What the Vegan Label Actually Means

The word vegan feels definitive.

It sounds clear, principled, uncompromising. When consumers see a vegan label on a product, many assume they know exactly what it stands for: no animal harm, no animal exploitation, no hidden contradictions.

In reality, the vegan label is far less precise than people think.

And that ambiguity has consequences.

A Label Loaded With Assumptions

For some consumers, vegan means the product contains no animal-derived ingredients. For others, it also implies that the product was not tested on animals. For others still, it signals a broader ethical stance — one that extends to labor practices, environmental impact, and even the personal values of the people behind the brand.

These assumptions feel intuitive.

But most of them are not guaranteed by the label itself.

What “Vegan” Usually Means — And What It Doesn’t

At its most basic level, a vegan product is one that contains no animal-derived ingredients — no meat, dairy, eggs, honey, leather, wool, silk, or other animal byproducts.

That’s it.

The vegan label does not automatically mean:

• The product was not tested on animals

  
  

• The company does not test other products on animals

  
  

• The brand is environmentally sustainable

  
  

• Workers were paid fairly

  
  

• Supply chains are transparent

  
  

• The company’s profits are aligned with vegan values

  
  

A product can be vegan and still be produced in exploitative conditions, rely on environmentally damaging materials, or belong to a corporation whose other business activities directly harm animals.

The label applies to the product, not the system behind it.

Vegan vs. Cruelty-Free: A Common Confusion

One of the most persistent misunderstandings is the assumption that vegan and cruelty-free mean the same thing.

They do not.

• Vegan refers to ingredients.

  
  

• Cruelty-free refers to animal testing.

  
  

A product can be vegan and still tested on animals. A product can be cruelty-free and still contain animal-derived ingredients.

Without both claims — and credible verification — consumers are left to guess.

Certification, Self-Declaration, and Trust

Some vegan labels are backed by third-party certification. Others are self-declared by brands. Standards vary widely, and enforcement is inconsistent.

Even certified vegan products may only be assessed at a specific point in the supply chain. They may not account for cross-contamination, upstream sourcing, or corporate ownership.

And many products simply use the word vegan without explaining what that means in practice.

The result is a label that signals values without clearly defining them.

When Vegan Becomes a Marketing Category

As plant-based products surged in popularity, veganism shifted from a countercultural stance to a lucrative market segment.

Large corporations entered quickly.

Today, a vegan product may be owned by a multinational company whose core business includes industrial animal agriculture, fossil fuels, or other extractive industries. The product itself may meet vegan criteria — but the profits flow into systems that actively contradict the values consumers associate with the label.

The vegan label, in this context, becomes a way to capture ethical demand without ethical transformation.

The Emotional Gap Between Label and Values

For many people, choosing vegan products is about reducing harm. It’s an attempt to align daily actions with deeply held values.

When labels fail to reflect the reality behind them, that alignment breaks.

Consumers are left feeling misled, cynical, or exhausted — unsure whether their efforts matter, unsure what the label actually protects, unsure how much responsibility they are expected to carry.

This confusion is not accidental.

Clarity Over Purity

The problem is not that vegan labels exist.

The problem is that they are asked to carry more meaning than they are designed to hold.

A single word cannot capture ingredient sourcing, testing practices, labor conditions, environmental impact, corporate structure, and moral intent. When it is treated as a shortcut for all of that, disappointment is inevitable.

A UK investigative analysis of food products labelled as vegan found that 39 % of products tested contained traces of animal-derived ingredients like egg or dairy, even though they were marketed as vegan (Source: Totallyveganbuzz).

A small proportion of vegan-labelled products are backed by independent third-party certification. For example, The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark — one of the most recognised and trusted vegan certification marks — has been registered on over 70,000 products from more than 2,500 companies worldwide, but this still represents only a portion of all vegan-labelled goods in the global marketplace.

What Would Real Transparency Look Like?

Real clarity would separate claims instead of stacking them:

• Vegan ingredients

  
  

• No animal testing

  
  

• Independently verified supply chains

  
  

• Clear disclosure of parent company ownership

  
  

It would replace implication with evidence.

Until then, the vegan label will continue to function as both a helpful signal and a source of confusion — meaningful, but incomplete.

Not a lie.

But not the whole truth either.