When choosing a product, it is important to check two things: whether the company participates in animal testing AND whether any animal derived ingredients are used.
Vegan Logos
This type of logo applies to individual products of a brand. A Vegan logo normally indicates that the product does not use any animal derived ingredients.
Vegan Logo by FSSAI
Vegan food is defined by the government as food that does not contain any ingredients, additives, flavorings, enzymes, carriers, or processing aids that are derived from animals.
Every packaging of vegan food, according to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), should bear the vegan logo. This logo is only applicable to processed foods.
Read more about the logo
Read FAQs from FSSAI
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Logo by PETA
All these logos indicate the same thing. By definition, this logo (Global animal testāfree and vegan) recognizes companies and brands that meet the same requirements as cruelty-free / animal test-free and whose ENTIRE product line is free of animal-derived ingredients. These companies are truly cruelty-free. Although this logo is also mostly associated with non-food products like cosmetics, you can also find it on food items like supplements.
Read more about the logo
Note: Some brands like Mama Earth have this logo on their products, but their entire product line is not vegan! This is why, we recommend cross-checking the brand on PETA’s website as explained below.
How to cross-check if a brand is certified as cruelty-free and Vegan by PETA?
Open crueltyfree.peta.org and search for the brand. If it is mentioned that “This company does NOT test on animals”, AND “All products are vegan”, then it means that the brand is cruelty-free and vegan. In this example, we have searched for the brand mCaffeine.
PETA Approved Vegan
The āPETA-Approved Veganā certification authenticates handbags, shoes, clothing, accessories, furniture, and home decor items made from vegan materials rather than animal-derived ones such as leather, silk, wool, fur, and feathers.
Read more about the logo
Other Vegan Logos
There are many vegan logos out there which you can find on various items. Generally, when a company mentions the product as vegan on their label, website, or in their marketing, they have to adhere to that due to laws and regulations regarding ingredients. A company usually does not risk lying about its ingredients.
Fake Vegan Logos
There are no fake vegan logos. Instead, you may find many misleading words like plant derived, plant powered, or even plant based. It may mean that some ingredients are derived from plants, but it does not guarantee that all ingredients are plant based. Unless it is mentioned to be “100% Plant Based”, do not trust.
You can also use zoobop.com. It is a great tool to find out if a brand is vegan and cruelty-free.
The Vegetarian Logo
This logo indicates that the product does not contain any non-vegetarian ingredients (including eggs). Products marked with this logo may contain ingredients like milk, honey, etc.
Although the vegetarian logo does not indicate that the product is vegan, it is a good marker of a vegan item. This is because, in India, there are many products that are vegan by default, even though it is not mentioned on the packaging. To confirm whether a vegetarian product is vegan or not, check the ingredient list for any animal derived ingredients. Alternatively, there are many companies that mention their product to be vegan on their official website.
Cruelty-Free Logos
Cruelty-free normally implies that the brand does not test on animals for any of its products or their ingredients. This type of logo is applicable to the whole brand/company and not just their individual products. If one product has a cruelty-free logo, it means that all products of that brand are cruelty-free.
NOTE: CRUELTY-FREE OR ANIMAL TEST-FREE BRANDS MAY OFFER PRODUCTS MADE FROM ANIMAL INGREDIENTS. THIS IS WHY LOOK FOR THE VEGAN LOGO AS WELL!
Cruelty-Free Logos by PETA
All these logos mean more or less the same thing. “Cruelty-free” ones are older versions, “Animal test-free” are newer versions, and “PETA approved Global Animal Test Policy” are specific to European Union countries.
This logo (Global animal testāfree) recognizes companies and brands that have verified that they and their suppliers do not conduct, commission, pay for or allow any tests on animals for their ingredients, formulations, or finished products anywhere in the world and that they will never do so in the future.
Note that some PETA certified brands sell in China, where post-market animal testing is theoretically possible.
Read more about PETA’s logos
Check PETA’s list of animal test-free brands
Check whether a brand is cruelty-free certified by PETA
How to confirm if a brand is certified as cruelty-free by PETA?
Open crueltyfree.peta.org and search for the brand. If it is mentioned that “This company does NOT test on animals”, then that means it is certified as cruelty-free by PETA.
Leaping Bunny Logo
This symbol guarantees consumers that no new animal tests were used in the development of any product displaying it. Even the ingredients must not be tested on animals. The logo can be seen on packaging, advertising, and websites for cosmetics and household products around the world. The criteria of Leaping Bunny are strict and reliable.
Read more about the Leaping Bunny logo
Check Leaping Bunny’s list of certified brands
“Choose Cruelty-free” Logo
Choose Cruelty-Free is Australia-based. They have the same standards as Leaping Bunny, but the parent company must also be certified.
Spotting Fake Cruelty-Free Logos
If the logo on the packaging is not the Leaping Bunny, PETA, or Choose Cruelty-Free, the logo is fake. If the packaging displays one of these logos but you can’t find the company in the organization’s database, it’s also a fake.
Even if the logo is fake or absent, products imported to / manufactured in India are cruelty-free by default as India has banned animal testing.
The Non Vegetarian Logo
As per the FSSAI guidelines, all food items containing any non-vegetarian ingredients (including eggs) needs to have this logo on their packaging. Recently, FSSAI has changed the logo to a brown triangle enclosed in a brown square in order to help color-blind people recognize the logo.
Note: While the veg/nonveg logos are mandatory for food items, they are NOT mandatory for other items such as soaps, handwashes, moisturizers, cleaners, etc. As a result, many commonly used household items in India contain animal-derived ingredients. Check our list of Household vegan items and Vegan Cosmetics.