Dove is NOT cruelty free. Although PETA certified, Dove sells in the Mainland China where post-marketing testing is still compulsory in 2023. So the Dove products may actually be tested on animals. Hence Dove is not a cruelty-free brand.
Is Dove Cruelty Free & Vegan?
A leading drugstore skin & hair care brand for a long period of time. Guess who? Dove needs no introduction. Unilever Corporation’s own creation, you can find Dove in more than 80 countries, outside the US. This brand always stood tall in the test of time. Embracing one’s inner beauty is the biggest motto of Dove.
Dove – A Brief History
1957 – Dove started its incredible journey in 1957 in the USA. They began with the unique non-dry beauty soap.
Dove’s founders, the Lever brothers, wanted to gift the world a signature soap that moisturizes while cleansing. The remarkable concept must say!
The 1960s – Anyway, Dove’s soap was a huge success. As a result, they expanded outside the US in the ’60s. Dove has always stood out in the crowd. It is due to its reachability in the mass market.
Dove showed the world how to win the users with unique campaigns. Soap bar became the one product that celebrates inner beauty without covering the skin with layers of makeup. Dove’s Real Beauty campaign will always be there to encourage women to come out of their shells.
The 1990s – Since the ’90s, Dove started venturing into the hair care arena. They introduced their moisture-locking cream shampoos and conditioners. This was followed by Dove’s body washes, body lotions, deodorants, and men & baby care ranges that came into existence in the new millennia.
Dove Animal Testing
Is Dove really cruelty-free & vegan? Let’s have a look at possibly why Dove isn’t on the list of cruelty-free brands. How are they managing to pull the strings?
On the official website, Dove claims:
“Dove does not test on animals. For over 30 years, we’ve used multiple alternative, non-animal approaches to test the safety of our products and ingredients. We have removed all permissions for testing of our products by governments on our behalf.”
On the same page of the Dove website you’ll also find,
“We are excited to announce that Dove has been certified as cruelty-free by PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Program. And now our products are entitled to carry PETA’s cruelty-free logo from PETA, something we are phasing in across all our packs progressively from next year. Our parent company, Unilever, has announced that it supports calls for a global ban on animal testing, similar to the existing EU ban.”
According to Dove’s official statements on its website and social media accounts, Dove does not test on animals in any step of its manufacturing process. They don’t own cruelty testing laboratories and do not fund animal testing by any means.
Dove is already enlisted in the PETA campaign, Currently, they use the PETA bunny on their products.
There is always a ‘however’ when things start to sound too good to be true.
However, their China manufacturing policy is still a game of hide & seek. I will get to that in a bit.
Moreover, Dove’s parent brand, Unilever is still using passive animal testing measures whenever needed.
Cruelty Free Timeline
1960 – From the 60’s era, Dove’s market started to expand.
1990 – In 90’s Dove products were there in over 80 countries. Before 90’s Dove never showed much concern or restriction on cruelty testing.
Since 90’s Dove stopped testing their product ingredients and finished products on animals.
2018 – In 2018, they made their policies stricter and joined PETA’s cruelty-free campaign.
Is Dove Cruelty-Free?
For the past couple of years, Dove started to promote their products in a completely no-cruelty genre. They declared that they stopped testing on animals. All Dove products now carry the PETA bunny tag, depicting its cruelty-free source.
To put a full stop to animal testing on their exported items in China they now opened manufacturing units there.
Does that mean Dove has gone cruelty-free?
No. Dove’s Chinese range is still bound in China’s hazy ‘post-market testing’. That means China Government can run cruelty tests on their products in case of ‘serious consumer safety concerns. (Source)
In this matter Dove says,
“Post-market testing would only be required in the rare occurrence of a serious consumer safety concern. We have requested to the Chinese Authorities that they notify us if there were such a concern, so we can withdraw the product rather than it be Subject to animal testing.”
Is Dove manufactured in China?
Yes. We all know how China makes the best of mandatory animal testing on imported personal care & makeup. But, China’s home-grown products are an exception.
Dove started manufacturing their products in mainland China.
Does Dove sell in China?
Yes. Dove sells their products in China. But, they make the China batches in China manufacturing units to prevent mandatory animal testing.
Is Dove vegan?
No, Dove is not a 100% vegan brand. Dove products have been reformulated time & again. But their products are still not entirely vegan.
Certain ingredients of Dove products have animal sources. You can’t call some personal care product vegan until it’s totally free of animal-derived ingredients. In this sense, Dove is not vegan.
Who is Dove’s Parent Company?
Unilever owns Dove. The parent company, Unilever is also not cruelty-free. It also owns popular brands like Vaseline, Tresemme, Comfort, etc among others. While Vaseline is not cruelty free, recently TRESemme became cruelty free.
Skincare Brands to Avoid
Do I recommend Dove?
Nope. Being owned by a non-cruelty-free parent company is one thing. Dabbling between cruelty-free & non-cruelty-free is surely another thing.
Dove has taken a seriously positive step towards a cruelty-free movement by joining PETA’s campaign. It is really appreciated. In legal terms, Dove US can call itself cruelty-free.
However, certain policies of Dove’s China range are still in the grey. So, I leave the final decision to your better judgment. However, I don’t recommend Dove.
5 Cruelty-Free Alternatives
1. Dove Beauty Bar – Beauty Bar is Dove’s first product. They claim it to be the No.1 bestseller worldwide. Looks like people need to switch to some real cruelty-free picks!
A great cruelty-free dupe can be UPCircle Fennel Soap Bar. It gently cleanses the skin keeping the moisture level intact.
4. Dove Creme Oil Intensive Body Lotion – A hydrating lotion by Dove. Nothing fancy here.
A good cruelty-free alternative is Acure Soothing 24H Body Lotion. This Body Lotion nourishes flaky dry skin instantly. It makes the skin moist and smooth. Snag it on Amazon at discount.
5. Dove Dry Skin Relief Body Wash – The newest addition to the Dove family. One recommendation is Pacifica Strawberry Peach body wash. You’ll absolutely love the divine smell. Another one is the Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Body Wash. If you want comfort and care, this soap-free body wash is a nice choice.
Do you have a cruelty-free dupe of Dove? Share in the comments below!
Dove is still involved in animal testing. It is not cruelty free. The main reason being the mandatory post product testing in certain countries. Dove has some vegan products but not entirely a vegan-friendly brand.
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https://crueltyfreeguide.com/dove-cruelty-free-vegan/
Thank you for your time, it was still an informative article and gave me the necessary information I need. Thank you.
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Am soooo disappointed with dove
Will have to change my brand of soap
Will be switching my brand now. I believe that the soap is made from tallow.
Yes Dove is fooling the masses. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new articles.