Cruelty-Cutter FAQ

The Cruelty-Cutter app allows users to simply scan a product barcode and find out instantly if that company is cruelty-free. It’s ethical shopping made easy!

The Cruelty-Cutter app links product barcodes to overall company profiles and reports whether the manufacturing company tests on animals for any of their products. So while a single product may not have undergone animal testing, you’ll know if that company is profiting from other products tested on animals.

We provide information on a wide variety of personal-care items, cosmetics, and household products. Please Note: We do NOT report on food, beverage, or prescription medications as they are all under the purview of the US FDA.

NO! The U.S. does not require animal testing for personal care items, cosmetics, and household products. Furthermore, many other countries have completely banned these types of tests, including Israel, India, Norway, and the entire European Union! To find out more about animal testing and policies, please click HERE.

We realize that individuals and organizations draw the line in different places regarding animal testing. Most discrepancies involve citing a parent company who tests or sells products in countries like China where testing is mandatory. For a complete description of our research methods and criteria, please click HERE.

While PETA and Leaping Bunny are amazing resources, use of their logos and lists often require a fee from participating companies. Many smaller cruelty-free companies have not yet joined these groups. The Cruelty-Cutter app provides the most comprehensive list available and is constantly expanding!

Unfortunately, many companies are misleading in their statements. There are certain countries (like China and Brazil) that mandate animal testing on all imported cosmetics and any company who chooses to sell products there is agreeing to third-party animal testing. While they may not test here in the U.S., they’re condoning and profiting off of animal testing in certain foreign markets. You can read more HERE.

There are many ways you can Take Action! You can start by using our Bite-Back feature within the app. This allows users to easily post to their own social media circles to publicly condemn those cruel companies (or to praise great compassionate ones). The methods of Biting-Back depend on which social media networks you have enabled on your phone. Whenever possible, we include actual email addresses for companies and you can send them a pre-written email to let them know you won’t be spending your money on their products. For more information on the Bite-Back feature, please click HERE

Throughout the Cruelty-Cutter app there are actions you can take to earn “Doggie Dollars”, such as sharing product info on various social media via the Bite-Back and Share features. Once you’ve accumulated 100 Doggie Dollars, you will receive a coupon for 10% discounts on products from that month’s cruelty-free sponsor! To read more about Doggie Dollars, click HERE and to read more about our current and past Sponsors, click HERE.

No, not yet. The Cruelty-Cutter app currently reports only if a company engages in animal testing. But we are gathering this information and hope to eventually add a feature where users can see if a given company is fully vegan!

YES! We have a searchable feature called the Cruelty-Free Directory within the app that allows users to search either by Company Name or by Category (just type the name of the company or scroll through). You can find these list here:

For iPhone: Go to > More> Cruelty-Free Directory

For Android: Go to > Menu> Settings> Cruelty-Free Directory

YES!!! The app works worldwide and we already have many users in countries all over the map! Since we rely on universal barcodes, we can create international company profiles and link them to products.

YES! A screen will appear after scanning a product telling you the company’s testing status. If the product is not yet in our database OR if the status is unknown, users have the option to submit a request for data. Once you’ve clicked that button, we get an email alerting us and we get to work researching! This process can take some time depending on the company response time, but we’re definitely working on it for you!

The Cruelty-Cutter app works with most Apple and Android products. The main requirements are an auto-focusing camera and internet connection.

Apple: [Specifically requires iOS 6.0 or later. iPhone, iPad Wi-Fi (3rd generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (3rd generation), iPad Wi-Fi (4rd generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (4rd generation), iPad mini Wi-Fi, iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi, iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi, iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi + Cellular, and iPod touch (5th generation)]

Android: Check with the Google PlayStore before downloading for compatible devices.

Please visit our Troubleshooting page and you’ll find many simple fixes to common issues, as well as contact information for additional support!