Tired of being lied to by supposedly “cruelty-free” brands? This is a list of fake cruelty-free brands that claim to be, are frequently listed as, or are often assumed to be “cruelty-free,” but actually are NOT (and some fake vegan brands too).
About This List
A FAKE “cruelty-free” brand qualifies as one or more of the following:
- Parent company tests on animals (learn more)
- Sells products in mainland China (learn more)
- Lies or is misleading about being vegan (learn more)
How to use this list
THE BRANDS ON THIS LIST SHOULD BE AVOIDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE because the money they receive will still fund cruelty to animals in some form or another.
For a list of companies you should NEVER buy from, see my List of Companies That Test On Animals.
For a list of SAFE companies to buy from, see my List of Cruelty-Free & Vegan Companies.
Key:
NV = not a 100% vegan brand
T = parent company tests on animals
C = sells products in mainland China
L = caught lying or being misleading about being vegan
NLB = not Leaping Bunny certified
A-Z
| Ancient Egyptian Bath And Body Elixirs | NV | ||||
| Aveda | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Avon | NV | T | C | NLB | |
| Becca | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Bili Beauty | NV | ||||
| Bite Beauty | NV | T | |||
| Bobbi Brown | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Bulldog Skincare | T | ||||
| Bumble and Bumble | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Burt’s Bees | NV | T | |||
| Caldrea | T | ||||
| Cate McNabb Cosmetics | NV | ||||
| Clinique | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Coastal Classic Creations | NV | ||||
| Color Noir | NV | ||||
| Common Good | NV | L | |||
| CoverGirl | NV | T | |||
| Darphin | NV | T | NLB | ||
| defy & Inspire | T | ||||
| Dermalogica | NV | T | |||
| Dove | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Dr. Mercola Healthy Skin | T | ||||
| Earth’s Beauty | NV | ||||
| Echoclean | T | ||||
| Ecover | T | ||||
| Elevé Cosmetics | NV | L | |||
| Espionage Cosmetics | NV | ||||
| Estée Lauder | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Fitglow | NV | L | |||
| Gabriel Cosmetics | NV | ||||
| GlamGlow | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Hello Bello | NV | L | |||
| hello products | T | ||||
| Ingredients Matter | NV | L | |||
| Jo Malone | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Kilian | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Kino Hawaiian Skincare | NV | L | |||
| Le Labo | NV | T | C | NLB | |
| Lime Crime | T | ||||
| Little Twig | NV | L | |||
| Liz Earle | NV | T | |||
| LUSH Cosmetics | NV | NLB | |||
| MAC | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Mary Kay | NV | T | C | NLB | |
| Method | T | ||||
| Michael Kors | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Molton Brown | NV | T | |||
| Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day | T | ||||
| Nature’s Brands | NV | L | |||
| Ogee | NV | L | |||
| One Two Cosmetics | NV | L | |||
| OPI | NV | T | C | NLB | |
| Origins | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Rodin Olio Lusso | NV | T | NLB | ||
| SAINT Cosmetics | NV | L | |||
| Schmidt’s Deodorant | T | ||||
| Seventh Generation | T | ||||
| Skin2Spirit | NV | L | |||
| Skin Essence Organics | NV | L | |||
| Smashbox | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Tom Ford Beauty | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Tommy Hilfiger | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Too Faced | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Tory Burch | NV | T | NLB | ||
| Tre’Yours | T | ||||
| TruSelf Organics | NV | L | |||
| Tulip | NV | L | |||
| The Unscented Company | NV | L | |||
| Wet N Wild | NV | T | C | NLB |
More Ways to Make a Difference
Here are some more ways to maximize your impact and be ethically consistent:
Go Meat-Free
Go Dairy-Free
Go Egg-Free