The difference between Peta Certification and Leaping Bunny. Cruelty-free Logos, Explained

Do you know the difference between Peta Certification and Leaping Bunny?

One of the best ways to know if animals are spared cruel torture for skincare and cosmetics or Household care is the bunny symbol. I always look for the bunny when shopping for beauty items as well as home cleaning products. Yes, they test on animals for that too. SAD. My guiding principle is NO BUNNY < NO MONEY. Many don’t know the difference between Peta Certification and Leaping Bunny so I wanted to share that.

Cosmetics also means personal care products marketed or regulated as over-the-counter drugs (e.g., toothpaste marketed with the claim of fighting cavities or sensitivity, mouthwash marketed with the claim of killing germs). Household products include without limitation laundry and dish detergent, bleach, cleaners and cleansers, floor wax, furniture polish, and air fresheners. 

Does the law require animal testing in the US and Canada?

No. Neither the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the US or Canadian Consumer Product Safety Commission require animal testing for cosmetics or household products. There are sufficient existing safety data as well as in vitro alternatives to make animal testing for these products obsolete. While it is true that virtually every ingredient, even water, has been tested on animals in the past, we can help prevent future animal testing. 

Since archaic brutal animal testing still exists in the modern world (although not required by the FDA), by purchasing products from companies and brands that have banned all tests on animals, you can help save rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, beagles, and other animals from excruciating tests and a lifetime of suffering.

The difference between Peta Certification and Leaping Bunny

Leaping Bunny Certification explained

The Standard is a voluntary pledge that cosmetic, personal care, and/or household product companies based in the US or Canada make to clear no animal testing from all stages of product development. A company’s ingredient suppliers and/or manufacturers must make the same pledge. The result is a product guaranteed to be 100 percent free of new animal testing. All Leaping Bunny companies must be open to independent audits, and commitments are renewed on an annual basis. The Leaping Bunny Program provides the best assurance that a product is free of animal testing. In order to become Leaping Bunny certified, brands must comply with requirements in place that go beyond current laws.

Leaping Bunny Certification is serious business.

To achieve approval for Cosmetic and/or Household Products for a Leaping Bunny symbol, a Company must comply with the following criteria:

1.  The Company does not and shall not conduct, Commission, or be a party to Animal Testing of any Cosmetic and/or Household Products including, without limitation, formulations and Ingredients of such products.
2.  The Company does not and shall not purchase any Ingredient, formulation, or product from any Third Party Manufacturer or Supplier that conducted, Commissioned, or had been party to Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product. If a formulation, Ingredient, or product is found not to comply with the Standard, the Company will replace it with an alternative that complies with the Standard’s criteria or remove it from the product range.
3. 1. The Company must implement a Supplier Monitoring System: Option 1. A Company must obtain and provide to CCIC Declarations of Product Compliance and Declarations of Raw Material Compliance from each of its Third Party Manufacturers and Suppliers that said persons or entities comply with the provisions of the Standard.
   2. If the Company only distributes finished Cosmetics and/or Household Products, the Company shall require: (1) the Third Party Manufacturer(s) of those products to sign, and submit a copy to the Company, the Declarations of Product Compliance confirming that they did not and shall not conduct or Commission Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product, and further, that the Third Party Manufacturer did not and shall not purchase any Ingredient, formulation, or product from Suppliers that conducted or Commissioned Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product.
4. The Company shall not allow Animal Testing to be performed by or for submission to regulatory agencies in foreign countries.
5. The Company shall agree to the following:
   1. A. Recommit annually; and
   2. B. CCIC may require a Company’s Supplier Monitoring System to be submitted to an Independent Audit. (1) A company demonstrating less than $10 million in gross annual sales must agree to an independent audit commissioned by the CCIC with an accredited auditing firm. (2) A company demonstrating $10 million or more in gross annual sales shall commission an independent audit with an accredited auditing firm provided by the CCIC.  

There is no cost to applying and becoming Leaping Bunny certified. The only cost is an optional one; if you decide to license The Leaping Bunny logo for use on packaging, website, or social media feeds, you would pay a one-time fee based on a your company’s gross annual sales 

Honestly I understand this cost. It takes a lot of staff to check the details to see if companies maintain their cruelty-free promise.

Can a product be Leaping Bunny certified if products contain animal products?

Yes. (unfortunately) They focus solely on animal testing claims. Therefore, they are not a vegan certifier. You must read the label to see if it’s stated as being vegan.

I know -this shocked me too.

Peta Logo Certification explained

In order to carry the “Animal Test–Free” logo or the “PETA Approved Global Animal Test Policy” logo, companies and brands must commit never to conduct, commission, pay for, or allow tests on animals at any phase of development, for both ingredients and final products. They’re required to have agreements in place with their suppliers guaranteeing that the suppliers will never, from the moment the agreement is signed, conduct, commission, pay for, or allow tests on animals for the ingredients purchased by the company or brand. Testing a product for verification is not a requirement for the certification process.

Companies may be certified by PETA under one of two designations:

• Global animal test–free recognizes companies and brands that have verified that they and their suppliers do not conduct, commission, pay for, or allow any tests on animals for their ingredients, formulations, or finished products anywhere in the world and that they will never do so in the future.
• Global animal test–free and vegan recognizes companies and brands that meet the same requirements and whose entire product line is free of animal-derived ingredients. These companies are truly cruelty-free.

How to apply to use the “PETA-Approved” logo:

1. Complete the questionnaire and statement of assurance.
2. Have the manufacturer(s) or supplier(s) complete a statement of assurance.
3. The PETA Foundation will review statements of assurance and questionnaire (which make up your application) and contact if there are any questions.
4. If the application is accepted, you pay the annual certification fee and execute a license agreement.

It appears they have no yearly checks on this nor does Peta require a yearly recertification.

For a one-time licensing fee of $350, the Peta bunny logo may be used on companies’ products, literature, in-store displays, and websites. For companies that sell an entirely vegan product line, a version that reads, “Animal Test–Free and Vegan,” is also available. 

As you can see the difference between Peta Certification and Leaping Bunny Policy varies and the difference is distinctive.

Whatever you’re using today, your makeup or skincare, there is a cruelty-free brand you can trust and within your budget. And we can be a protective force for those who are innocent and have no voice to defend themselves simply by choosing cruelty-free products.

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Sources: PETA. Cruelty Free International