Is Dove Cruelty-Free and Vegan? (Yes, But There Is A Caution!)

Dove is a popular personal care brand that was founded in 1957 but is Dove cruelty free?

Since its establishment it has become a household favorite for many, however...

As the demand for cruelty-free personal care products and makeup slowly increases, many customers are intrigued to know whether brands like Dove test their products on animals. 

Over the years, Dove has been at the forefront of a lot of scrutiny regarding the brand's ethics and over the years their products have been reformulated to meet the requirements of the consumer.

With many debates regarding the brand's animal testing practices, some may question whether or not Dove is cruelty-free. 

Let's find out for sure...

Does Dove Test On Animals?

Dove is a cruelty-free brand that does not test its products on animals.

The brand’s commitment to end animal testing globally has been recognized by PETA, the animal rights organization.

Dove has been producing cruelty-free products since the mid 1980s when they stopped testing the ingredients inside their products on animals.

As stated on their website, since this time new approaches have been implemented to test the product's ingredients safely without using animals.

''Dove has enacted a policy prohibiting any animal tests anywhere in the world: no projects are approved internally if they were to result in a requirement for animal testing of Dove products or ingredients anywhere''. (Dove Website)

Does Doves Parent Company Unilever Test On Animals?

While Dove is a cruelty-free brand, its parent company Unilever is not.

Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company that has 1,000 brands in different industries operating under its name.

As such, these different brands are entitled to adopt different policies.

Although Unilever is not yet a cruelty-free company, it is recognized by PETA as a brand that is working to achieve change.

The Dove website also states that for 30 years, Unilever has been developing non-animal approaches for product testing and supports a global ban against animal testing practices. 

''Unilever has been developing non-animal approaches for product safety testing for over 30 years.

Unilever is supporting the call for a global testing ban for cosmetics because it wants to see regulatory change as soon as possible'' (Dove Website)

Furthermore, their collaboration with Humane Society International displays a further commitment to achieving this goal.

Despite this, the companies policies surrounding animal testing are rather contradictory.

While the company supports a ban against animal testing, they also permit certain exceptions when the legal and regulatory requirements of particular markets require the products to be tested on animals. 

Are Dove Products Available In China?

While some of Dove's products are available in China, others are not.

The brand states that all of their products that are launched in China will not be tested on animals by the Chinese Authorities. 

''Dove has made key decisions on how and what products it sells in countries where animal testing may be a mandatory requirement, such as China'' (Dove Website)

However, due to China's policies on animal testing, understanding where Dove is positioned as a cruelty-free brand can soon become confusing.

Chinese law requires mandatory animal testing on imported personal care products and cosmetics.

Products that are deemed to be 'simple use cosmetics' and are made in China do not have to be tested on animals.

To prevent their products from being subject to animal testing procedures, Dove began manufacturing and selling their goods in China.

However, China also enforces post market testing regulations permitting the conduction of testing if the product is considered to present a risk to the safety of the consumer.

In response to this, Dove states that they have requested that the Chinese Authorities alert them if such issues with any of their products were to arise as they would remove them from the market rather than allow them to be tested on animals. 

Are Dove products Vegan?

Despite the brand's support of non-animal testing practices, it is not currently identified as a vegan-friendly brand.

The use of animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin and honey means that they are not yet vegan-based.

If you have any concerns regarding the contents inside the product, it is worth thoroughly checking the listed ingredients.

Until a product is free of animal-derived ingredients it cannot be identified as vegan-friendly. 

Is Dove PETA Approved?

In 2018, they displayed a further commitment to this movement by joining PETA's cruelty-free campaign.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is a non-profit corporation that uses its platform to educate others with an aim to put a stop to animal suffering. 

Is Dove Leaping Bunny approved?

Dove do not appear to be on Leaping Bunny's approved list.

Final Thoughts

Through their policies, it is clear to see that Dove is committed and in support of an animal testing ban.

They are conscious of how their products and ingredients are tested and for many years they have implemented alternative methods of testing that do not require the use of animals.

The assurance that the products are cruelty-free strengthens people's confidence in the brand. 

Despite this, many would argue that Dove is not a cruelty-free brand as it is owned by a parent company that permits animal testing when required by markets in certain countries.

There are also queries surrounding the testing policies in China, as some products may be tested if they are considered to be a risk to consumers, however, Dove states that their products would be removed if this was the case. 

If you are unsatisfied with Dove's policies you may wish to shop with alternative brands, however, Dove has been acknowledged by PETA for its practices and the beauty without bunnies logo displayed on the product's packaging shows how ethical testing practices are being used by the brand.