Vegan describes the ingredients: no animal-derived materials. Cruelty-free describes testing: no animal testing. A product can be one without the other. In the US, neither term has a legal definition for cosmetics, so what each claim means depends on who is making it and whether an independent certifier checked it.
What “vegan” usually means
A vegan cosmetic contains no ingredients taken from animals. Common animal-derived cosmetic ingredients include:
- Beeswax (Cera Alba)
- Lanolin, from sheep’s wool
- Carmine (CI 75470), a red pigment from insects
- Honey and propolis
- Collagen and keratin, when animal-sourced
- Squalene, which can come from shark liver (plant-derived squalane is common now)
- Some glycerin and fatty acids, which can be plant or animal derived; the label often doesn’t say which
That last point is why “vegan” often depends on supplier documentation rather than the ingredient list alone.
What “cruelty-free” usually means
Cruelty-free usually means the finished product and its ingredients weren’t tested on animals. The FDA points out that, because there is no legal definition, a company can use the phrase even if it relies on ingredient suppliers or third-party labs that test on animals, or on ingredients tested in the past. The claim is only as meaningful as the policy behind it.
Where the confusion comes from
- A vegan product could still have been tested on animals.
- A cruelty-free product can contain beeswax, lanolin or carmine.
- Brands sometimes use the words interchangeably.
Certifications, and what they add
Independent programs audit brands against written standards, for example Leaping Bunny for cruelty-free, and vegan trademark programs run by vegan organizations. A certified claim tells you someone outside the company checked. An uncertified claim is the company’s own statement, which may be accurate but hasn’t been independently verified.
If a product shows a logo, check that it matches the certifier’s official mark and that the brand appears in the certifier’s public directory.
How to read the claims on a product page
- Who is making the claim? The brand, its manufacturer, or a named certifier?
- What does it cover? The finished product only, or ingredients too?
- Is a certification named? Can you check it in a public directory?
- Does the ingredient list agree? Look for the animal-derived names above.
Related terms that are also undefined
“Clean,” “natural,” “non-toxic” and “hypoallergenic” also have no federal definition for cosmetics. What clean beauty means · What non-comedogenic means.
Where Ozera stands
Our manufacturer describes all four of our formulas as cruelty-free, and describes 004 Vitamin C Serum and 003 Retinol Night Serum as vegan. These are our manufacturer’s stated attributes. We don’t hold independent cruelty-free or vegan certification, and we don’t display certification logos. We tell you which is which on every product page. Our editorial standards.
Further reading: FDA: “Cruelty free”/“Not tested on animals” · FDA: Cosmetics labeling guide
We state which attributes come from our manufacturer and which certifications we don’t hold. Read our ingredients page.
Photography: Dolunay laylay / Unsplash. Editorial photograph.