Lifestyle
What is the difference between vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics?
Short answer
Cruelty-free means not tested on animals. Vegan means no animal-derived ingredients (for example lanolin, carmine, beeswax, collagen). A product can have one without the other – vegans look for both.
Look for both: Leaping Bunny certification (Cruelty Free International) or a credible brand policy, plus a vegan ingredient list or logo. Typical “cruelty-free but not vegan” examples are toothpaste with propolis, balm with lanolin or lipstick with carmine.
The EU bans animal testing of cosmetics and their ingredients, but other markets’ requirements and chemicals legislation can be exceptions – so the whole brand’s policy matters, not just the claim on the tube. Medicines are a separate category: veganism “as far as possible and practicable” does not ask you to refuse treatment.