Vegan and cruelty-free: saying it accurately

Clients ask about vegan and cruelty-free products all the time, and the answer your staff gives has to be accurate. The two words mean different things, and they apply at different levels. Getting that distinction right protects your store and keeps the client's trust.

The two words, in plain terms

• Cruelty-free is about animal testing. It describes a brand's policy.
• Vegan is about ingredients. It describes a formula, one product at a time.

What you can say about Dear, Klairs

These statements are accurate at brand level:

• Dear, Klairs is a PETA cruelty-free brand.
• Dear, Klairs makes vegan formulas.
• Many Dear, Klairs formulas are registered with The Vegan Society and the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification.
• The brand was founded in Seoul in 2010 around the idea "Respect your sensitivity".

Use "many formulas" for the vegan registrations. Do not round it up to "every product".

What needs a product-by-product check

A per-product vegan tag needs proof for that product. Before you print "vegan" on a single shelf tag or an online listing, check that product's own packaging or listing for the registration. If you cannot confirm it, use the brand-level line instead. It is still true and still useful to the client.

Checklist before you print a tag

1. Is the claim about the brand or about one product? Brand claims go on the zone sign. Product claims go on the product tag.
2. For a product tag that says "vegan", have you seen the registration for that exact product?
3. Does the tag use the certifier names correctly: PETA, The Vegan Society, the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification?
4. Have you kept vegan and cruelty-free as separate claims, with no single badge implying both for every item?
5. Do your online listings use the same wording as your shelf tags?

Copy you can use today

Zone sign

"Dear, Klairs is a PETA cruelty-free brand. Many of its formulas are registered with The Vegan Society and the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification."

Online listing footer

"From Dear, Klairs, a PETA cruelty-free brand making vegan formulas."

When a client asks about one specific product

Train staff to check the box with the client. If the registration is on the package, say so. If it is not, give the brand-level answer and offer to confirm. A staff member who says "let me check" earns more trust than one who guesses.

Wording to avoid

• "100% vegan brand" or "everything here is vegan".
• "Certified vegan" on a product whose registration you have not seen.
• "Cruelty-free and vegan" as one blanket badge across the whole shelf.
• Any certifier name you have not confirmed for Dear, Klairs.

A simple rule of thumb: brand facts go on the wall, product facts go on the product, and anything you cannot confirm stays off both.

At the counter: "Dear, Klairs is a PETA cruelty-free brand, and many of its formulas are registered vegan. Let me check the box for this one with you."

Questions about claim wording for your shelf tags come up in the Wednesday desk update. New to the brand? Apply for a wholesale account.