Did you know that there can be a difference between Leaping Bunny Certified and “Not tested on animals”? We live in a world of loopholes. People and companies like to claim one thing and do another. But don’t fear! Companies out there are helping to raise standards and bring awareness to the testing of cosmetics and household products on animals. Today we are talking about one of those companies and why being Leaping Bunny Certified is important!
Honestly, I never used to give it much thought before I became a Market Partner with Monat. Because their products are Leaping Bunny Certified, and I thought that was the same as “not testing on animals”. Boy was I wrong! Products can be developed without being tested on animals. If you don’t think it’s a big deal, then I urge you to look for a few videos on how they test products on innocent animals. Your mind will change quickly.
BTW, all of the products linked today are all Leaping Bunny Certified! Ingredients do matter, I did a blog post awhile back; Dry Shampoo + Why Ingredients Matter. You can read that here.
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What is Leaping Bunny Certified?
It is an organization that works with companies in the United States and Canada to certify that products are free from animal testing. Specifically, companies 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 a 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.
No Animal Testing Means No Animal Testing
When Leaping Bunny Certified states, no animal testing it really means no animal testing! This means no purchasing ANY ingredients from other companies that test their ingredients on animals. Many companies can get around and claim “no animal testing” because they partner with a third-party manufacturer or supplier and will have them conduct the animal testing for them.
With Certified, companies must implement supplier monitoring to assure that this does not happen with any of their suppliers or manufacturers. From start to finish.
Animal Testing:
All testing of finished Cosmetics and/or Household Products, or any one or more Ingredients or formulations used in manufacturing or production of such products in which whole non-human animals are the test subjects, including without limitation, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and non-human mammals. Animal Testing excludes in vitro tests or tests conducted completely with human volunteers.
Finished Product
Remember me telling you about “loopholes”? Many companies can claim to be cruelty-free or “not tested on animals” because they are referring to the finished product. A lot of animal testing is typically done at the ingredient level. So, technically they are not doing the animal testing but are aware of the animal testing that is going into the ingredients that make up the products they are selling.
If a company is Leaping Bunny Certified the company is not allowed to use this loophole. So, they must set up a supplier monitoring system to ensure all their supplier and manufacturers comply with Leaping Bunny criteria.
If you would like to read more about being Leaping Bunny Certified, you can click here.
I recently saw an article on an organization that saved thousands of beagles from a lab that was doing testing on them. And it was heartbreaking! Are you currently using products that are Leaping Bunny Certified? You can check out the list of companies here. Please share your thoughts below in the comments.
If you are interested in hearing more about Monat products, I would love to show you what would work best for you! Just click here to get started.
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