Is Dove Cruelty-free?

Is Dove Cruelty-free?

You’ve probably seen all over the news that Dove is cruelty-free. But is Dove cruelty-free? For real?

Is Dove Cruelty-free?

No. Not unless Dove is 100% exempt from pre-market testing in China.

Who owns Dove?

Unilever owns Dove. Unilever is not a cruelty-free company.

What sort of testing happens in China?

In 2012, China made animal testing mandatory for cosmetics because of products hurting their citizens. This change made many previously cruelty-free brands such as MAC lose their cruelty-free status.

In 2014, China changed their regulations so that some products that are manufactured in China by Chinese brands are not required to be tested on animals. This means that some brands are not subjected to pre-market testing.

In 2019, China also just killed the regulations on post-market testing (watch my video on 2 big steps towards a cruelty-free world). This means that the Chinese government will no longer be pulling products from shelves to test them on animals.

As far as I’m aware, American brands that sell in China the way Dove does are still subject to pre-market testing. If this has changed, I would love to know the source.

American brands who have created a Chinese brand to sell to the Chinese people, if they are in specific provinces such as Hong Kong, are exempt from animal testing. One of the brands who has done this is Nudestix, but there are not many who choose to go this way because it’s very expensive. I do not believe Dove has done this.

What is Dove’s Animal Testing Policy?

We do not test our products on animals and are committed to ending animal testing. Unilever has complied with the EU animal testing bans for cosmetics since 2004 and supports calls for similar bans to be introduced globally.

Occasionally, across our portfolio, some of the ingredients we use have to be tested by our suppliers to comply with legal and regulatory requirements in some markets; and some governments test certain products on animals as part of their regulations.

As part of our commitment to ending animal testing, we have a growing number of brands that ensure that neither their products – nor the ingredients they use – are subject to animal testing by suppliers or by regulatory authorities. These brands’ commitment to no animal testing is certified by animal welfare groups.

We use a wide range of non-animal approaches to assess the safety of our products for consumers and continue to develop new ‘next generation’ approaches. Our team of internationally recognised leaders in non-animal safety science work with regulatory authorities, NGOs, our suppliers and other scientists across the world to share these approaches, to promote their broader use and acceptance by authorities. Our leading-edge research has one clear purpose: to continue to develop new non-animal approaches that can guarantee that our products are safe, without any need for animal testing.

Is Dove PETA Certified?

Yes, though that doesn’t mean much to me. PETA will certify brands that are selling in China and subjected to testing in China.

Is Dove subject to Pre-Market testing?

Yes. Dove is still subject to pre-market testing. Dove is still importing products into China, unless that has changed very recently.

Is Dove Leaping Bunny Certified?

No, Dove is not Leaping Bunny certified. Dove would have to prove that they are not testing on animals anywhere to be certified by Leaping Bunny. If Dove became Leaping Bunny certified, then I would believe that they were cruelty-free.

What alternatives do I have to Dove?

I’ve got over 1000 cruelty-free brands on my cruelty-free beauty brand list that I update all the time! Find a new cruelty-free brand to love!