Looking for a good cruelty-free and vegan deodorant that actually WORKS can be LOT harder than it sounds!  Since the term “cruelty-free” is not one that is currently regulated, some companies intentionally mislead you into thinking you are buying a product that was not tested on animals when in fact, it was. 
 
But never fear! We have 8 awesome cruelty-free and vegan deodorant choices for you that have either been used by us or, have been recommended by our trusted closed Facebook group, the Peas and Carrots Society!
 
You can listen to us discuss the deodorants here or read on for a quick summary!
 

 
Let’s Talk About Some Important Definitions First
Before we get started discussing specific brands of cruelty-free and vegan deodorant recommendations, let’s define a few terms.
 
As we mentioned in our recent episode on cruelty-free shampoos, it’s important to know that there is no legal definition of what it means to be “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals.”
 
This lack of regulation has allowed some companies to claim that their products are not tested on animals when in reality, only the final product was not animal-tested. This doesn’t necessarily mean that some of their ingredient suppliers haven’t tested on animals or that they haven’t used animals for testing at some point in the production process.
 
This is why it’s really important we do our due diligence in researching these companies before buying their products. In my opinion, it’s important that we buy from companies that do not test on animals: 1) for the animals, and 2) to reward the companies that are actually doing the right thing (instead of rewarding those businesses using deceptive marketing practices to intentionally mislead consumers).
 
So, now that we know that just having a “cruelty-free” or “no animal testing” label doesn’t make a product safe to buy, we need to know how to read labels to ensure we’re buying products that truly are cruelty-free.
 
Luckily, there are more and more resources these days to guide us to the right products.
 
The 3 Certifications for Cruelty-Free Products
Before we talk about vegan deodorant brands, let’s talk about certifications. There are 3 certifications you can look for to help you find cruelty-free products.

* The Leaping Bunny Certification Program was created in 1996 by 8 animal protection groups as a way to counter deceptive marketing practices. The CCIC has its own single comprehensive standard, called Leaping Bunny Certification, to help you shop for cruelty-free products.

 

* Then there is the PETA cruelty-free certification, called the Beauty without Bunnies program. To participate in PETA’s program, companies must sign a statement of assurance that they do not test any part of their products on animals and they pledge not to do so in the future.

 

* Finally, there is the Choose Cruelty-Free (CCF) program, which is based in Australia. Companies that want to be certified by the CCF must sign a binding agreement that none of their products or their suppliers’ products are tested on animals.

 
One final definition to touch on. When we say that a product is “vegan” we mean that it contains no animal by-products, including honey. Honey is not considered vegan as it is made by bees.
 
With those clarifications, let’s get to talking about deodorants!
 
 

Our Top 8 List of Cruelty-Free and Vegan Deodorants
As we mentioned, we’ve tried some of these deodorants, and those we haven’t have been tried and tested by our Fa...