Cruelty Free International

Today we are delighted to announce that Lidl GB has become the latest addition to our Leaping Bunny approved family! 🎉
All Lidl GB own brand household and cosmetic products now have our gold standard stamp of approval 🐰

Our CEO, Michelle Thew, said:
“Lidl is a much-loved high street brand, known for its affordable products which don’t compromise on quality.
So, we’re thrilled to be able to grant the Lidl GB ’s household and cosmetics ranges Leaping Bunny approval, making cruelty free Veganuary swaps this January both affordable and accessible across the country.

“Leaping Bunny approval is rigorous and take many months, and it’s no mean feat to do this for both cosmetics and household products at the same time!
Congratulations to Lidl GB and welcome to the growing Leaping Bunny family.”
Find your next “cruelty free” favourite via our quick and easy Leaping Bunny Search tool. https://bit.ly/3ngxJH7

https://crueltyfreeinternational.org/leapingbunny

And I mean…While the news is encouraging, it must be treated with caution.

They’re two separate things: The term “cruelty-free” has long been associated with ending animal testing. So the Leaping Bunny logo and approval means that these are products which are not tested on animals.

However, that does not mean that the products are vegan, meaning that they do not contain any animal ingredients.

Of course, for some it is incomprehensible how a product can be presented as cruelty free if it contains parts of an animal or its products (like milk, honey…)

Furthermore, Cruelty Free International hasn’t enjoyed the same level of trust it once did for a long time, and with good reason:

For example, they have Garnier listed on their website as one of their trusted brands even though they are owned by L’Oreal. They also declare Body Shop as one of their Trusted Brands, which was one of the first vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics companies, but on March 17, 2006 was sold on L’Oreal, a deal that many animal rights activists saw as a betrayal by the company to customers and animals and a breach of trust.

Because L’Oreal certainly conducts animal testing.

For several years, Cruelty Free International has dropped the standards. This is wrong not only for animal welfare, but for all the amazing companies that have been “cruelty free” for years and have done the right thing.

Conclusion: A vegan product is not automatically cruelty-free and vice versa. If you’re vegan then your best bet is to find products that are certified cruelty-free and vegan.