As a business that is both vegan and cruelty-free, we know a thing or two about how dizzying it can get trying to keep up with the terminology.

So, when it comes to cruelty-free vs vegan cosmetics… what’s the difference, and why does it matter?

If a product is labelled as cruelty-free, then it hasn’t been tested on animals.

If a product is labelled as vegan, then it doesn’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

 

 

Cruelty Free Cosmetics?

Did you know that there isn’t a legal definition for the term ‘cruelty-free’ when it comes to cosmetics?

Generally speaking, cruelty-free means that there has been no animal testing on the cosmetic product, from the ingredients and formulation to the finished product itself.

Take our products here at Scentish as an example. All of our products are cruelty-free, as the ingredients, formulations and finished products have never been (and will never be) tested on animals.

 

 

Vegan Cosmetics?

If a product contains ingredients derived from animals, it can’t be classed as vegan, in short!

That means that there could be a brand that is cruelty-free but doesn’t have vegan products.

 

 

In summary

A company can have cruelty-free but not vegan cosmetics, and a company could have vegan cosmetics that aren’t cruelty-free.