Vegan Rabbit considers PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies a fairly reliable indication of proof of a brand’s cruelty-free status. Their bunny logo get points off because companies only need to sign a pledge to be cruelty-free rather than sign a legally-binding contract or agree to random audits of their entire supply chain.
Background
The Beauty Without Bunnies logo is awarded by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), a non-profit which was founded in 1980, though the Beauty Without Bunnies program was created more recently.
Beauty Without Bunnies has two logos (one old, one new) and both are equally valid.
PETA requires:
- Adherence to a fixed animal testing cut-off date
- Pledge in writing not to conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients, formulations, or finished products
- No selling products anywhere with laws requiring animal testing for finished products (ie: mainland China)
Strengths
Because of PETA’s name-recognition, they are often the first (if not only) certification many brands apply for. This means their list includes cruelty-free brands that are not found on other lists.
Weaknesses
PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program has one glaring weakness that’s impossible to ignore: they don’t actually check if companies are being honest when they claim to be cruelty-free, meaning they don’t conduct their own audits of the companies they certify.
“To a degree, PETA’s “statement of assurance” is a matter of trust. However, the integrity of a company is on the line. A company that has publicly announced an end to its animal testing and has stated in writing that it does not test on animals would face a public relations disaster—and potential lawsuits—if its policies were being misrepresented. Business owners are well aware that consumers are serious about the issue of animal testing, and they know that they would ruin the public’s confidence in their products if it were discovered that they were being dishonest about their policies.” — PETA’s website FAQ page
According to PETA, the pressure for brands to remain honest in their cruelty-free pledge comes only from the threat of a “public relations disaster” if news were to break about a brand’s non-compliance, which means that the enforcement of PETA’s requirements rests exclusively on consumers.
Other Areas of Concern
Brands that are included in PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program may sell products that contain animal ingredients or be owned by parent companies that test on animals for their other brands.
Furthermore, even if companies are certified by PETA, that doesn’t mean you’ll see one of PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies bunny logos displayed on their packaging. Unfortunately, there is a licensing fee to use the logos, which not all companies can afford.
This is why I maintain my own cruelty-free & vegan list which includes brands with and without logo-licensing and only lists brands that are 100% vegan and 100% cruelty-free at every level, from parent company to subsidiary to ingredient manufacturer.
Find out how PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies compares to other cruelty-free logos.