Affiliate Disclosure: This explainer contains no affiliate links. NonToxicFinder (Solved Labs LLC) may earn commissions on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you on other pages of the site. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with the Environmental Working Group or Leaping Bunny. Full disclosure →

If you have seen a small leaping rabbit logo on a shampoo, lotion or cleaner and wondered what Leaping Bunny certified means, the short answer is this: it is a certification about animal testing. It is not a rating of ingredients. This guide explains what the program verifies, what it does not, and how to check any brand yourself.

What Leaping Bunny Certified Means

Leaping Bunny describes its standard as a voluntary pledge. According to the program’s FAQ, it is a pledge that cosmetic, personal care and household product companies make to clear animal testing from all stages of product development. A company that wants the logo has to meet the written Leaping Bunny Standard. Based on the standard’s published text, the main requirements are:

  • No animal testing: the company does not and shall not conduct, commission or be a party to animal testing of its cosmetic or household products.
  • A fixed cut-off date: a date the company selects that applies to all of its products.
  • Supplier monitoring: a system the company uses to check that its third-party manufacturers and suppliers have not conducted, commissioned or been a party to animal testing.
  • Raw material declarations: suppliers provide declarations of raw material compliance, with an exception for natural agricultural ingredients in their raw state.
  • Possible audits: the company’s supplier monitoring system can be audited by an independent auditing firm commissioned by Leaping Bunny.
  • Annual recommitment: the company has to recommit every year to keep the certification active.

The Leaping Bunny standard page also notes that the standard applies to cosmetics and household products such as detergents and cleaners, and that some product types, including candles, paint and insecticides, fall outside it.

What Leaping Bunny Does Not Cover

Leaping Bunny is a policy and supply-chain standard. It does not evaluate what is in the bottle. Specifically, the program does not tell you:

  • Ingredient composition. The FAQ says the Leaping Bunny list does not provide information about the composition of ingredients.
  • Whether a product is vegan. Because the list gives no ingredient composition, the logo does not tell you. Check with the company if this matters to you.

That is why we treat it as one basis, on its own. A Leaping Bunny listing says something about a company’s animal-testing policy. It says nothing about ingredient screening, so it should never be read as a statement about a product’s ingredients or about anyone’s health. For ingredient-focused marks, see our explainer on MADE SAFE® and our guide to EWG VERIFIED®, which are separate programs with separate standards.

Reading the Logo Alongside Other Wording

In our own view, a general phrase on a package and a named program are different kinds of information. With the Leaping Bunny logo you can read the published standard and look the brand up in the program’s shopping guide, as described below. Whatever wording a package uses, the Leaping Bunny listing only speaks to animal testing.

How to Check a Leaping Bunny Brand List

You do not need to rely on a label or on our word. The program’s Compassionate Shopping Guide on leapingbunny.org lets you browse more than 2,300 certified companies.

The program also offers a free smartphone app. Its home page says the app lets you look up companies by name, search by product type or scan barcodes. For brands headquartered outside the US and Canada, the FAQ points shoppers to the Cruelty Free International search page.

Where to Go Next

If you want to see how the logo appears on real products, read our guides to Leaping Bunny certified shampoo, body lotion and deodorant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Leaping Bunny certified mean a product is non-toxic?
Leaping Bunny is about a company’s animal-testing policy and supplier monitoring. The program’s FAQ says its list does not provide information about the composition of ingredients, so the logo is not a statement about what is in a product.

Q: Is Leaping Bunny the same as EWG VERIFIED®?
No. They are separate programs run by separate organizations, and they answer different questions. NonToxicFinder is affiliated with neither.

Q: Does Leaping Bunny mean vegan?
Not necessarily. The program’s FAQ says the list does not provide information about the composition of ingredients, and that many certified companies are vegan or offer vegan options. Check with the company.

Q: How do I confirm a brand is listed?
Use the Compassionate Shopping Guide on leapingbunny.org, which lets you browse more than 2,300 certified companies.

Disclaimer: NonToxicFinder is operated by Solved Labs LLC and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with Leaping Bunny or the Environmental Working Group. This article summarizes publicly available information from leapingbunny.org as read on 2026-10-30. It contains no affiliate links.

Affiliate Disclosure: This explainer contains no affiliate links. NonToxicFinder (Solved Labs LLC) may earn commissions on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you on other pages of the site. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with the Environmental Working Group or Leaping Bunny.