The Vegan Society report reveals 90% of consumers support vegan-verified cosmetics

17 Jan 2023 --- More than half of US consumers want more verified-vegan labels on beauty and cosmetic products, finds The Vegan Society’s latest survey. Key highlights of the report reveal consumer perceptions around “vegan” and “cruelty-free” claims.

“By clarifying (the distinction), we can help people and companies understand what ‘vegan’ truly means – that no animal should be used or harmed in any stage of the creation of a product – and therefore empower people to make more compassionate choices when they shop,” Cat Thompson, spokesperson for The Vegan Society, tells PersonalCareInsights. 

“It also means we can raise awareness around the vast extent to which animals are exploited and used to create everyday items.” 

The report, titled The Vegan Beauty Takeover: US Edition, has been created in collaboration with the American Vegan Society and set out to understand global consumer perceptions of veganism and vegan products worldwide.

In the beauty industry, the term “cruelty-free” refers to products that have not been tested on animals or those not sold in territories where post-market animal testing is required by law. Cruelty-free does not, however, specify whether the ingredients in a product are derived from animals. 

Defining a vegan label
The Vegan Society defines a “vegan” label as a product that has not been tested on animals and contains no animal ingredients. According to the society, manufacturers, brands and shoppers often misunderstand what “cruelty-free” and “vegan” mean.

This understanding was reflected in an online survey among a panel of US cosmetic and toiletry shoppers. Panelists were asked their perceptions of different labeling found on cosmetics and toiletries, including “vegan,” “cruelty-free” and “vegan and cruelty-free.”The most popular products named by the survey participants for vegan verification were toiletries and cosmetic products.

“Our report aims to help consumers and companies understand the differences between cruelty-free and vegan labels so shoppers can be better informed when purchasing. A cruelty-free item may not necessarily be vegan because it may contain honey or milk, for example,” Thompson explains.

“Some companies may assume that a product is vegan because it does not contain animal or animal-derived products; however, an animal may have been used or tested on in the creation of the product, in which case it would not truly be vegan.”

Panel results
The results found 19% of panelists incorrectly thought “cruelty-free” meant the product did not contain animal ingredients. Only 18.5% of the panel correctly selected that “vegan” means the product contains no animal ingredients and is not tested on animals.

Fifty-eight percent of panelists correctly selected that the “vegan and cruelty-free” label meant the product contained no animal ingredients and was not tested on animals. According to The Vegan Society, there should be no need to make both claims.

There is no legal definition for “vegan,” heightening the importance of external schemes, such as The Vegan Trademark, to verify such claims.

“Interest in vegan cosmetics is higher than ever – there is no excuse for animals to suffer for our purchases – it’s time for the industry to make veganism the norm,” says Katharina Eist, international business development manager at The Vegan Society.

“This is our first publication in collaboration with the American Vegan Society, and we are delighted to have them on board as our US Vegan Trademark representatives to help educate and raise awareness of what “vegan” means and the need for clear labeling across consumer industries,” says Eist.

According to The Vegan Society, interest in vegan cosmetics is higher than ever.

“There is no excuse for animals to suffer for our purchases – it’s time for the industry to make veganism the norm,” she says.

In 2022, The Vegan Society outlined the requirements for labeling and selling products featuring vegan ingredients in its report, Unlock the Vegan Beauty Market, Leave the Animals Out of Cosmetics. The organization underscores a need to prevent greenwashing, increase consumer trust and verify products while highlighting the rising opportunities due to the demand for vegan products.

Third-party certification
Panelists were asked how important it is for them that vegan cosmetic and toiletry brands have the items certified by a third-party organization so the consumer does not rely solely on the manufacturer’s word.

About 90% of participants said it was important. Of those, nearly 70% selected either “very” or “quite” important, while a further 20% selected “a little important.”

They were asked in which product categories they would like to see more vegan-verified options. The most popular answer was “all toiletries and cosmetic products,” which received a response from 56% of panelists. This was followed by skincare (49%), haircare (49%) and deodorant (48%).

The participants were also asked about their knowledge of animal ingredients in cosmetic and toiletry products.Panelists also supported skincare, haircare and deodorant receiving more vegan verification. 

Despite nearly half (49%) claiming they felt either “very” or “somewhat” confident identifying animal-derived ingredients in toiletries and cosmetics, results for panelists selecting correctly were very low.

“A survey from Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments found that 84% of British shoppers, whether vegan or not, would not buy cosmetics products if they knew animal testing had been involved in its creation. This demonstrates a rise in demand for beauty-conscious items and an awareness of the cruelty involved in product testing,” Thompson explains.

Ingredient spotting
Participants were asked to select animal-derived ingredients from a line-up of ten. Examples included tallow – created from the fat of farmed animals – used in soap and make-up – and estrogen from pregnant horses, sometimes used in anti-aging creams.

Roughly half of the panel (48%) correctly selected that collagen could come from animals, and 23% correctly selected cochineal dye – a red dye created by crushing insects. All ten ingredients could be animal-derived; however, less than 3% of panelists correctly chose that answer. 

According to the Vegan Society, this demonstrates the ambiguity around cosmetic ingredients, which can go under various names.

“We love working with like-minded people worldwide to promote how ethics and shopping habits go hand in hand,” says Eist.

“This is our first publication in collaboration with the American Vegan Society, and we are delighted to have them on board as our US Vegan Trademark representatives to help educate and raise awareness of what “vegan” means and the need for clear labeling across consumer industries.”

By Inga de Jong