Three rules. No asterisk.
Cruelty-free is not a regulated phrase in skincare. It is a sentence a brand chooses. The carton can say it while ingredients are tested, while the brand sells where tests are required, or while a parent company tests and the subsidiary keeps the nicer label.
BunnyIndex is a directory, not a certification program. We do not sell a mark. To be listed, a brand has to pass all three rules below. Miss one, and it is not here. There is no partial listing, and no asterisk for a famous name.
A testing parent is a fail. A parent that does not test is not a fail, and this is not a prize for staying founder-owned.
A brand can police its own supply chain and still fail if a controlling parent tests — L’Oréal, Unilever, Estée Lauder, P&G, Shiseido, and companies like them.
The subsidiary’s label is not the group’s policy.
Where the carton usually stops
Most claims stop at the finished product. BunnyIndex goes to the controlling parent. How each layer works is on The label.
What fails
The fail people miss is ownership.
The bottle still says cruelty-free. The brand site can still read like an independent studio. The controlling parent still tests on animals when legally required, or as policy. That brand does not get a listing here. It fails rule 3.
Who we don’t carry is on Who isn’t here.
What does not automatically fail
A minority investor is not a parent.
If a fund or a company holds a stake that does not confer control, that is not an automatic fail. We look at who can actually set policy. A controlling parent that tests fails. A non-controlling stake does not, on its own. If control is unclear, the brand stays off the list until it isn’t.
How this is different from a badge
A badge is a program. Programs have applications, scopes, fees, and cutoff dates. Some of that work is real. It is not this list.
We do not treat a mark as a pass. A brand can hold a well-known certification and still fail rule 3. A brand can pass all three rules and never have paid for a sticker. BunnyIndex does not certify. We keep a directory, not a logo a brand can apply for.
No asterisk.