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Is Vanicream Cruelty-Free?
🐰 Vanicream is a *cruelty-free brand. None of Vanicream’s ingredients or products are tested on animals. Vanicream has met all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist and is included in our Cruelty-Free Directory.
Does Vanicream Test on Animals?
When asking, does Vanicream test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Vanicream’s ingredients or suppliers test on animals. And they don’t sell in any country or under conditions that may require animal testing by law.
In our research, we discovered the following:
- ✓ Vanicream confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf.
- ✓ Vanicream confirmed all their ingredient suppliers do not test on animals
- ✓ Vanicream confirmed they do not allow or sell their products under conditions where animal testing is required by law
By meeting all of our Cruelty-Free Criteria, Vanicream is a *cruelty-free brand by our standards.
*Vanicream is owned by Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc., a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.
The decision is yours whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. Do what you’re comfortable with.
What is Vanicream’s Animal Testing Policy?
Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Vanicream’s website about its animal testing policy:
In addition, when I reached out to Vanicream to inquire about their animal testing policy, Vanicream stated in an email response:
“We do request documentation from all of our ingredient suppliers confirming that they do not test on animals. We do not allow our products to be tested on animals.”
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Vanicream has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
“Pharmaceutical Specialties does not sell our products in China.”
With the current changes to China’s animal testing laws, some cosmetics sold in China can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, without meeting those conditions, animal testing is still legally required for most cosmetics sold in China in 2023.
Is Vanicream Certified Cruelty-Free?
Vanicream is not certified by a third-party cruelty-free accreditation like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Although Vanicream is not certified cruelty-free, the company has confirmed to us it is a truly cruelty-free brand by meeting all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist.
Note that companies can remain to be cruelty-free without an official cruelty-free certification. Some companies may choose not to be certified cruelty-free because of cost, privacy, or lack of resources.
Cruelty-Free Policies 2023
Just because a brand claims it is ‘Cruelty-Free,’ doesn’t always mean that’s the case.
That’s because there is no legal definition for the label ‘Cruelty-Free.’ It can mean different things to different people. But Cruelty-Free is generally used to imply no animal testing. More specifically, the ingredients, formulation, or finished product are not tested on animals at any stage of product development.
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, or any third parties.
How We Assess Cruelty-Free Policies
Since starting my blog in 2015, I’ve been emailing companies asking about their animal testing policies and cruelty-free commitments.
And based on the responses I receive from companies, I’ll research to find any supporting facts needed before concluding whether the brand should be classified as “Cruelty-Free,” “Animal-Tested,” or “Grey Area – Unclear Policies.”
☕️ Every week, I continue to reach out to new brands while trying my best to keep current brands updated. If you found any of my posts or guides helpful, consider Buying Me A Coffee! I would greatly appreciate it! ❤️
What about Vegan?
Just because something is called Cruelty-Free, doesn’t always mean it’s Vegan. And vice versa.
Cruelty-Free only refers to no animal testing, while Vegan means formulated without animal products.
Some brands are Cruelty-Free, but not Vegan.
And some are Vegan, but not Cruelty-Free.
Another important distinction to know is, Vegan in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand is 100% Vegan, or a specific product is Vegan.
Is Vanicream Vegan?
⭐️ Vanicream is a 100% vegan brand. All their products are vegan, and are formulated without any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
The following is a snippet of the email response I received from Vanicream when I asked if all of their products are vegan:
“We are happy to share that all of our products are considered vegan. We do not use animal-derived ingredients in our products nor do we test on animals.”
Where to buy Vanicream? Check out Target, Walmart, and on Amazon!
Vegan Policies
Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But Vegan is generally used to mean formulated without animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.
Some common animal products in cosmetics include carmine, lanolin, snail mucus, beeswax, honey, pearl or silk-derived ingredients, animal-based glycerin, keratin, and squalene.
There are plant-based and synthetic alternatives to animal-derived ingredients. But unless a brand explicitly labels its ingredients or product as Vegan, it’s often difficult to know with certainty whether a product is vegan just by reading the ingredient list.
So it’s best to ask the company and manufacturers to ensure the ingredients they chose were from non-animal sources.
Where are Vanicream’s products made?
I asked Vanicream where their products are manufactured and they told me:
“All of our products are manufactured on site in Rochester, MN1 We have just our one location for production, manufacturing and shipping.”
Ethical Mica Mining Policy
Mica is a mineral that’s used in cosmetics to add a shimmery effect. But the mining of natural mica has been linked to child labor and human rights violations.
Unless the company discloses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.
So I asked Vanicream if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“Mica is used in our facial cleanser. The supplier of this ingredient has provided us with a significant amount of documentation stating that the mica is “responsibly” mined both environmentally and humanly.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Vanicream’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
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