CoverGirl has become the biggest makeup brand to ever be awarded Leaping Bunny certification by Cruelty Free International.
The brand underwent “a rigorous audit of its global supply chain” to verify that its products are not tested on animals to be awarded “the internationally-recognised gold standard for cruelty free designation”.
Camillo Pane, the CEO of CoverGirl’s parent company Coty, said the brand’s certification, which will enable it to display the Leaping Bunny logo on all its products, is the first step in its new strategic partnership with Cruelty Free International which aims to end animal testing for cosmetics around the world.
“Being cruelty free and achieving the Leaping Bunny certification for CoverGirl is the right thing to do, at the right time, in the right way,” he said.
“Listening to our consumers, we started this journey with CoverGirl to demonstrate our commitment to this issue by achieving such an ambitious certification at scale.
“This is consistent with our ambition of growing responsibly by championing open, inclusive and sustainable beauty.”
Cruelty Free International CEO Michelle Thew said the organisation was delighted to partner with Coty and was impressed with the company’s passionate commitment to end cruel and unnecessary animal testing for cosmetics.
“The Leaping Bunny certification of CoverGirl marks a new milestone in this area as it is the largest makeup brand to be certified cruelty free ,” she said.
“Importantly, CoverGirl certification demonstrates to the world that it is possible to be an accessible and innovative brand without inflicting suffering on animals.
“We hope CoverGirl’s announcement encourages more cosmetics companies to do the right thing, listen to public demand and make a commitment to ending animal suffering in the cosmetics industry.”
Pane said Coty will leverage the knowledge it gained about global supply chain certification through CoverGirl’s certification process to help drive more responsible practices across its brand portfolio and the beauty industry.
In addition, the company has promised that at least one more of its brands will achieve Leaping Bunny certification by 2020.
The Leaping Bunny certification program is the most comprehensive worldwide cruelty free standard and includes checking for animal testing down to the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) manufacturer level and an ongoing internal monitoring system as well as regular independent supply chain audits to ensure continued compliance.