What does “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” really mean?
It can mean different things to different companies. Many cosmetics companies now advertise their products as “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals.” The U.S. government doesn’t regulate the use of these terms, however, so the labels don’t always mean the same thing. For example, “not tested on animals” may mean that the company attempts to determine the safety of finished products, made from ingredients known to be safe, using in vitro and other alternatives, including the use of human volunteers. Or, it may mean that the company doesn’t test on animals itself but may buy ingredients from companies that do. Or it doesn’t test final products on animals but does test ingredients on animals. Or it doesn’t manufacture or buy any products or ingredients that have been tested on animals beyond a fixed cutoff date. Or the product and/or its ingredients have not been animal-tested within the past five years. Be aware, too, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires animal testing
