Cruelty Free

There are varying interpretations of what cruelty free stands for.  It is most commonly used by consumer brands as a certification for products and ingredients that have not been tested on animals, but that are not necessarily vegan.  When the product has been certified by a reputable organisation such as Choose Cruelty Free, Leaping Bunny or PETA, we aim to put that certification in the description for you.

There are those who feel that cruelty free seeks to avoid all products that harm animals, including the unnecessary use of animals by humans, using animals for clothing and food, or using animals for human entertainment (e.g. zoos and circuses).

Others accept the use of products from animals such as bees and sheep, where the animal is humanely cared for in the process of extracting the honey or shearing wool.

Are products at Biome cruelty free?

We are against all testing of ingredients on animals, and any skin, hair, body care and cosmetic brands we stock must declare that they have not been tested on animals.

Personal care, cleaning products and food at Biome are vegan, except for some products with beeswax and honey.  We support neighbourhood honey and responsible beekeepers.  We have vetted all our products to be free from dairy, meat, eggs, fish scales, insects, and all other animal products that are often hidden in skincare. 

We offer limited and very select clothing and felt products containing wool, where we can trace the wool to where it was grown, and have verified that the wool production is free from mulesing, and the farms are commited to strict animal welfare and environmental management.

One aspects that sets us apart from almost every ethical retailer, is that we are also 100% free from palm oil, an ingredient which we believe is destroying habitats and sentient beings.  For most, this ingredient is hidden in its use - the ingredients that are derived from palm oil (with complex chemical names such as capric triglyceride) sit at the end of a very complicated supply chain that is far removed from the reality of where the palm oil was extracted and the true costs to the environment and death of animals in doing so.

How can I tell if a product is cruelty free?

For cosmetics, personal care and household cleaning products (items conventionally tested on animals), the easiest way is to check is to see if product is certified Cruelty Free by a reputable organisation. Certification means that a company has submitted information and more often than not a registration fee with proof that their products are cruelty free. Once they are approved, they are able to use a trademark or logo so people can easily identify that a product is cruelty free.

If you can’t find a product on a cruelty free list, check with the manufacturer or Australian distributor.  Rather than accepting a generic statement, ask for answers to a few specific questions, for example:

Do you test on animals?

Are you owned or affiliated with any companies that test on animals?

Are your ingredients tested on animals by a 3rd party or by the manufacturer?

Does your product contain any palm oil derived ingredients?

Biome believes that to be cruelty free, a product must also be free from palm oil. Palm oil production is responsible for horrific cruelty to the animals and people of rainforests in Indonesia, Malaysia and Africa. This is proven and dire - 100,000 orangutans have been killed or removed from Borneo in just 16 years.  Palm oil is used to make thousands of industrial ingredients. It is rare to be able to know where the palm oil used in an ingredient was grown, so how can brands claim an ingredient in their product did not harm animals? 

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