Dove is NOT a Cruelty free brand! Their products are sold in countries like Mainland China where animal testing is required by law. Keep in mind, Dove is also owned by Unilever, a company that tests on animals.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Dove is a popular drugstore beauty brand sold around the world.
ANIMAL TESTING POLICY:
Below is the Animal Testing Policy that Dove has on their website. The section highlighted below ” All new products Dove will launch in China in the future will not be subject to animal testing by Chinese authorities. “ is false. China changed their animal testing laws in 2014 where brands can skip the mandatory testing on animals during the pre-market testing phase. However, in case, of post-market animal testing, Dove will pay the Chinese government to let their products be taken off the shelves and be tested on animals.
WHY DID PETA CERTIFY DOVE AS CRUELTY FREE?
Honestly, PETA’s cruelty-free certification is not the most reliable one. Their requirements are very relaxed making it very easy for brands to falsely claim Cruelty-free status. Below is the exact quote from PETA’s website:
Company representatives interested in having their company’s name added to our cruelty-free list(s) must complete a short questionnaire and sign a statement of assurance verifying that they do not conduct, commission, or pay for any tests on animals for ingredients, formulations, or finished products and that they pledge not to do so in the future. PETA will then add qualifying companies to our pocket-sized Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide, our Shopping Guide brochure, and our online searchable database of cruelty-free companies.
– http://www.peta.org
PARAPHRASING
As you can see, all PETA asks the companies is to just fill a short questionnaire and take a pledge! I mean, really!?? How can you even call this legit?
- PETA currently doesn’t have any audits like Leaping Bunny to ensure that the companies are actually abiding by the pledge that they took.
- Their certifications DO NOT even guarantee that brands are not selling in markets where animal testing is required by law ie, these brands can still sell in Mainland China where post-market animal testing is mandatory!
- Last but not least, this pledge is only taken by the company filing for PETA’s BWE certification. PETA doesn’t require the third-party companies associated with this company to take the pledge ie, the primary company can take the pledge based on their knowledge of their suppliers. This doesn’t guarantee that the suppliers are 100% Cruelty-free!
- In Conclusion, there are so many loopholes in PETA’s certification that their list CANNOT be a truly trusted source.
ALTERNATIVES TO DOVE?
If you are looking to switch your Dove products to Cruelty free, there are tons of alternatives. Here are some of the brands you could start with:
- ALAFFIA
- ALBA BOTANICA
- ANDALOU NATURALS [100% VEGAN]
- BLISS
- BOTANICS
- DERMA E [100% VEGAN]
- FARMACY
- GLOW RECIPE
- HERBIVORE BOTANICALS [100% VEGAN]
- LUMENE
- THE INKEY LIST
- YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE [100% VEGAN]
There are a lot more Cruelty-free brands options including Drugstore brands (Checkout shopping lists for Target, Walmart, Ulta, Sephora etc.). You can also pick from 500+ Cruelty free brands that are #EthicalPixieApproved.
CONCLUSION
Based on all the facts above, Dove is NOT CRUELTY-FREE. Their products are sold in mainland China and can be subjected to animal testing required by law.
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