Just how can you be sure you’re spreading the love with these gifts? Is there a way to be sure that vegan and cruelty-free perfume won’t turn up the nose of your animal sanctuary-volunteering relative?
It starts with understanding the difference between cruelty-free vs vegan. While possible to find that perfect present that ticks both boxes, realize that vegan doesn’t necessarily mean cruelty-free, and vice versa. Some products may contain organic or ethically sourced beeswax (making them non-vegan), but can be completely free of animal testing, making them cruelty-free. These pro-animal terms aren’t legally defined, so the safest bet is to not assume they mean the same thing but rather are delineated as follows:
- Cruelty-free means that the products and the ingredients used were not tested on animals at any stage—from sourcing to shipping of the final goods.
- Vegan means the product is totally free of animal ingredients and animal byproducts.
How To Spot Non-Vegan Ingredients:
Some animal ingredients are pretty easy to spot—like wool, honey, beeswax, yogurt, and gelatin. Animal by-products, however, are a different story. You may unknowingly buy something that contains squalene or ambergris, only to find out that you’ve just surprised a vegan with shark liver oil or whale intestines.
Here are some other possibly animal-derived ingredients commonly found in cosmetics, food, and other products, but you can check out this PETA article for a more complete list.
- Albumen / Albumin
- Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (Lactic Acid)
- Biotin
- Caprylic Acid
- Carmine / Cochineal / Carminic Acid
- Castor / Castoreum
- Chitosan
- Civet
- Collagen
- Elastin
- Guanine / Pearl Essence
- Hydrolyzed Animal Protein
- Keratin
- Lipase
- Monoglycerides / Glycerides
- Musk
- Oleic Acid
- Pepsin
- Sable Brushes
- Shellac / Resinous Glaze
- Tallow / Tallow Fatty Alcohol / Stearic Acid
To make it easier, some companies and products may bear a logo from one of the big vegan certifying bodies:
Many brands have started to share their position on animal testing or sourcing 100% cruelty-free products. A company’s FAQ or About Us page is a good place to look. Even easier, there are three trusted certification bodies to look out for:
However, even with these certifications, you may only have a finished product that is cruelty-free—not one that has been made with cruelty-free ingredients/materials.
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