Cruelty-free and vegan answer two different questions. Cruelty-free is about animal testing: the perfume and its ingredients were not tested on animals. Vegan is about ingredients: the perfume contains nothing derived from animals — no beeswax, honey extracts, natural musk, civet, castoreum or ambergris. A perfume can be one without the other. In the European Union, animal testing of cosmetics, including perfume, has been banned for finished products since 2004 and for ingredients since 2009, and the sale of cosmetics newly tested on animals for those purposes has been banned since 2013. Neither "cruelty-free" nor "vegan" is defined by law in most places, so certification schemes and ingredient lists are the most useful guides.

Cruelty-free: animal testing

What the law says in the EU

The European Union phased in a ban on animal testing for cosmetics:

  • Since 11 September 2004, finished cosmetic products may not be tested on animals in the EU.
  • Since 11 March 2009, cosmetic ingredients may not be tested on animals in the EU, and products and ingredients tested on animals for most safety purposes may not be sold.
  • Since 11 March 2013, the marketing ban has applied to all remaining safety tests, whether or not non-animal alternatives exist.

These rules are now part of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Article 18). Perfume is a cosmetic under this law. Great Britain kept equivalent rules after leaving the EU, and other countries and some US states have introduced their own bans; the details differ.

What the claim can and cannot tell you

  • A brand may say "cruelty-free" when its products sold in the EU meet these rules — but the word has no legal definition and some ingredients have a long history of earlier testing, or testing under other laws, such as chemical safety rules.
  • Certification schemes — such as Leaping Bunny, run by Cruelty Free International — set their own criteria and audit brands, including their suppliers.
  • Rules elsewhere vary, and a brand selling in countries with different requirements may have different policies.

Cruelty-free asks how a perfume was tested. Vegan asks what it is made of.

Vegan: animal-derived ingredients

What could be animal-derived in perfume

Historically, perfumery used several animal materials. Today most are rare or replaced:

  • Musk from the musk deer — now protected by international trade rules and almost always replaced by synthetic musks. See What Is Musk in Perfume?.
  • Civet and castoreum — animal secretions once used for warmth and depth; now largely replaced by synthetic alternatives.
  • Ambergris — formed in sperm whales; rare, and largely replaced by synthetic molecules. See Amber Fragrances.
  • Beeswax absolute and honey extracts — used for honeyed, waxy notes.
  • Beeswax in solid perfumes. See What Is Solid Perfume?.
  • Some colourants — carmine, for example, comes from insects.

Why "animalic" doesn’t mean animal-derived

A perfume described as animalic, musky, leathery or honeyed usually achieves the effect with plant materials and synthetic molecules. The description tells you how it smells, not where the materials came from. See Are Perfume Notes Real Ingredients?.

Synthetic is often the vegan option

Ironically for people who prefer natural products, synthetic molecules are what make most modern perfumes free of animal materials. See Is Natural Perfume Better Than Synthetic? and How Synthetic Molecules Created Modern Perfume.

How to check

  1. Look for a recognised certification for cruelty-free or vegan claims.
  2. Read the ingredient list for beeswax (cera alba), honey, lanolin or carmine (CI 75470). Fragrance materials are usually grouped as "parfum", so ask the brand about animal-derived fragrance materials. See How to Read the Ingredient List on a Perfume.
  3. Ask the brand. A clear, specific answer is a good sign.

Common questions

Is all perfume sold in the EU cruelty-free?

Perfume sold in the EU must comply with the ban on animal testing for cosmetic purposes. "Cruelty-free" as a marketing claim may go further, for example by covering suppliers or other markets.

Does vegan perfume contain musk?

It can contain synthetic musks, which are not animal-derived. Natural deer musk is almost never used today.

Is a cruelty-free perfume always vegan?

No. A perfume can be free of animal testing yet contain beeswax or honey extracts, and the reverse.

Are natural perfumes more likely to be vegan?

Not necessarily. Some natural perfumery materials come from animals; many synthetic ones do not.

Sources

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Article 18. European Commission, "Ban on animal testing" (cosmetics): testing ban on finished products since 11 September 2004, on ingredients since 11 March 2009; marketing ban since 11 March 2009, extended to all remaining endpoints on 11 March 2013.

Further reading

For brands, RUŌOD Lab covers what a perfume label may claim in Natural Perfume Claims, and the animalic materials and their replacements in Animalic Notes in Perfumery. What a brand must have in hand before printing "vegan" or "cruelty-free" is in Vegan and Cruelty-Free Claims for Perfume Brands.