Cruelty-free skincare means that the product has not been tested on animals at any stage of its development or production.

However, a cruelty-free product may still contain animal-derived ingredients such as honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, or snail mucin. Cruelty-free refers solely to animal testing – not to the origin of the ingredients.

In short:
Cruelty-free = no animal testing

Vegan skincare means that the product’s formula does not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products, such as propolis, beeswax, honey, lanolin, or collagen.

A vegan product is not necessarily cruelty-free. Even if the formula is plant-based, the product may still have been tested on animals, depending on the manufacturer’s practices and regulatory requirements in certain markets.

In short:
Vegan = no animal-derived ingredients