Cruelty-Free Vs. Vegan Skincare Products - What's the Difference?
It makes complete sense that committed vegans would assume that their vegan beauty products are also cruelty-free. The reality? Not all vegan products are cruelty-free, and not all cruelty-free products are vegan. In the beauty industry, the two labels mean completely different things - even if one would assume that they should automatically overlap.
Plenty of skincare products are both cruelty-free and vegan, but ethical consumers should take care to verify that their favorite creams, serums, and toners are actually cruelty-free and vegan before buying.
What's the difference between cruelty-free and vegan? Beauty and skincare products labeled "vegan" use no ingredients derived from animals, while "cruelty-free" products are made without animal testing. Some products are either cruelty-free or vegan, and other skincare products are both vegan and cruelty-free.
Do Cruelty-Free and Vegan Mean the Same Thing?
Cruelty-free and vegan do not mean the same thing. A cruelty-free product is not tested on animals but might be made using animal products, which would make it non-vegan. Conversely, a vegan product may contain no animal-based ingredients but be tested on animals, disqualifying it from the cruelty-free label.
Like we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, plenty of products in the skincare space are both vegan and cruelty-free, meaning that they both contain zero animal-based ingredients and are not tested on animals. However, it's always important that consumers who care about ethical manufacturing policies look closely to make sure their products are really cruelty-free and vegan.
What Makes a Beauty Product Cruelty-Free?
The cruelty-free label seems simple - at least at first glance. In reality, deceptive advertising and labeling practices can make it more difficult for consumers to determine whether their products are genuinely cruelty-free.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no set legal definition for the term "cruelty-free" as it is used in the beauty sector. The FDA warns that companies may apply the term if they don't test on animals, despite the fact that they use raw materials from companies who do conduct animal testing.
Generally, a product is considered cruelty-free if zero animal testing occurs during its manufacturing process. Notably, this industry standard definition means that cruelty-free products can include animal-based ingredients. In other words, vegans should beware that cruelty-free beauty products may not actually be vegan!
What Counts As a Vegan Skincare Product?
The definition for cruelty-free may be cloudy, but most companies agree on which products count as vegan. In order to be a vegan product, a skincare cream, toner, or serum must include no products derived from animals. Remember - vegan and vegetarian are two separate terms. A skin cream that contains keratin, for example, would be vegetarian but not vegan, since keratin is derived from animals.
If you've been paying attention, you may have already spotted a problem. Since the only requirement for a "vegan" label is not using animal-derived ingredients in a skincare product, animal testing doesn't preclude a cream from being called vegan. In other words, your vegan product may still have come from animal testing!
Not All Vegan Products Are Cruelty Free - Here's Why.
Not all vegan products are cruelty-free, and not all cruelty-free products are vegan. This is a major problem for consumers who purchase only ethically sourced and manufactured beauty products. Unfortunately, the absence of a legal definition for cruelty-free has made it possible for some beauty companies to call animal-based skincare products cruelty-free.
In the past decade, demand for vegan and cruelty-free products in the skincare industry has skyrocketed. More than ever before, the modern consumer wants to spend their money on products that haven't harmed animals. Because of the explosive growth of the cruelty-free and vegan skincare market, some unscrupulous companies misuse these two labels to intentionally mislead consumers.
Below, we'll take a closer look at what you can do to make sure that you're buying only the most ethical skincare products.
How To Find Vegan and Cruelty-Free Skincare Products
Vegan and cruelty-free don't mean the same thing, but it's still perfectly possible for consumers to find cruelty-free and vegan skincare products. Companies like AB BIOINNOVATIONS offer full catalogs of cruelty-free, vegan, and all-natural award-winning skin creams, toners, and serums. Whether your goal is to moisturize, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, or make your face seem younger, there's certainly a vegan, cruelty-free skincare product line out there for you!
How do you find vegan and cruelty-free skincare products? The best way to find truly cruelty-free vegan skincare products is to:
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Read your labels.
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Avoid deceptive advertising and read the fine print.
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Research the company.
Below, we'll take a closer look at the best strategies for making sure that your beauty products are really cruelty-free and vegan!
Look For the Labels
The easiest way to verify that your beauty product is vegan is to read the label. In the United States, the FDA requires that all retail cosmetic beauty products include a list of ingredients by their "common names." The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) imposes strict requirements to make sure that companies are honest and transparent about which ingredients appear in their products.
Labels and online ingredient lists can help you quickly confirm that your favorite vegan products are actually vegan - as long as you know what to look for! To be considered vegan, it's not enough for companies to avoid using the meat of animals in their products. Instead, vegan beauty products use no ingredients derived from animals. Make sure to take a close look at your skincare product's ingredient list before confirming that it's vegan!
The label of a beauty product doesn't tell us whether the product is genuinely cruelty-free, though, since the term cruelty-free has no legal definition and these labels are not regulated by the government.
Avoiding Deceptive Advertising
As a conscientious skincare addict, your job is to do everything you can to avoid deceptive advertising. Like we mentioned earlier, some companies advertise animal-tested products as cruelty-free, since the government does not define or regulate the term through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
There are a few different strategies you can use to avoid falling victim to deceptive "cruelty-free" advertising.
First, take a look at the company's website to find more information about how their products are produced. Who do they partner with for raw materials? Are these companies also cruelty-free? These questions can help you better understand if your favorite beauty products are genuinely cruelty-free.
Customer reviews can also be a good way to make sure you avoid falling for deceptive cruelty-free labels. Occasionally, customers receive skin creams or serums labeled as cruelty-free, only to discover that the producer actually does test on animals! Reading verified customer reviews is another major way you can figure out the truth behind a beauty company's "cruelty-free" label.
Always Read the Fine Print!
The very best way to make sure you aren't buying unethically tested beauty products is to read that find print! Unscrupulous companies sometimes call their products "cruelty-free" but explain that their raw material partners test on animals. You can save yourself quite a bit of money (and heartbreak!) by closely reading the fine print on products labeled cruelty-free.
Research the Company
Of course, you can avoid most of this research process if you only do business with companies that you trust. Industry-leading beauty companies like AB BIOINNOVATIONS have established themselves as honest, transparent manufacturers of luxury vegan and cruelty-free skincare products.
Read reviews, take a look at the people behind the beauty company, and carefully study their manufacturing process to make sure you're doing business with a company committed to ethical sourcing and manufacturing.
AB BIO's Vegan and Cruelty-Free Product Line
Many of AB BIO's products are both vegan and cruelty-free, including the award-winning ABSOLUTE YOUTH collection. Dr. Alena Butkeciva, Ph.D., founder of AB BIOINNOVATIONS, believes firmly in creating cruelty-free and vegan products that help men and women feel more beautiful, youthful, and confident.
Check out AB BIO's full product catalog to learn more about some of the best all-natural, cruelty-free, and vegan skincare products on the market in 2025.