Becoming endorsed – frequently asked questions

Why do we need a Fixed Cut-Off Date if our products have NEVER been tested on animals? 
While your finished products might not have been tested on animals, virtually ALL ingredients in cosmetic, personal care and household cleaning products have been tested on animals at some point.

Adopting a Fixed Cut-Off Date does NOT imply to customers that your company is responsible for testing on animals. Quite the opposite, it strengthens your cruelty-free credentials. 

Is our Fixed Cut-Off Date the same date as the formation of our company?

 No. Your Fixed Cut-Off Date relates solely to the ingredients you use. It has nothing to do with when you started your company. 

How do we set up a Fixed Cut-Off Date?

First, ask each of your suppliers to look at the ingredients they supply to you and tell you the most recent date that each one was subject to animal testing. The most recent date overall would become your FCOD.

Once you know that, tell ALL your suppliers about the date in writing. Ask them to notify you immediately if they substitute an ingredient for some reason, and request the date that this ingredient was last tested on an animal.

Your FCOD will be affected by any more recent testing dates.

Can we use the date of the EU Cosmetic Testing Ban (11/03/13) as our Fixed Cut-Off Date?

Yes. If you’re a cosmetics/personal care company, you could have 11/03/13 as your FCOD. Animal tests on cosmetic and personal care ingredients have been banned in the EU since that date. 

The EU Cosmetic Testing Ban doesn’t apply to companies that sell household products. 

Do all of our products have to abide by the same Fixed Cut-Off Date?

Yes. Your Fixed Cut-Off Date should be the date of your most recently tested ingredient. If you have a parent company, their FCOD will also be taken into account, as well as the FCODs of subsidiaries. 

Why do you take the parent company into account?

Profits made by subsidiaries boost the profits of the parent company and might indirectly fund animal testing outside the EU .

Many parent companies are large multinationals that sell in countries, where animal testing is still required by law. Subsidiaries’ products are often available all over the world, where the EU cosmetic testing ban doesn’t apply, so we need to confirm the FCODs of all associated companies.

It’s possible for a company to manufacture products containing recently tested ingredients for one market, and other ingredients for the EU. We believe that for a company to be truly cruelty-free, the parent company and ALL subsidiaries must have an FCOD animal testing policy in place.

Why do we need this? We’re already endorsed by another animal welfare organisation.

Other endorsements have different criteria. We all want to see an end to the use of animals in experiments, but our endorsements and standards may differ. 

Although other organisations consider the FCOD when endorsing brands, we also take into account the animal testing policy of the parent company.

Some organisations endorse brands whose parent company continues to benefit from animal testing outside the EU. However, these brands would join their parent company in the ‘More Information’ section of the Naturewatch Foundation Compassionate Shopping Guide. 

If you’re endorsed by another organisation, you might already know your FCOD. If it’s still accurate, you can use the same date on your Naturewatch Foundation questionnaire. 

Remember too, that endorsement in the Compassionate Shopping Guide will introduce a wider range of cruelty-free shoppers to your company.

Our products are vegetarian/vegan/organic, doesn’t that mean they’re cruelty-free anyway? 

Not necessarily. Your ingredients might be vegetarian/vegan/organic, but that doesn’t guarantee that they haven’t been tested on animals. 

Will it take a long time to complete the questionnaire?

Your suppliers will complete the most time-consuming aspect of endorsement, providing you with the most recent date that any of the ingredients they supply to you was last tested on animals. When you have these dates, you just need to choose the most recent one and that will become your FCOD. 

Once you have this information, our questionnaire won’t take long to complete. We may contact you with questions and we may, on occasion, ask you to complete a new questionnaire if policies change. Please update us about any changes in your company’s circumstances that might affect your endorsement. 

Does it cost anything to become endorsed?

No. There’s no charge to be included in the Compassionate Shopping Guide. Naturewatch Foundation wants to encourage cruelty-free shopping, so the Guide is free for customers and for endorsed companies.