CoverGirl is now certified cruelty free

As you may have seen on my social media this week, CoverGirl have been accredited as cruelty free by Cruelty Free International. I don’t normally write blog posts when companies become cruelty free, but this one is special as CoverGirl is the largest makeup brand to receive Leaping Bunny certification. Therefore if CoverGirl can do it, any brand can do it. Today I just want to give you some extra details so that you have all the details on this exciting change.

CoverGirl is a USA cosmetics brand that was founded in the 1950’s by Noxzema Chemical Company and was then acquired by Proctor and Gamble in 1989. In 2005, CoverGirl launched in the Chinese market, which required their products to be tested on animals. They were owned by Proctor and Gamble at the time, but in 2015, CoverGirl were acquired by Coty along with 42 other brands – with the acquisition finalising in 2016. Coty have reassured me that CoverGirl do not sell any products in China or where animal testing is required by law. CoverGirl do not test their products or ingredients on animals and neither do their manufacturers, suppliers or third parties. That means CoverGirl is now a cruelty free brand. They are however owned by Coty, who still test on animals and owns many other brands that test on animals. So CoverGirl is cruelty free, but they have a parent company that is not cruelty free. Coty have said that they are committed to having at least one more of their brands certified by leaping bunny by 2020. Other brands that Coty own include Max Factor (acquired at the same time as CoverGirl), Rimmel, Sally Hanson and Bourjois. We will have to wait and see which brand Coty will make cruelty free next.

They do not currently have a list of vegan-friendly CoverGirl products, but Coty have given me a list of non-vegan ingredients that they use, so you can look for those on the ingredient labels. Their non-vegan ingredients are lanolin, beeswax, sodium chondroitin sulfate and atelocollagen. Here is a quote from their email explaining their non- vegan ingredients. “Lanolin is a natural by-product of processing sheep’s wool after it has been shorn, beeswax a natural by-product of honeybees discarded in the hive, neither causing any harm to the animals, and the latter two ingredients are of marine origin. Our products do not contain any bovine, ovine or caprine tissues, nor fluids from the encephalon, the spinal cord or the eyes, or any other ingredient or material presenting risks of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).”

My preferred certification is Choose Cruelty Free but Leaping Bunny is also a reputable cruelty free accreditation. Cruelty Free International manage the leaping bunny certification in most areas of the world but in the USA and Canada, the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) does the accreditation. Both organisations use the same process and rules to certify brands and all Leaping Bunny Certifications apply internationally. If a brand is certified with Leaping Bunny, then you know that they are cruelty free. Other certifications, like that of PETA are not as trustworthy. Which is why Dove, that was recently accredited by PETA, is not cruelty free.

In the coming months CoverGirl products will have the Leaping Bunny logo on them. I try not to support brands with bad parent companies but this is such a great step in the right direction that I might pick some things up when products with the Leaping Bunny logo hits shelves here. Are you excited by this change? Choosing to buy cruelty free products does make a difference and we are finally starting to see the results. I can’t wait to see which companies make the change next. I blog about cruelty free beauty products, so if you want to get my new blog posts sent to your inbox, sign up to email updates. You can also find me on social media – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.