August 02, 2021
Leaping Bunny & Cruelty-Free Products
The movement to create products in a humane effort that doesn’t involve animals has been continuously growing, with a specific certification to conveniently distinguish animal-friendly products. The Leaping Bunny Program is actually a group of eight animal protection organizations that joined together to create the CCIC, or Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics.
So what does it mean when a product is approved under the Leaping Bunny program? Each of the 2,180 companies that are certified have agreed to forgo animal testing for any stage of their product research and creation. Third party audits and an annual renewal are also part of the program. What’s unique about the annual recommitment, is the importance to uphold the same standards even if product ingredients or suppliers change.
Cruelty-free
Just as you’re probably familiar with the term natural or organic, companies can use the term cruelty-free without any form of certification. To be absolutely certain that no ingredient within an end product on the shelves is completely animal-friendly, it must have the Leaping Bunny Program certification. An icon of a bunny or the term cruelty-free may mean that the end product company does not do any animal testing, but some of their ingredients purchased from other suppliers might. For an easy way to verify a product you are considering purchasing, you can download the free Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free app or the Compassionate Shopping Guide online.
What Can I Do As A Consumer
There are a number of ways that you can contribute to the cause and pledge to be cruelty-free in all of your purchases. A first step is to take the pledge to go cruelty-free by committing online to “only purchase cosmetic, personal care, and/or household products from companies that do not test finished products, ingredients, or formulations on animals.”
So what does it mean when a product is approved under the Leaping Bunny program? Each of the 2,180 companies that are certified have agreed to forgo animal testing for any stage of their product research and creation. Third party audits and an annual renewal are also part of the program. What’s unique about the annual recommitment, is the importance to uphold the same standards even if product ingredients or suppliers change.
Cruelty-free
Just as you’re probably familiar with the term natural or organic, companies can use the term cruelty-free without any form of certification. To be absolutely certain that no ingredient within an end product on the shelves is completely animal-friendly, it must have the Leaping Bunny Program certification. An icon of a bunny or the term cruelty-free may mean that the end product company does not do any animal testing, but some of their ingredients purchased from other suppliers might. For an easy way to verify a product you are considering purchasing, you can download the free Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free app or the Compassionate Shopping Guide online.
What Can I Do As A Consumer
There are a number of ways that you can contribute to the cause and pledge to be cruelty-free in all of your purchases. A first step is to take the pledge to go cruelty-free by committing online to “only purchase cosmetic, personal care, and/or household products from companies that do not test finished products, ingredients, or formulations on animals.”
As a consumer you have control of where you spend your dollars, and supporting such companies is extremely important for the cause. Another step that you might not have considered is asking your favorite brands to join the Leaping Bunny Program. Simply following on social media and sharing the message are great steps too.