U.S. flag An official website of the United States government

On Oct. 1, 2024, the FDA began implementing a reorganization impacting many parts of the agency. We are in the process of updating FDA.gov content to reflect these changes.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  1. Home
  2. Cosmetics
  3. Cosmetics Labeling
  4. Cosmetics Labeling Claims
  5. "Cruelty Free"/"Not Tested on Animals"
  1. Cosmetics Labeling Claims

"Cruelty Free"/"Not Tested on Animals"

Consumers sometimes ask about use of claims such as "Cruelty-Free" or "Not Tested on Animals" on cosmetic labeling.

Some cosmetic companies promote their products with claims of this kind in their labeling or advertising. The unrestricted use of these phrases by cosmetic companies is possible because there are no legal definitions for these terms.

Some companies may apply such claims solely to their finished cosmetic products. However, these companies may rely on raw material suppliers or contract laboratories to perform any animal testing necessary to substantiate product or ingredient safety. Other cosmetic companies may rely on combinations of scientific literature, non-animal testing, raw material safety testing, or controlled human-use testing to substantiate their product safety.

Many raw materials, used in cosmetics, were tested on animals years ago when they were first introduced. A cosmetic manufacturer might only use those raw materials and base their "cruelty-free" claims on the fact that the materials or products are not "currently" tested on animals.

More Resources

March 14, 1995; Updated February 24, 2000. This document is current and is updated only as needed.

Back to Top