Here’s the ugly truth about clean beauty—in 2025, there’s still no universal standard for what it actually means in the industry. The FDA doesn’t pre-approve cosmetics like it does drugs, meaning brands essentially police themselves. For context: Europe bans over 1,300 cosmetic ingredients, while the US bans about 30. That’s why it’s up to us to dig deeper than the marketing fluff and Instagram-worthy packaging.

So, how do brands define “clean” beauty?

While definitions vary wildly, most companies—and consumers—lean on some combination of these categories.

Cruelty-free/vegan

No animal testing, no animal-derived ingredients. And by now, science has evolved way past the need for animal testing anyway. Certifications from PETA and Leaping Bunny can offer more validity to these claims.

Beautylish recommends Bask and Hourglass

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Sustainable

Packaging, sourcing, and manufacturing designed to reduce environmental impact. Think: refillable jars, compostable boxes, and ingredients that don’t wreck entire ecosystems.

Beautylish recommends MOB Beauty and Kjaer Weis

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Natural ingredients

Formulas packed with plants, minerals, and other nature-derived goodies. But, here’s the thing: natural doesn’t always mean safer, gentler, or more effective.

Beautylish recommends rms beauty and Herbivore

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Ethical sourcing/practices

From fair wages to safe working conditions, transparency and safety are key components every step of the way.

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Non toxic

Usually means the brand avoided certain controversial chemicals on their blacklist. It’s important to note: toxicity isn’t just about specific ingredients—dosage and exposure also play a crucial role.

Beautylish recommends Cirque Colors and Facile

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Green

While vague, the term refers to overall environmental consciousness. At times, it may seem like marketing jargon, but often signals a genuine commitment to sustainable practices.

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Organic

These ingredients are grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or GMOs. This can also be an enticing word on pretty packaging unless the brand has legitimate certifications, like USDA Organic or ECOCERT.

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Biodegradable

Refers to packaging that breaks down naturally in the environment without leaving harmful residues.

Beautylish recommends MOB Beauty

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The plot twist

Here’s what might surprise you: some synthetic ingredients are actually more sustainable, effective, and safer than their natural counterparts. Lab-created products can be more consistent, require fewer resources to produce, and eliminate the risk of contamination that sometimes comes with plant-based ingredients.

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The approach

When it comes to selecting products in the US, there’s no universal ranking of right or wrong here. Instead of falling for buzzwords, identify your priorities and your own “no” list when purchasing. This way, you’re supporting brands that align with your personal values, not someone else’s definition of clean.

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Bottom line

Clean beauty isn’t a checklist, it’s a spectrum. Arm yourself with knowledge and read ingredient lists. Because the cleanest approach is being an informed consumer who knows exactly what they’re buying and why.

Illustrations by Megan Badilla

Unfortunately, CeraVe skin care isn’t considered cruelty free, vegan, or sustainable. Part of The L’Oréal Group, CeraVe may offer budget-friendly products rooted in the science of dermatology, but the brand doesn’t develop its line with environment or sustainability in mind.

Not Cruelty Free Certified

CeraVe is not certified cruelty free by any global organizations that certify these types of products, such as PETA or Leaping Bunny.  Although CeraVe says it doesn’t directly test its products on animals, it fails to monitor its ingredient providers and third-party suppliers for animal testing practices. 

Additionally, CeraVe sells products in Brazil and mainland China, which up until 2021 had legal requirements for animal testing on imported cosmetics. While these laws are rapidly changing, companies committed to being cruelty free don’t directly sell products in these regions.

Is CeraVe Vegan?

CeraVe can’t be considered a vegan brand because many of its products contain animal derivatives, including glycerin and cholesterol.

According to CeraVe representatives, the products don’t contain porcine, bovine, or ovine-originating ingredients except for lanolin (derived from sheep). They may, however, leverage ingredients derived from bees, fish, or eggs.

Sustainability Issues

As of 2022, CeraVe doesn’t use recycled shipping materials or deploy carbon offsets. The company employs plastic containers to package its products, which may not be recyclable depending on your municipality’s program. The brand’s cleanser bars are its only products packaged in recyclable cardboard, but these are merely three items out of 77 personal care products on offer.

What about environmentally unfriendly ingredients? Many CeraVe Products contain dimethicone, a common palm oil derivative. While consuming products containing palm oil is a complicated issue, CeraVe’s use of this ingredient is an additional hole in the company’s sustainability profile.

Petrolatum is another ingredient found in CeraVe products. Often used in skin care for its ability to create a protective barrier to retain moisture, the ingredient is derived from petroleum (oil). Petrolatum may also be called petroleum jelly, mineral oil, white petrolatum, or paraffin oil in ingredient lists.

Ethical Concerns

CeraVe is a subsidiary of The L’Oréal Group, a company that has received negative reviews from The Ethical Consumer. The L’Oréal Group’s supply chain is not particularly transparent, making it difficult for watch groups to verify whether ingredients are sourced using animal, child, or slave labor. 

The L’Oreal Group’s Sustainability Goals

Treehugger attempted to obtain more information from CeraVe regarding its ingredient sourcing and sustainability practices but received only a superficial response from company representatives referencing The L’Oréal Group’s 2030 vision for global sustainability. CeraVe has been part of The L’Oréal Group since 2017.

The group’s sustainability manifesto, issued in June 2020, states that the company intends to reach complete carbon neutrality by 2025 and use 100% recycled or bio-based plastics by 2030. The document also establishes ambitious goals regarding the ethical and sustainability practices of the company, its suppliers, and consumers. What these commitments mean for CeraVe specifically remains to be seen.

