animals is ideal.

This is why I’ve curated a list of cruelty-free & vegan brands that are ALL 100% vegan and 100% cruelty-free at every level — from parent company to subsidiary brand to ingredient manufacturer.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CRUELTY-FREE BRANDS OWNED BY A PARENT COMPANY THAT TESTS ON ANIMALS?

Cruelty-Free Resources

• List of Companies That DO Test On Animals
• List of Cruelty-Free & Vegan Companies
• List of FAKE “Cruelty-Free” Brands
• Cruelty-Free Bunny Logos RANKED
• China’s Animal Testing Laws: What You Need to Know

The post Parent Company That Tests On Animals: Why It Matters appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.

What makes this situation worse is that China’s animal testing laws can be really confusing. This is often simply because many of the articles on this subject are either too wordy or give too little information.

So, I’ve set out to write my own explanation of China’s animal testing laws with the goal of describing them as clearly and efficiently as possible.

Here’s everything you need to know about China’s animal testing laws (and nothing you don’t):

Why Sell In China?

China is home to about 1.5 billion people and the country’s cosmetics market alone is worth over $26 billion USD. The lure of potential profits makes China incredibly appealing to many companies looking to increase their revenue by a huge margin, but only if they make the decision to prioritize dollars over ethics.

Cosmetics Brands That Sell In China

Below are some cosmetics brands that sell their products in China. A few of these brands have a long history of actually being against animal testing but have since lost their cruelty-free status by choosing to join the Chinese market while mandatory testing laws are still in place.

Because they sell products in China, these brands are NOT cruelty-free.

In contrast, pop over to my list of cruelty-free & vegan brands (none of them sell in China) and support businesses with a steady moral compass.

Mainland China vs. Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s relationship with mainland China isn’t exactly clear-cut.

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (colloquially referred to as “mainland China”). But Hong Kong enjoys plenty of operational autonomy in that it has its own currency and even maintains its own government separate from mainland China.

This means Hong Kong can set its own laws regarding cosmetics animal testing for products sold specifically in Hong Kong.

According to Hong Kong’s SPCA:

“Hong Kong recognises many international cosmetic safety standards under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance (Cap. 456) and does not require additional animal testing as a pre-requisite for import and sale of cosmetic products.”

This means Hong Kong does not automatically require any more safety animal testing than what is mandated by the countries from which brands operate.

It’s important to note that neither Hong Kong nor mainland China have enacted total bans on animal testing for cosmetics, so it’s still possible for products from either of these regions to be tested on animals.

Important Terms

To understand China’s animal testing laws, you need to be familiar with a few important terms.

Pre-Market vs. Post-Market Testing

China tests on animals at two stages: pre-market and post-market.

Pre-Market tests are done before products hit the market.

Post-Market tests are done after products hit the market.

For post-market animal testing in China, the government can — at any time and without notifying a brand or asking their permission — actually pull products from shelves and test them on animals.

A brand implicitly agrees to these terms by agreeing to sell products in mainland China, and these brands are well-aware this means their products might be tested on animals.

“Ordinary” vs. “Special Use” Cosmetics

“Special-use” cosmetics are products that make a functional claim on the label. Hair dyes, perms and hair growth products, deodorants, sunscreens, skin-whitening creams are all examples of what China considers “special-use” cosmetics.

“Ordinary” cosmetics are products that don’t make a functional claim on the label. Make-up; fragrances; skin, hair, and nail care products are all examples of what China considers “ordinary” cosmetics.

Who Does the Testing?

The Chinese government conducts tests according to their laws at their own discretion and companies must fund China’s testing of their products with their own money.

When Is Testing Required?

