So, while the two terms are often used interchangeably, ‘vegan’ and ‘cruelty-free’ actually mean different things. When a product is labelled as vegan, it means that it does not contain ANY animal products or animal-derived ingredients like honey, beeswax or lanolin. This label describes the ingredients, as opposed to the production process. Items that are tested on animals can technically be labelled as vegan so long they do not actually contain animal products.
It’s also worth noting that a product labelled ‘vegan’ doesn’t always mean botanical replacements were used in place of animal-derived ingredients. Instead, you might find synthetic ingredients that were made in a lab.
Cruelty-free on the other hand, means that the ingredients and final product have not been tested on animals, and refers to the production process. This means it is possible for a cruelty-free product to contain non-vegan ingredients. Common non-vegan ingredients include beeswax, honey, lanolin, collagen, albumen, carmine, cholesterol and gelatin.
However, it is also important to note that just because a product is labelled vegan or cruelty-free doesn’t necessarily mean it has a clean, safe or green ingredient list. Make sure to read the list to ensure you are not putting any harmful chemicals on your skin.
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