Cruelty-Free vs. Vegan: What is the difference?

The terms “cruelty-free” and “vegan” have grown increasingly popular in just the last couple of years as consumer demand for animal cruelty-free cosmetics rises and the influx of new cosmetic products touting the “cruelty-free” and “vegan” labels from both indie and mainstream brands. But did you know there’s a difference between cruelty-free and vegan?

The two labels are often used interchangeably, we do this here at The Lore of Change, so this post is to help you navigate how we've categorised our products.

What’s the difference between cruelty-free and vegan? “Cruelty-Free” generally implies no animal testing occurred whereas “Vegan” generally implies the products do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

A product can be both, or one but not the other.

Where a product on The Lore of Change has been certified as Vegan or Cruelty-Free by a certifying body, we use those logos. Where we have chosen to stock a brand that has not yet received certification but as producers they know how there product has been made and whether they have tested or not, we have created our own labels to help you quickly identify which products are Vegan and/or Cruelty-Free.

We are very open to stocking brands/products that tick both or either boxes- just drop us an email at partners@theloreofchange.com and we'll investigate!

We also know that many of our customers are passionate about ensuring products they buy and use are genuinely Vegan and/or Cruelty-Free so if you think we shouldn't be stocking a product, let us know which one and why at customer@theloreofchange.com.