Is CeraVe Cruelty-Free And Vegan?

With each passing day, more consumers want to purchase humane, sustainably-produced products. People are beginning to understand the consequences of supporting companies that test their products on animals or use animal by-products as ingredients in what they sell.

This shift in consumer desire has encouraged companies to research and implement new, more ethical strategies for creating their products. While many companies have committed to only producing cruelty-free and/or vegan products, many name brands continue to test on animals and use animal by-products.

If you seek to use only cruelty-free and vegan lotion or skin care products, you may wonder, “Is CeraVe cruelty-free and vegan?”

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Is CeraVe Cruelty-Free?

No, CeraVe is not truly cruelty-free or vegan. They sell products that are tested on animals.

According to their website, CeraVe, a best-selling drugstore skincare brand, claims that their products are not tested on animals. At first glance, this makes it seem like their products are cruelty-free.

However, this is misleading since they don’t disclose if the ingredients in their finished products (sourced from suppliers) are tested on animals. This means that their products can’t technically be classified as cruelty-free.

In addition, CeraVe sells their products in countries where animal testing is legally required. An example of this is in mainland China, where products must be tested on animals before they may be sold on shelves. Because CeraVe sells their products in countries where they know they are being tested on animals, they cannot be considered cruelty-free.

Is CeraVe Owned By A Parent Company That Tests On Animals?

CeraVe is owned by L’Oreal, a parent company that does test on animals. L’Oreal is not cruelty-free as they sell products in countries where animal testing is required by law.

Is CeraVe Certified Cruelty-Free?

No, CeraVe is not certified cruelty-free by any organization, and they are not cruelty-free, as they sell products in mainland China where animal testing is required.

Is CeraVe Vegan?

CeraVe is not vegan, as some of its products contain animal-derived ingredients. The only place where CeraVe sells entirely vegan products is in the United Kingdom. CeraVe claims to be working to have all-vegan products in North America in the near future. They aimed to have 90% of their products in North America completely vegan by 2021, but that didn’t occur.

CeraVe currently offers several vegan products. These include varieties of both their cleansers and moisturizers.

How Do I Know Which CeraVe Products Are Vegan?

When looking for vegan-friendly CeraVe products, the best course of action is to read the ingredient label. Animal by-products to look for include honey, lanolin, beeswax, and glycerin.

Another easy way to know which CeraVe products are vegan is to shop on their website. There is an option to shop on the United Kingdom version of the website. Since all of the UK products are vegan, you’ll be able to make a purchase knowing it doesn’t have animal byproducts in it.

Do CeraVe Products Contain Animal-Derived Ingredients?

While many of their products are vegan, some of CeraVe’s skincare products still contain ingredients derived from animal products, like honey, sheep’s wool, and lanolin. If you are looking for vegan skincare products, CeraVe has several to choose from, but they are not entirely vegan as a company.

Are Cruelty-Free Products Regulated By The Government?

Unfortunately, there’s currently no regulation on what “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” means. These phrases are a hot topic, so many companies try to add them to their marketing to attract new buyers. But since there’s no government regulation on these practices, it’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting, even if something is labeled cruelty-free.

As a general rule, when a company puts a cruelty-free label on its product, it means that the business didn’t conduct any animal testing on that product. Though this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, it can be misleading. Cosmetic companies receive shipments of ingredients from other companies that they then use to formulate their products.

The lack of regulation on cruelty-free labeling means that a company doesn’t legally have to disclose if their material suppliers test their products on animals. So how can you know if products labeled cruelty-free were actually produced without animal testing?

Though there is no legal regulation on cruelty-free labels, there is an organization that seeks to clarify which products are genuinely cruelty-free. It’s called the Leaping Bunny Program and is easily identifiable by the sticker with a white bunny leaping through the air that it places on its certified products.

The Leaping Bunny Program is led by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. To be certified by this program and receive the leaping bunny sticker, cosmetic products must not have been tested on animals during any phase of the production process.

If you see a beauty product with the Leaping Bunny Program’s label on it, you can purchase the product confident that it was produced without being tested on animals. Unless legislation is passed to require FDA approval for cruelty-free labeling, the Leaping Bunny Program is the simplest way to ensure you are buying humanely-produced products.

What Cruelty-Free Testing Methods Do Companies Use?

There are several alternative methods for testing cosmetic products. These include computer models, donated human tissue, and even human volunteers. All of these options give scientists the information they need about how the product affects the body without needing to subject animals to painful, dangerous testing.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to CeraVe

CeraVe has a huge following because they offer many skincare products targeted toward sensitive skin and formulate many of their products with their proprietary blend of three ceramides and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

Ceramides are essential lipids that help repair and restore the skin barrier, making them ideal for people with sensitive skin, dry skin, or an acne prone skin type.

Hyaluronic acid is a powerful skincare ingredient that can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water, making it a great hydrating agent. CeraVe’s products are available at most drugstores and are even carried by some high-end retailers.

If you are a fan of CeraVe’s best-sellers like CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser, CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, or CeraVe Moisturizing Cream but are looking for a cruelty free alternative, and want to use a skincare product from a cruelty free brand, luckily you have many options. The following skincare brands create products that are similar to CeraVe’s, treat a variety of skin conditions, and are also cruelty-free:

• e.l.f. Cosmetics
• The Ordinary
• Pacifica
• Acure Organics

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Is CeraVe Cruelty-Free And Vegan: Final Thoughts

In a world where cruelty-free and vegan products are becoming increasingly popular, companies are scrambling to join the movement. Though most companies who claim to be cruelty-free are making important moves towards eliminating animal testing from their procedures, a lack of regulation allows for confusion and misinformation on the subject.

The popular skin care brand, CeraVe, is one of the companies that is not truly cruelty-free or vegan (at least not yet). They claim to be moving towards cruelty-free production standards worldwide but have yet to deliver on that promise.

As of right now, CeraVe products are still being tested on animals in certain countries. Some of their products also contain animal byproducts. If you’re looking to support a 100% cruelty-free and vegan company, choose another skincare brand in this post.

Hopefully, as the demand for cruelty-free beauty grows, CeraVe and other skin care brands that still test on animals will become 100% cruelty-free.

Read Next: Best Cruelty-Free Moisturizers