Unless it is a logo of a verified 3rd party auditor like Beauty without Cruelty or The Leaping Bunny, then probably not.

Unfortunately this is a deceptive marketing process called green-washing or humane-washing to make products appear to be ethical, green or humane to the consumer.

Many companies also include rabbit logos on their packaging – but this is no guarantee that the item is genuinely humanely manufactured either.

Because a letter from a company saying they don’t and won’t animal test is irrelevant. Why? Because companies lie. In several ways, and one of those ways is to hide behind saying they ‘only animal test when required to do so by law’, or that they will adhere to a countries guidelines in this regard. ALL the large brands do this. We will say it again- it’s not what they say, it’s what they PROVE.

The minimum requirement is assurances for every ingredient, as well as final product, and a minimum time frame cut-off date as the leaping bunny requires, and BWC expects subsidiaries and holding companies to comply with the same criteria, ie no animal testing, no sponsoring of animal testing etc. The PETA bad list is fine, as a company really has to be bad to get on to this list! The ONLY acceptable humane guides for consumers serious about their humane purchases are Leaping Bunny and BWC. The Leaping Bunny endorsement is an international standard and a group consisting of American Anti-Vivisection Society; Animal Alliance of Canada; Beauty Without Cruelty, USA; Doris Day Animal League; Humane Society of Canada; The Humane Society of the United States; the National Anti-Vivisection Society; and the New England Anti-Vivisection Society, the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments and The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS).

There are many alternatives to the use of animals in research. The most common type of alternative methods involves in-vitro tests, skin and cell cultures, epidemiology, computer software, databases of tests already done to avoid duplication and human clinical trial tests. Donated blood can be successfully used for pyrogenicity studies and micro dosing, which involves volunteers receiving very small doses of a drug to assess its basic behaviour.

More reading: Alternatives to Animal Testing

Although BWC advocates for a vegan diet and lifestyle, the BWC Humane Guide focusses specifically on eliminating animal testing. We have clearly marked which products are suitable for vegans in the guide.

As of 2018, only 100% plant-based applicants will be listed and have the use of logo once accredited. The use of animal products / protein has never been acceptable, however dairy and bee-derived ingredients were acceptable prior to 2018. Such applicants now will receive a free from animal testing compliance certificate for use, but will neither be listed nor have the use of the logo.

No. We prefer not to use the term cruelty free as almost all ingredients, even things like water and salt, have been tested on animals at some stage, therefore there is no such thing – we prefer to use the term Humanely Manufactured.

BWC SA has been investigating humane claims for 50 years and is a recognised authority in this field. Over this period, animal advocacy methods and language has evolved. While the name may not be technically correct, the BWC name has 50 years of time, money, expertise and publicity behind it, as well as the good reputation built up with the public and companies alike; it would not be prudent to waste all that by choosing a new name that no one recognizes or knows.