Why I Didn’t Chose a Bunny for Lovethical’s Cruelty-Free Logo

Hello! Esther here again (Lovethical’s Founder). Today I want to chat about the logo that I use to highlight all the cruelty-free products that I sell through Lovethical, and why I decided not to incorporate a bunny into it. Full disclosure – I did originally intend to use a bunny, and even had a logo designed before launching the website, but I ended up changing my mind. Here's the initial design versus the final one!

The reason for my change of heart is a bit complex, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that there’s a lot of inconsistency and confusion around the use of bunny logos in the beauty world, and I decided that I didn’t want to add yet another bunny into the mix.

There are obviously great benefits of using a rabbit (like I say – I was very close to using one). However, one of the main reasons why I started Lovethical in the first place is because you can’t always necessarily believe that a company that has a bunny logo or the words ‘not tested on animals’ or ‘cruelty-free’ on their products is definitely 100% cruelty-free; there’s no regulation around companies creating their own bunny logos or using those phrases in the beauty industry. Some companies use these phrases or make their own bunny logos if, for example, the finished products aren't tested on animals, but they might still sell their products in areas of the world where certain animal testing is required by law, which means they're not truly cruelty-free. On the other hand, there are many companies that do not test on animals in any way and that create their own bunny logos that can be totally trusted! There are a handful of official bunny logos that companies can apply for (the Leaping Bunny from Cruelty Free International, PETA’s logos or Choose Cruelty Free’s logo), and these are great but even these have slightly different criteria to one another. In my opinion, I think there’s just a bit of confusion around which logos you can and can’t trust, and so I decided to take myself out of the game entirely and use the heart from the ‘Lovethical’ logo instead.

When making my decision, these were my main points on both sides of the argument:

Pros of me using a bunny:

• Instantly recognizable and synonymous with ‘cruelty-free’.
• Aesthetically appealing.
• So many people associate a bunny with ‘not tested on animals’, so it’s a very quick and easy way to get your message across to your customers.
• Because Lovethical is a marketplace that sells other brands’ products and doesn't (yet) manufacture its own products, I cannot apply for one of the official bunny logos, so if I want to use one then the only option I currently have is to make my own.

Cons of me using a bunny:

• There’s no rules and regulations around using a bunny, and any company can use one even if they’re not truly cruelty-free, which causes confusion in the market about which ones you can and can't trust.
• One of my very first reasons for starting Lovethical was knowing that not all bunny logos could be trusted, so adding my own into the mix seems a bit backwards to me.

Although I came up with a higher number of pros than cons, I just had a gut feeling that I decided to follow.

This doesn't mean that you have to worry about any of the companies that I stock at Lovethical! They all signed my cruelty-free declaration form before I bought any of their products, assuring me and my customers that they do not test on animals in any way at all.

Looking forward to the future, I would love to manufacture my own products one day and sell them on Lovethical, and at that point I’d love to get the Leaping Bunny certification from Cruelty Free International for the products that I actually make.

Anyway, farewell for now! Stay safe, and if you want to shop our full range of cruelty-free products, click here!