Cruelty-Free Certification

Cruelty-Free Certification for Cosmetics and Personal Care

Independent verification, by remote document review, that your product and its ingredients are not tested on animals after a dated cut-off, in the markets named on your certificate.

A fixed, dated cut-off policy on file
Supplier declarations for the ingredient grades you actually buy
Free quote, scoped to your products

Get a quote scoped to your products

Certification: Cruelty-Free

Full name

Work email

Company

Country

PhoneWe call only about this request. Include your country code if you are outside the US.

What do you make?

The quote is free and carries no obligation. Nothing is payable until you approve it in writing.

We use your details to prepare and send your quote, and to measure our advertising. Privacy notice

This is not a Leaping Bunny license. If your retailer requires Leaping Bunny by name, that requirement decides. See who this is for

500+ facilities certified by our team across its programs since 2016

What a cruelty-free certificate does for your brand

Cruelty-free certification replaces a pledge with a reviewed file and a certificate your buyer can check.

Paper, not a pledge

When regulators move, buyers stop accepting pledges and start asking for paper: supplier declarations for the exact ingredient grades you buy, and a cut-off policy with a date on it. That file is what this mark verifies.

A claim with stated bounds

The certificate covers the products in scope, in the markets named on it. It is never a blanket corporate claim.

Cruelty-free and vegan in one review

Ingredient origin and testing policy are different questions with one paper trail. One document set, both certificates issued together, each verifiable on its own.

Testing-trigger markets kept out of scope

Sales routes that would trigger mandatory animal testing conflict with the claim, so the certified scope must exclude them. The review asks for scope documentation that shows this.

How the cruelty-free review is controlled

Declarations by ingredient grade

Suppliers give declarations for the grades they actually supply you. The reviewer checks each one against your dated cut-off policy and your formulation; nothing is assumed from a brochure.

Requirements set out before you start

The requirements for this mark are set out on this page, so you see what the review will ask for before you send a document.

A named contact, a committee decision

A named contact at V-Cert handles your file end to end. The certification decision is made by a certification committee.

A certificate anyone can check

Every certificate carries its own number and a QR code. Your buyer can check it on the V-Cert verification portal with no account, and the check returns the certificate's current status.

Plain about accreditation

V-Cert is an independent certification body and is not ISO/IEC 17065 accredited. What each mark requires and the rules for granting, suspending and withdrawing certificates are published, and every certificate is verifiable by QR code.

NDA on request

We sign an NDA on request, before you send documents.

Track record — clients certified by our team across its programs since 2016

Cruelty-free certification requirements

What the reviewer checks before a certificate is issued.

No animal testing of the finished product, conducted or commissioned, within scope
Supplier declarations covering the supplied ingredient grades
Fixed cut-off date policy documented and dated
No sales within the certified scope into markets requiring animal testing
Claim scoped to certified products — never a blanket corporate claim

Core documents to prepare

A fixed, dated cut-off policy for animal testing
Formulations for the products in scope
Supplier declarations for the ingredient grades supplied to you
Scope documentation excluding sales routes that would trigger mandatory animal testing

Your reviewer confirms the full list for your scope.

Where cruelty-free claims usually fail

Blanket corporate claims: the certificate covers products in scope, never the whole group
Sales into markets where regulators require animal testing
A supplier declaration for a different grade than the one supplied
A cut-off pledge without a date, which cannot be checked

The cruelty-free certification process

Request and approve your quote
Tell us what you make. No documents at this stage. Your quote comes back scoped to your products, with its payment terms, and nothing is payable until you approve it in writing.
Send your documents
Once you approve the quote, you send the file: formulations, supplier declarations and the evidence listed in the requirements above.
Desk review
A reviewer reads every document against the requirements for the mark. Gaps pause the clock, they do not end the review — you get the name of the missing document, not a rejection.
Decision and certificate
The certification decision is made by a certification committee. A pass issues your certificate and the mark artwork in four formats. A shortfall is written up with exactly what is missing, and your file stays open.
Verify and renew
Your certificate carries its own number and a QR code that anyone can check, with no account. Certificates run for 12 months and are renewed annually.

Typical timeline: digital certificate within 7 business days of a complete application and documentation, for standard scopes. If your scope needs physical verification, it gets its own written timeline up front. Business days are Monday to Friday.

