Vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics explained

Cosmetic animal testing: the current situation

When we talk about cruelty-free cosmetics, we mean a beauty product that has not been tested on animals, whether for an ingredient or the finished product.

The fight against animal testing began several years ago. However, certain specific details in the legal texts have made the legislation fairly unclear. You can refer to the focus on the REACH programme to learn more.

Moreover, a new step has recently been taken in the fight against animal abuse and the sale of such products on the Chinese market. New regulations now allow France to become the first country in the European Union able to export its cosmetics to China without prior animal testing. One nuance, however: this concerns so-called "ordinary" beauty products, meaning the majority of cosmetics, with the exception of sunscreen products and hair dyes.

How can you recognise vegan cosmetics?

For consumers with even higher standards, vegan cosmetics go even further in respecting wildlife: no animal-derived substances are used (milk, honey, propolis, silk, no animal fat or other derivatives). This also excludes any form of animal exploitation.

A few vegan ingredients

Good performance and pleasant textures without using animal-derived ingredients: that is the whole challenge of vegan cosmetics. Nevertheless, to meet this challenge, some products use synthetic ingredients such as silicones, which are not easily biodegradable... So you need to stay vigilant about the formula and choose effective natural alternatives such as plant oils, clays, and plant butters in particular.

At Terre de Mars, we use plant oils such as coconut, sweet almond, sunflower, argan, and soybean oil. To take our approach a step further, we decided to exclude the use of palm oil. Indeed, it is not the most ethical ingredient, as it involves deforestation and the slaughter of animals living in these forests, including the famous orangutan. Our plant oils are more respectful of animals and the environment.

Other active ingredients found in our cosmetics come from ingredients such as coffee powder, plant-based squalane, bamboo stems, aloe vera, and turmeric, all natural and selected for their benefits and biocompatibility with the skin.

Decoding cruelty-free and vegan labels

It can seem difficult to know whether a finished product has not been tested on animals. To be sure that a brand is truly cruelty-free, there are various recognised labels that help identify brands that refuse animal testing, thus providing consumers with additional guarantees.

The main and most reliable ones are PETA's Cruelty Free label, the Human Cosmetics Standard (Leaping Bunny), and Choose Cruelty Free (CCF).

What is the difference between cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics?

As you will have understood, contrary to what one might think, a cruelty-free cosmetic and a vegan cosmetic are not the same thing. A product can be cruelty-free without being vegan. Indeed, some animal-derived products can be included in a cosmetic formula, such as keratin, honey, collagen, musk, etc. This does not mean that these ingredients have been tested. Conversely, a vegan product will necessarily be cruelty-free.

At Terre de Mars, we turned to PETA to obtain cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics certification. Did you know all the nuances of vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics? Is this important in your cosmetic choices?