A registered mark: we describe it in words and do not reproduce it.
The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark
The product and its ingredients involve no animal product, by-product or derivative in manufacture or development; no animal testing of any sort by the company, on its behalf, or by parties it effectively controls; and the brand works to minimise cross-contamination from animal substances as far as is reasonably practicable.
Who awards it
The Vegan Society, the UK charity that coined the word ‘vegan’ in 1944, registers each product after its team checks the application; registration is renewed every year.
What it does not certify
It does not certify that the product is free of every trace of animal substances: the standard asks brands to minimise cross-contamination ‘as far as is reasonably practicable’, not to eliminate it. It does not certify organic or natural content, environmental claims or the safety of the product for your skin.
This page explains what a symbol or mark on the pack means in law or in the scheme’s own rules. It is not advice on whether a product or an ingredient is safe for you or suits your skin: for that, read the product’s warnings and ask a pharmacist or doctor.
- What it looks like
- A registered logo carrying the word VEGAN, licensed to registered products. We do not reproduce it.
- Also called
- Vegan Society logo; Vegan Trademark; certified vegan logo
Good to know
The Society registers individual products and ingredients, so look for the logo on the pack itself rather than assuming that everything a brand sells is covered.
Other certification marks
Sources
Quoted from the scheme owner’s own published criteria, each fetched and read on the date shown. Schemes revise their criteria; the owner’s current document is the authority.
- Scheme owner — The Vegan Society: Vegan Trademark Standards — Animal ingredients: ‘must not involve or have involved, the use of any animal product, by-product or derivative’; Animal testing: no ‘testing of any sort on animals … conducted at the initiative of the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the company has effective control’; Cross-contamination: brands must ‘minimise cross-contamination as far as is reasonably practicable and possible’; ‘renewed on a yearly basis’. Checked 2026-09-26.