Cruelty free and vegan do not mean the same thing....

Cruelty free and vegan do not mean the same thing. Cruelty free implies animal testing. Vegan implies no animal ingredients. A product may be cruelty free, but not vegan. There are some cases of products being vegan and not cruelty free, but you tend to find that with the accidentally vegan products.

There is no universal symbol that everyone uses. Cruelty free symbols tend to have a rabbit. If they don’t it might just say “not tested on animals.” Vegan symbols tend to have a V or “Certified Vegan.” Sometimes they’ll just spell it out.

I wish it were easier. Not all companies label their vegan products as vegan, and I find myself looking up each product on my phone. Some companies like Urban Decay will have their own labeling system. They use their Marley Paw Print for all of their vegan products.

It is easier to find out what’s vegan with the internet, but I don’t like buying things online unless I’ve tried them myself in store. I’m extremely picky. So what I tend to do is either research in advance and go test it out, or research in store and go back online and read up on what I’ve found.

Please note, I’m only talking about products now. Household cleaners, personal care, makeup, etc… Food labeling is different. The whole barcode on your apple and what’s really “natural” and “organic” is a whole different story.

I know that it might be a little confusing, but google is your friend. If you have a question about a specific product you can always ask me. #vegansofig

http://instagram.com/p/M1dUH-GiYK/