Label: Cruelty-Free
We often associate "cruelty-free" with that pervasive bunny logo. But emblems vary from product to product; big-eared, red-stamped, and leaping bunnies all claim to be testaments of animal-friendliness. Many animal-rights organizations offer the use of these logos to companies who comply with their standards -- but the agreement is based on the honor system.

Only one agency, the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), conducts a routine check to ensure manufacturers live up to their promise. A union of six animal-rights groups that includes the Humane Society and Beauty Without Cruelty, the CCIC offers its trademarked "leaping bunny" tag to manufacturers who pledge not to test their ingredients on animals or purchase from any third-party supplier who does. (The supplier must sign a compliance declaration.) Manufacturers also agree to an audit every one to three years to verify their continued use of only cruelty-free suppliers. As the market has grown, says Tracie Letterman, chair of the CCIC, "suppliers are now coming to us, wanting to get the logo."

Bottom Line
With no legal definition for "cruelty-free," companies have unrestricted use of this term. The FDA points out that while a company may not have tested its finished product on animals, the ingredients may have come from suppliers who did. To ensure a product is cruelty-free, look for the CCIC's leaping bunny. Note that once the natural standard is created, products displaying the NPA seal will also have to be cruelty-free.