Febreze is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Febreze allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.

Febreze’s Animal Testing Policy

While researching to learn more about Febreze’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.

So I reached out to Febreze to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals including when required by law.

And Febreze responded by saying:

“Thank you for taking the time to write us here at Febreze. That is a great question and I would be happy to help!

We do not test our products on animals anywhere in the world unless required by law and we are working hard to make animal testing of all consumer products obsolete.  We are a proud supporter of #BeCrueltyFree. We have invested more than $420 million in developing non-animal testing methods and have advocated for their approval by policy makers around the world. Today, we use more than 50 non-animal alternatives, half of which were invented or co-invented by P&G. We will continue working with partners like the Humane Society International and the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to promote the development of new alternatives and advocate for their public use and adoption to eliminate animal testing.”

Based on their statement, we now know that P&G owns Febreze. And Febreze has the same animal testing policy as P&G where both Febreze and P&G state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals if specifically required by law.

Truly cruelty-free brands will never allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals. Cruelty-free companies have a policy where if the law requires them to test on animals then they will refuse to sell their products under those conditions.

For example, imported cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by Chinese laws to be tested on animals upon registration. Therefore, truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China in order to remain committed to their no animal testing policy.

Unfortunately, Febreze and P&G state they will allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals if the law requires it. For those reasons, Febreze is NOT cruelty-free.

Also, Febreze states they are supporters of Humane Society International and PETA but note that Humane Society International is a non-profit animal welfare organization and NOT a certification program. Also, Febreze is NOT certified cruelty-free by PETA either. In fact, they are listed on PETA’s cruelty-free directory as a Company that DOES test on Animals, see here.

Cruelty-Free Policies

At ethical elephant, we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand itself, its suppliers, and by any third parties, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Febreze states they will allow their products to be tested on animals if the law requires it, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Febreze Certified Cruelty-Free?

Febreze is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

Because Febreze is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Febreze’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Febreze Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Febreze is owned by Procter & Gamble, a parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2022.

Some cruelty-free consumers may choose to purchase and support cruelty-free brands owned by animal-tested parent corporations as they hope it will convince the parent company to become cruelty-free.

But in this case, Febreze is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, P&G.

Is Febreze Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, Febreze states they will allow their products to be tested on animals if the law requires it. Therefore, we would NOT consider Febreze to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, Febreze is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Febreze Vegan?

Febreze does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Febreze engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Febreze to be vegan anyways.

In order for products to be considered vegan by ethical elephant’s standards, the products and their ingredients must not be tested on animals anywhere in the world. Also, they must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Febreze

Looking to switch to cruelty-free cleaning products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• Attitude
• Mrs. Meyers *owned by SC Johnson
• Poo-Pourri (Leaping Bunny Certified!)

Or check out our List of Cruelty-Free & Vegan Household Cleaning Brands!