Always Required:

• Pre-market testing for ALL foreign and domestic cosmetics (if sold in mainland China)
• Post-market testing for domestically produced “special use” cosmetics (if sold in mainland China)
• Post-market testing for foreign imported “ordinary” and “special use” cosmetics

Required Only In Certain Circumstances*:

• Post-market testing for domestically produced “ordinary” cosmetics (as of January 1, 2020), including those sold at Chinese airports

*”Certain circumstances” occur when a consumer files a complaint about a product or whenever the Chinese government believes further testing is required to determine a product’s safety. These tests may or may not be done on animals (again, at the Chinese government’s discretion).

When Is Testing NOT Required?

Online Shopping

China’s testing laws do NOT apply to online shopping; they only apply to cosmetics that are physically sold in mainland China. This means cosmetics purchased by Chinese consumers via foreign shopping websites are exempt from China’s mandatory animal testing laws (provided retailers don’t also physically sell them in mainland China).

“Made in China”

Just because a cosmetic product says “Made in China” on the label does NOT mean that product has been tested on animals, though it still might.

The only time a cosmetic product that’s manufactured in China is required by Chinese law to be tested is:

• If it’s “special-use” cosmetic
• If it’s an “ordinary” cosmetic that’s physically sold anywhere in mainland China and the Chinese government decides safety tests are necessary

China’s Animal Testing: Moving Away From Animal Models

The most recent changes to China’s product safety testing laws came about due to China’s National Medical Products Administration’s acceptance of nine non-animal (alternative) test methods.

These alternative methods will now be the preferred methods of verifying product safety, but animal testing still remains an option and has not been banned.

Cruelty-Free Resources:

• List of Companies That DO Test On Animals
• List of Cruelty-Free & Vegan Companies
• List of FAKE “Cruelty-Free” Brands
• Cruelty-Free Bunny Logos RANKED
• Parent Companies That Test on Animals: Why It Matters

The post China’s Animal Testing Laws: What You Need To Know appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.

If you’ve ever been out shopping for beauty, hygiene, or household cleaning products, you’ve probably seen a variety of cute bunny logos on labels claiming that a product is “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals.”

You might be surprised to learn that there are currently only 3 cruelty-free logos run by independent non-profits: Leaping Bunny, PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies, and Choose Cruelty-Free — and they are not all created equal.

It’s important to know exactly what each of these logos mean when they claim a product is “cruelty-free.” Do the non-profits running the certification programs that award these logos require that ingredients aren’t tested on animals or are they only concerned with finished products? Do they require a brand’s parent company be totally cruelty-free too? Do they allow companies into their program that sell products in China where animal testing is often required by law?

This list takes these questions into consideration and ranks each of these cruelty-free programs from best to worst.

Please note that all 3 of these certification programs are legitimate and trustworthy–none of them are “bad.” They all function with the goal of ending animal testing for consumer products and seek to be as transparent as possible. The difference between these 3 companies is the criteria they use to qualify companies for their programs and how reliable they each are in guaranteeing a company sticks to those criteria.

#1: Leaping Bunny

Vegan Rabbit considers Leaping Bunny a highly reliable indication of proof of a brand’s cruelty-free status. They scored major points for their surprise company audits and for being the only internationally recognized cruelty-free certification program in the world.

The Leaping Bunny logo is awarded internationally by Cruelty-Free International, which was originally founded in 1898 as The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) but later became Cruelty-Free International when they merged with the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS).

In the United States and Cananda, the Leaping Bunny logo is awarded by The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), which was created in 1996 and made of 8 national animal rights organizations.

(Leaping Bunny-approved brands are held to the same high standard regardless which branch they receive cruelty-free certification from.)

Leaping Bunny requires:

• Adherence to a fixed animal testing cut-off date
• No selling products anywhere with laws requiring animal testing for finished products (ie: mainland China)
• A supplier monitoring system to be implemented by the brand
• Checks for animal testing down to ingredient manufacturer level of the supply chain
• Regular independent audits to ensure compliance

The biggest reason Leaping Bunny is in the #1 position on this list is because they are the only cruelty-free certification program that conducts their own independent audits of the companies in their program so they can make sure each company is doing exactly what they promised.