Get My Quote

Adding vegan to the same review

Most cruelty-free applications add vegan from the same document set: ingredient origin and testing policy are different questions with one paper trail. Lip and oral-adjacent products can add gluten-free where buyers ask. Marks reviewed together are quoted as one annual fee. Mention it under the optional details in the form.

VeganGluten-Free

Is V-Cert cruelty-free certification right for you?

V-Cert may be a fit if…

You are a cosmetics or personal care brand adding a testing-policy claim
You want cruelty-free and vegan verified in a single review
You are an independent or direct-to-consumer brand that needs verification buyers can check by QR code

V-Cert is not the right fit if…

Your retailer requires Leaping Bunny, or another program, by name
Your products are sold into markets whose regulators require animal testing for access
Your contract requires an on-site audit scheme
Your products are not cosmetics or personal care
You are looking for a list of cruelty-free brands or a logo to download. V-Cert certifies products for manufacturers and brands

Not sure which side you are on? Add a line under the optional details in the form. A V-Cert certificate does not guarantee acceptance by any retailer. If your buyer requires a specific program by name, or an on-site audit scheme, we tell you before you pay anything.

Questions about cruelty-free certification

Is the V-Cert mark a Leaping Bunny license?

No, and we say that rather than implying otherwise. Leaping Bunny is a separate program with its own owner and criteria; V-Cert certifies against its own requirements. If a retailer requires Leaping Bunny by name, that requirement decides. Send it to us and we will answer plainly.

Does cruelty-free certification also cover vegan?

No. A formula can be vegan yet tested somewhere in its supply chain, and it can be cruelty-free yet contain beeswax. One review can verify both marks, and both certificates are issued together.

What is the cut-off date?

The dated point after which no animal testing of the product or its ingredients takes place, in the markets named on the certificate. The review checks that your cut-off policy is fixed, documented and dated. A pledge without a date is not checkable.

Can we sell in markets that require animal testing?

Sales routes that would trigger mandatory animal testing conflict with the claim, so the certified scope must exclude them. Tell us where you sell under the optional details in the form, and we will say plainly whether the mark fits.

What documents do we need for cruelty-free certification?

A fixed, dated cut-off policy for animal testing, formulations for the products in scope, supplier declarations for the ingredient grades supplied to you, and scope documentation excluding sales routes that would trigger mandatory animal testing. Your reviewer confirms the full list for your scope.

How do we get cruelty-free certified?

Request a quote, approve it, and send your documents. A reviewer works through the file remotely, a certification committee makes the decision, and a pass issues a numbered certificate. The steps are set out in the process section above.

What does cruelty-free certification cost?

There is no public price list. Your quote is one annual fee, scoped to the marks you choose, what you make, and the number of products and production sites. Requesting a quote costs nothing and carries no obligation. Nothing is payable until you approve the quote in writing, and the payment terms are set out in the quote. Quotes are issued in US dollars.

How long does cruelty-free certification take?

Typical timeline: digital certificate within 7 business days of a complete application and documentation, for standard scopes. The clock starts when your application and documents are complete. If something is missing, the reviewer names it and the clock pauses until it arrives. If your scope needs physical verification, it gets its own written timeline up front.

Is the review remote, or do you visit our site?

The standard review is remote: a reviewer reads your documents, formulations and supplier declarations. There is no on-site audit unless your quote states one. If your buyer's contract requires an on-site audit scheme, V-Cert is not the right fit, and we tell you at the quote stage, before you pay anything.

Does requesting a quote mean we are certified?

No. A quote request is not a certification. Certification is granted only after your complete file has been reviewed and the certification decision has been made. If the file falls short, you get a written list of exactly what is missing.

How long is the certificate valid?

Certificates run for 12 months and are renewed annually. Renewal is the same annual fee stated in your quote, re-confirmed each year for the same scope.

Is V-Cert accredited?

Where is V-Cert based, and which countries do you work with?

Headquartered in New York. Certifying manufacturers worldwide — remote desk review in any time zone.

Get a cruelty-free certification quote for your products

Tell us what you make. You get a free quote for a cruelty-free review of your testing policy and supplier declarations, scoped to your products, and a plain answer if V-Cert is not the right fit for your buyer.