What does cruelty free mean?

Whilst we’ve got bunnies on the brain, we thought we’d use the opportunity to highlight an issue very close to our hearts: animal testing and cruelty free beauty. 

Cruelty free is a term that is used a lot in the marketing and promotion of beauty products. It means that none of the ingredients or the final product were tested on animals. However, with little to no regulation to what beauty brands say on their packaging messaging, it is always best to look for third party verification on the product. There are two logos that you will commonly see in the UK:

Cruelty Free International, previously known as the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivasection), the logo is commonly referred to as “the Leaping Bunny”

PETA Cruelty Free - Beauty without Bunnies

What you may not realise is that certain other certifications, including The Vegan Society, The Vegetarian Society and Soil Association, also encompass cruelty free in their criteria.

If you want to be double sure, you can always refer to PETA’s searchable global list of companies that do and do not test on animals, which covers not just cosmetics and personal care products but also household cleaning products, office supplies and candles. 

Whilst there is a big movement to end animal testing in the UK, animal testing is a requirement by law for companies who want to sell beauty products in China. Watch out for carefully worded policies such as “We don’t conduct animal testing unless required by law”, which means that the company is putting profits before ethics and investing in animal testing to open up the opportunities of selling in China. 

When buying from Kijani Living, you can shop with a clear conscience and be sure that you are buying cruelty free beauty products. All beauty products carry logos from one of the following organisations: BUAV, PETA or Vegetarian Society.