What Is The Difference Between Cruelty-Free & Vegan Cosmetics ?

Do you know what the difference between cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics is? Let's take a closer look.

What is vegan cosmetics?

Vegan cosmetics categorises products that do not contain any animal-derived (such as gelatine, cholesterin or collagen) or animal by-products (such as honey, beeswax or milk). Many people believe that vegan also means that the products are substances have not been tested on animals. The term "vegan" is not regulated by law and is more often used when products to do not contains any animal-derived substances. However, this does not mean that these have not been tested on animals. A vegan product is not always cruelty-free.

Naturally, there are numerous companies that manufacture vegan cosmetics that are also cruelty-free. Oftentimes, products and/or entire brands carry a certification that confirms the fact that they are vegan such as the Vegan Society seal of approval.

What is cruelty-free cosmetics?

Cruelty-free means that animal testing is prohibited in each and every phase of the production process of a product. As such, a product that is cruelty-free is not necessarily vegan, i.e. a product that is not tested on animals but contains honey or milk.

What about the Ecco Verde assortment?

Each and every product that is listed in Ecco Verde is cruelty-free, even if it has not been accredited with a cruelty-free certification. Many a time smaller brands do not have the financial means to attain the certification. You might be asking yourself how we can be so sure that our entire product selection is cruelty-free? The answer is simple: in 2009, a European regulation was enforced that prohibits testing any product or ingredient sold within Europe on animals. Therefore, all products listed on Ecco Verde is cruelty-free - by law! We have a selection of cruelty-free products that carry a seal of approval. These can be found here:

• PETA Cruelty-Free Certificate
• IHTK Certificate
• Leaping Bunny Certificate
• Not Tested On Animals / CCF Certificate

Our vegan assortment can be found here.