Consumer Intelligence4 min readDecember 3, 2022

What Is Cruelty-Free? What Consumers Say About It

Three steps for brands, from public Twitter conversations: what cruelty-free means to consumers, how sentiment moves, and why it goes beyond animal testing.

About this analysis: first published on the Pivony blog in 2022, based on public Twitter conversations about cruelty-free products from 2020 to 2021.

What does cruelty-free mean?

"Cruelty-free" usually labels products, or activities, that did not harm or kill animals. Products tested on animals are not cruelty-free. As sustainable and ethical shopping grew, consumers started watching closely how brands handle animal testing, and they are quick to call out brands that sell "cruelty-free" products made with animal-derived ingredients.

Brands face the other side of the same question: how to produce and test safely without animals, and how to earn trust when they do. Social conversations show what consumers expect. Here are three steps to stay on the right side of them.

1. Understand what consumers think

Most people link "cruelty-free" with cosmetics and personal care, because many tests for these products have been done on animals. In the conversations we analysed:

For makeup brands that call themselves cruelty-free, overall sentiment was neutral: many brands work with natural or lab-made ingredients, but people felt that others don't walk the talk.
Lip gloss, liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow and lash extensions were frequent topics. Lash extension companies drew negative opinions for selling mink lashes as "synthetic".
In personal care, the most engaging conversations were about hair dye, nail polish, bath bombs and skincare.
Food was the other big theme, driven by vegans raising awareness of how animals are treated. Many consumers said they could not find products that matched their values.

2. Follow the numbers over time

By intent, tweets about cruelty-free were:

Intent	Share
Remark	51%
Complaint	22%
Suggestion	17%
Praise	10%

Overall sentiment was close to neutral: 37% positive, about 35% negative and 28% neutral. Negative opinion peaked in April 2021; the most positive month was May 2020. Tracking these shifts tells a brand when a news story, a product launch or a claim has changed how people see it.

3. Take a holistic approach

Consumers don't stop at animal testing. Many said you can't be proud of a cruelty-free product if it was made by exploited or underpaid workers, or if it comes in plastic. One user put it simply: you can't call your products cruelty-free if they come in plastic containers. For many, cruelty-free, vegan, environmental and ethical labour issues belong together.

What brands can take from this

Make claims you can prove. False or vague cruelty-free claims are the fastest way into negative conversations.
If you are truly cruelty-free, say so clearly. It is a unique selling point that a large group of buyers is actively looking for.
Look beyond the label. Packaging, ingredients and working conditions are part of the same conversation.
Keep listening. Sentiment shifts month by month; a yearly survey misses it.

Listen to your own customers

Pivony Market Intelligence tracks social conversations, competitor reviews and category trends from public data.
Sentiment analysis shows how people feel about each topic and how it changes over time.
If you'd like to see it on your own brand, book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

What does cruelty-free mean?

Cruelty-free labels products or activities that did not harm or kill animals; products tested on animals are not cruelty-free. Many consumers also expect cruelty-free brands to avoid animal-derived ingredients, plastic packaging and poor working conditions.

How do consumers talk about cruelty-free on social media?

In the conversations we analysed, 51% of posts were remarks, 22% complaints, 17% suggestions and 10% praise. Sentiment was 37% positive, about 35% negative and 28% neutral, with a negative peak in April 2021.

#cruelty-free#cosmetics#sustainability#social listening#sentiment analysis