Methodology

How we verify

Everything published here is a sourced claim with a date attached. If we can't source it, we don't state it.

Our source tiers

  • Official registry

    Companies House filings, trademark registers, regulatory disclosures and audited annual reports. Our strongest tier for ownership.

  • Certified

    Entries in a recognised certification register such as Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International, The Vegan Society or PETA's programme.

  • Company statement

    A brand or parent company's own published claim. Useful, but self-reported, so we label it as such.

  • Community unverified

    Reader reports and secondary write-ups. Shown only where nothing stronger exists, and always flagged.

How verdicts are decided

Vegan. "Yes" means every product in the brand's current range is free of animal ingredients. Where only part of the range qualifies, we record "partial" and say so on the record rather than rounding up.

Cruelty-free. Based on the brand's own testing policy and, critically, on whether it sells into markets that require animal testing. A parent company's testing record is shown on the brand page even when the brand itself does not test.

Ownership. Taken from registry filings wherever possible. We follow the chain upward through parents and holding companies, not just the first level.

How current the data is

Every brand and company record carries a "last verified" date. Ownership can change overnight through an acquisition, so treat an older date as a prompt to check the source link yourself. We re-check records on a rolling basis and prioritise anything a reader flags.

Corrections

We get things wrong sometimes. Send a correction with a source and we will review it, update the record and update the verification date.

Independence

We take no payment from brands or parent companies in exchange for a listing, a verdict or a position on any page. No brand can pay to change or remove its record.