More information on the Leaping Bunny cruelty-free certification program, including its strengths and weaknesses, can be found in my detailed explanation of the program: Is the Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free Logo Reliable?

#2: Choose Cruelty-Free

Vegan Rabbit considers Choose Cruelty-Free a fairly reliable indication of proof of a brand’s cruelty-free status. They get points off because they don’t conduct audits on the companies they certify, which means they can’t actually verify if a company is compliant. They do, however, maintain the strictest requirements of all cruelty-free certification programs.

Choose Cruelty-Free, a non-profit which was founded in 1993 and based in Australia, awards the Not Tested on Animals rabbit logo to companies that meet its strict set of criteria.

Choose Cruelty-Free requires:

• No testing on animals for at least 5 years prior to applying for certification
• A signed legally-binding contract not to conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients, formulations, or finished products
• No selling products anywhere with laws requiring animal testing for finished products (ie: mainland China)
• Adherence to a strict policy on animal-derived ingredients:
  • NO ingredients derived from an animal killed specifically for the extraction of that ingredient
  • NO ingredients forcibly extracted from a live animal in a manner that occasioned pain or discomfort
  • NO ingredients derived from any wildlife
  • NO ingredients that are by-products of the fur industry
  • NO ingredients that are slaughterhouse by-products of a commercially significant value (meaning the animal was not killed specifically for the ingredient, but that the ingredient was available due to the animal being killed for other purposes)
• Parent company and fellow subsidiary brands must also qualify for the program

No other cruelty-free certification program makes such black and white distinctions about animal-derived ingredients or the cruelty-free status of parent company, so this is a big deal.

Unfortunately, there’s no way for Choose Cruelty-Free to make sure their rules are being followed since they don’t audit companies themselves and instead just trust companies to adhere to their legally-binding contract. If they did their own independent audits of companies, they would have made the #1 spot.

More information on the Choose Cruelty-Free certification program, including its strengths and weaknesses, can be found in my detailed explanation of the program: Is the Choose Cruelty-Free Logo Reliable?

#3: PETA Beauty Without Bunnies

Vegan Rabbit considers PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies a fairly reliable indication of proof of a brand’s cruelty-free status. They get points off because they have the least strict requirements of all 3 cruelty-free programs: companies only need to sign a pledge rather than sign a legally-binding contract or agree to random audits of their entire supply chain.

The Beauty Without Bunnies logo is awarded by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which was founded in 1980, though the Beauty Without Bunnies program was created more recently.

Beauty Without Bunnies has two logos (one old, one new) and both are equally valid.

PETA requires:

• Adherence to a fixed animal testing cut-off date
• Pledge in writing not to conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients, formulations, or finished products
• No selling products anywhere with laws requiring animal testing for finished products (ie: mainland China)

More information on the PETA Beauty Without Bunnies cruelty-free certification program, including its strengths and weaknesses, can be found in my detailed explanation of the program: Is the PETA Beauty Without Bunnies Logo Reliable?

Note: In 2013 the European Union (EU) banned animal testing for all cosmetics, personal care, and household care finished products and ingredients, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean those products are automatically cruelty-free.

For example, household products (as opposed to cosmetics) are not affected by the ban, so there’s no guarantee that a product from the EU is cruelty-free. Check my list of cruelty-free and vegan brands often, as I update it very regularly.

I maintain my own cruelty-free & vegan list which only lists brands that are 100% vegan and 100% cruelty-free at every level.

Cruelty-Free Resources:

• List of Companies That Test On Animals
• List of Cruelty-Free & Vegan Companies
• List of FAKE “Cruelty-Free” Brands
• Parent Companies That Test on Animals: Why It Matters
• China’s Animal Testing Laws: What You Need to Know

The post Cruelty-Free Bunny Logos: Which Should You Trust? appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.