Alternatives to CeraVe

CeraVe isn’t cruelty free or vegan, but other companies with similar product lines do prioritize green skin care alternatives. Check out these suggestions from Byrdie’s roundup of effective sustainable skin care.

• Cleansing: Klur Gentle Matter cleanser lifts oil and dirt from pores, and offers a sustainable alternative to CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser. 
• Retexturing: A plant-based alternative to CeraVe Smoothing Cream is Cocokind’s Texture Smoothing Cream. It’s lightweight, nutrient-rich, and effective.
• Eye Cream: Instead of using CeraVe’s Eye Repair Cream, try Youth to the People Dream Eye Cream. The cream refreshes the skin and the brand is cruelty free and vegan, and uses sustainable packaging. 

This lip oil is vegan, cruelty-free, and has no parabens, sulfates, or phthalates.

I have been using this lip oil for two months and don’t go anywhere without it. It’s sooo moisturizing and leaves such a lovely, subtle tint. When my lips are feeling a little dry, I can apply this to add relieving moisture *and* some lively color to my lips. I also love that the brand has various options for different preferences! 

Promising review: “I love K-beauty and this is one of my favorite lip oils. It makes my lips softer and looking like cherry plump. Plus, this shade acts as a lip tint, and I like how long it stays on my lips. As first, I thought that the bottle seems small but after applying 2-3 times/day for a month I still have a lot left to use. It moisturizes your lips and leaves a red tint on your lips, and it’s lasted very long!” —Nhu

Get it from Amazon for $9.50 (available in 11 colors, two sizes, and in sets).

Last Updated on May 14, 2025

By now you’ve probably seen the cruelty-free label on some of your products. But what exactly does it mean? And how does it correlate to sustainability? 

Many beauty items are labeled cruelty-free, such as cosmetics and skincare. But many other items can carry the label, such as shoes, clothing, accessories and cleaning supplies. 

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links; for more information please see my disclosure policy.

The cruelty-free label essentially means no animals were harmed in the making of said product, or ingredient. This is important for a multitude of reasons, one being the inhumane treatment of lab animals. Most animals in laboratories are not legally protected and are subjected to horrifically painful experiments, often without pain killers. 

Additionally, animals used for lab testing contribute to pollution and biodiversity loss. Animals, the most common being monkeys, are often taken from their natural habitats and bred in captivity for lab usage. Alongside this, millions of animal bodies and bedding are disposed of each year, creating biological hazardous waste.  

Unfortunately, up to 126.9 million non-human vertebrate animals on a global scale are bred, used, and disposed for animal testing. This leads to a slew of ethical and environmental concerns. 

This is why it’s vital to look for brands that don’t test on animals whenever possible. There are several ways we can do this, like choosing to go vegan or plant-based, advocating for animal rights, and checking for cruelty-free certified products. 

Here’s what you need to know about animal testing and why opting for brands that avoid this matters. 

is cruelty-free same as vegan? 

No, cruelty-free is not the same as vegan. Cruelty-free means the product was developed without any tests on animals, whereas vegan means the product does not include any animal-derived ingredients. 

Ideally, a product will be both vegan and cruelty-free. However, just because it is vegan does not automatically make it cruelty-free, and vice versa. 

So, for example, a plant-based lipstick derived from vegan ingredients can still be considered “not cruelty-free” if it was tested on animals. 

RELATED: The Best Vegan Shoes: 8 Brands Making Cruelty-Free Footwear 

what is the legal definition of cruelty-free? 

There is no legal definition of cruelty-free. The term can be used by any brand – so keep that in mind while shopping around for products. However, to ensure legitimacy, it’s best to look for certifications, like Leaping Bunny Certification. This ensures third party testing was involved. 

In order to get Leaping Bunny certified, brands must: 

• Adhere to a fixed cut-off date, an unalterable date after which neither the brand nor any of its suppliers and/or manufacturers may conduct, commission or be party to animal tests. 

• Set up a Supplier Monitoring System to ensure all their suppliers and manufacturers comply with Leaping Bunny criteria. 

• Be open to independent audits to ensure their Supplier Monitoring System adheres to the Leaping Bunny Standard. 

• Renew their commitment to the Leaping Bunny Program annually. 

is cruelty-free a good thing? 

Yes, cruelty-free is a good thing, because it prevents unnecessary suffering and promotes more ethical testing of products.  

In terms of its environmental impact, animal testing is resource-intensive, requiring substantial amounts of water, food, and shelter for the animals. The facilities housing lab animals consume energy up to ten times more than offices on a square meter basis. 

There’s also the issue of chemical waste. A wide range of chemicals are used throughout animal testing for sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization. Toxic substances like irritants, neurotoxins and carcinogens are frequently used for extended periods of time in large amounts. These toxins can contaminate soil and water if not disposed of correctly.  

When animal bodies are eventually discarded after use, they are often incinerated on-site, which contributes to air pollution. Incineration is extremely harmful to human health, causing chronic illness and developmental delays in nearby populations. Between 11 to 44 percent of U.S. laboratory workers experience allergic reactions to laboratory animals. Between 4 to 22 percent suffer from occupational asthma. 

By supporting cruelty-free brands, you are ensuring no animal was harmed for the sake of your product. You’re also helping more ethical, humane, and sustainable alternatives become the norm. 

what are cruelty-free products? 

Cruelty-free products are any product that isn’t tested on animals in each and every phase of the production.  

I’ve compiled a list of brands that don’t test on animals. I’ve gone ahead and highlighted some key features of each brand, but it isn’t an exhaustive list. Be sure to check out their websites for more information.   

So, which of these sustainable brands free of animal testing would you like to try? Let me know in the comments!