Dove’s Cruelty Free Status (Updated 2021)

Dove is one of the most well-known beauty and body care brands in the UK and the US. They announced in 2018 that they had been certified cruelty free by Peta, but the truth is much more complicated. Are Dove really a cruelty free brand?

See my list of cruelty free brands you can find at Superdrug

Is Dove a Cruelty Free Brand?

No, I still don’t consider Dove to be a cruelty free brand. This is because they still sell their products in China, where animal testing is required by law.

Dove claim they have gotten around China’s animal testing laws by asking Chinese authorities to let them know if their products need testing on animals. There isn’t any proof that this would actually happen, simply that Dove have asked for this to be the case.

“Post-market testing would only be required in the rare occurrence of a serious consumer safety concern. We have requested to the Chinese Authorities that they notify us if there were such a concern, so we can withdraw the product rather than it be subject to animal testing.”

This is incorrect; Chinese post-market testing laws mean they can test whatever they like, whenever they like, from their shelves. (Their shelves specifically; products shipped to China from an online store are not affected.)

In the cruelty free and vegan beauty community, we don’t consider a brand cruelty free if they sell their products in stores in Mainland China. True cruelty free brands refuse to sell their products in China to stand against their animal testing policies.

Therefore, no, Dove is not a cruelty free brand.

Read more about this on the Cruelty Free International website here.

Is Dove a Vegan Brand?

Although Dove may claim to sell some products with vegan formulas, no product can be truly cruelty free if it has been tested on animals.

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