Vegan Cosmetics Certification: Three Schemes Compared
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Vegan cosmetics certification schemes do not all check the same things. The Vegan Society and the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification and Services (한국비건인증원) exclude both animal-derived ingredients and animal testing, while Leaping Bunny is a cruelty-free scheme that checks animal testing only and does not cover ingredients.
They also differ on cross-contamination and on whether anyone inspects a factory.
When you buy Korean cosmetics and your customers ask for a vegan logo, it helps to know which promise each logo makes. The table uses only criteria published by each body; where a point is not stated in the public documents, the table says so.
Vegan cosmetics certification comparison table
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Item | The Vegan Society | Korea Agency of Vegan Certification | Leaping Bunny |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of scheme | Vegan Trademark | Vegan certification | Cruelty-free (no animal testing) |
| Animal-derived ingredients | Excluded across manufacture and development of product and ingredients | Excluded, including indirect use | Not covered |
| Animal testing | Banned for products and ingredients, including tests required by law in any territory | Direct, indirect and outsourced testing banned | Banned for brand, suppliers and manufacturers after a fixed cut-off date |
| Cross-contamination | Minimise as far as reasonably practicable; clean shared lines before vegan runs | Prevent before, during and after production; cleaning or time separation on shared equipment | Not covered |
| Verification | No factory audit stated in the public standard; products and ingredients checked | Document review, then on-site inspection (scope varies by product) | Independent audit of the supplier monitoring system |
| Renewal | Not stated on the standards page | 1 or 2 years, renewal from 3 months before expiry | Annual recommitment |
| Who can apply | Not stated on the standards page | Holders of a Korean cosmetics business registration | Brands |
Ingredients: vegan versus cruelty-free
The Vegan Society’s standards require that neither the product nor its ingredients involve any animal product, by-product or derivative in manufacture or development, and define “animal” broadly as all vertebrates and multicellular invertebrates. The Korea Agency of Vegan Certification also excludes indirect use, such as animal materials used to make a single component.
Leaping Bunny looks at animal testing only. Its criteria do not exclude animal-derived ingredients such as honey or beeswax, so it cannot stand in for a vegan claim.
Animal testing: how far back the check goes
The Vegan Society bans testing of products and ingredients for any purpose, including tests required by law in any territory, whether the company runs them, commissions them or effectively controls the party that does. The Korean agency bans direct, indirect and outsourced testing.
Leaping Bunny asks the brand to set a fixed cut-off date after which neither it nor its suppliers and manufacturers may conduct or commission animal tests. The brand must monitor suppliers, including the original ingredient manufacturer, at least once a year. For the legal background in Korea, see our Korea animal testing ban guide.
Cross-contamination and inspections
The Vegan Society asks manufacturers to identify contamination risks and to clean, and if needed flush, shared lines before a vegan run, ideally running the vegan product first. The Korean agency follows its document review with an on-site inspection that includes its cross-contamination prevention standards, and says new products take on average 45 to 60 business days.
Leaping Bunny audits whether the supplier monitoring system works rather than inspecting production lines, and requires an annual recommitment, as Cruelty Free International explains.
Which certification matters for your market
- EU and UK: animal testing for cosmetics is already banned for products on the market, so a cruelty-free logo adds little; a vegan scheme that checks ingredients carries more weight.
- English-speaking consumers: The Vegan Society and Leaping Bunny logos are widely recognised.
- Korean brands selling at home and in Asia: the Korean agency ties certification to Korean cosmetics registrations, which can make it the easiest scheme for brands to obtain.
- Other logos: schemes such as EVE VEGAN also exist; if a retailer asks for a specific mark, read that body’s published standard first.
Certification does not replace ingredient compliance. Check restricted substances in our Korea vs EU ingredient restrictions comparison, and halal rules in our Indonesia halal cosmetics guide.
SEONGWOO GLOBAL supplies Korean skincare to overseas buyers from Seoul. If certified products matter to your customers, tell us when you send your enquiry.
Related articles: Korea animal testing ban · Korea vs EU ingredient restrictions · Indonesia halal cosmetics
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