Choose Cruelty Free (CCF) Certification Explained
Australia · Established 1991
Audit Level: Third-Party Audit
An independent third party conducts an audit of the brand's facilities or documentation. More rigorous than self-declaration.
Supply-chain verified: Yes.
| Supply Chain | Verified |
| Cost for Brands | Annual fee. Accreditation process includes ingredient supplier verification. |
| Recognized In | Australia/NZ |
Editorial Analysis
Australia's equivalent of Leaping Bunny. One of the most rigorous cruelty-free certifications globally. Requires ingredient supplier verification and does not grant accreditation to brands with parent companies that test on animals — making it stricter than PETA on the corporate ownership question. Critical for shopping cruelty-free in Australia.
In depth
How CCF Accreditation Worked
Choose Cruelty Free was an independent, not-for-profit organization based in Melbourne that accredited cosmetics, personal care, and household product brands sold in Australia. Accreditation was application-based: a company had to provide written assurances that neither it nor the manufacturers of its ingredients conducted or commissioned animal testing, and the verification extended down the supply chain rather than stopping at the finished product.
Two features made the scheme notably strict. First, ingredient suppliers had to be covered by the no-testing assurances, closing the common loophole where a finished product is untested but its raw materials are not. Second, CCF refused accreditation to brands whose parent companies tested on animals, a corporate-ownership rule that some other cruelty-free schemes do not apply.
Accredited brands paid an annual fee, appeared on the published CCF list, and could display the CCF rabbit logo on packaging. The organization periodically reviewed accredited companies to confirm continued compliance, and brands that were acquired by animal-testing parent companies could lose their accreditation.
Cruelty-Free, Not Necessarily Vegan
The CCF rabbit logo certified the absence of animal testing, not the absence of animal-derived ingredients. An accredited product could still contain beeswax, lanolin, honey, or other animal by-products, so the logo alone never guaranteed that a product was vegan.
That said, CCF's ingredient policy went further than most cruelty-free schemes. Its criteria excluded ingredients derived from animals killed specifically to obtain that ingredient, while still permitting by-products such as beeswax or lanolin. Within its published list, CCF also flagged which accredited brands offered fully vegan ranges, making the guide a practical tool for vegan shoppers even though veganism was not the certification's core claim.
For readers of this wiki, the practical rule is the same one that applies to Leaping Bunny and PETA's cruelty-free program: a cruelty-free logo answers the testing question only. Confirming that a product is vegan requires either a separate vegan certification mark or a review of the full ingredient list.
The 2021 Merger with Cruelty Free International
In 2021, Choose Cruelty Free merged with Cruelty Free International, the UK-based organization that runs the Leaping Bunny program internationally. CCF's independent accreditation scheme was wound down, and brands accredited under CCF were transitioned toward Leaping Bunny certification, unifying the two standards under one global program.
The practical consequence for shoppers is that the CCF rabbit logo is a legacy mark. Products manufactured before the transition may still carry it on packaging, and its presence still reflects that the brand met CCF's criteria at the time of accreditation, but the logo is no longer backed by an active, independently maintained Australian accreditation body. Australians shopping cruelty-free today are generally directed to the Leaping Bunny logo and Cruelty Free International's brand search instead.
The merger also means historical claims about CCF — such as its reputation for strictness on parent-company ownership — describe the scheme as it operated before 2021 rather than a currently enforceable standard.
CCF Compared with Leaping Bunny and PETA
Before the merger, CCF occupied roughly the same tier of rigor as Leaping Bunny. Both required assurances covering ingredient suppliers rather than only the finished product, both published brand lists, and both were run by independent organizations rather than by the brands themselves. The main structural difference was geographic: Leaping Bunny is administered in North America by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics and internationally by Cruelty Free International, while CCF focused specifically on the Australian market.
Against PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies program, CCF was generally considered stricter. PETA's list relies primarily on signed statements of assurance from companies, and it lists qualifying brands even when their parent companies test on animals, noting the ownership separately. CCF's refusal to accredit brands with animal-testing parent companies drew a harder line on the corporate-ownership question.
None of the three programs certifies vegan status by itself; that distinction is covered in the section above.
Frequently asked questions
Does Choose Cruelty Free (CCF) still exist?
Not as an independent organization. In 2021, CCF merged with Cruelty Free International, the group behind the Leaping Bunny program, and its separate Australian accreditation scheme was wound down. Brands formerly accredited by CCF were directed toward Leaping Bunny certification.
Is the CCF rabbit logo the same as the Leaping Bunny?
No. They were separate logos run by separate organizations — CCF in Australia and Leaping Bunny internationally — although both certified cruelty-free status with supplier-level verification. Since the 2021 merger, the Leaping Bunny has effectively replaced the CCF mark, but older Australian packaging may still show the CCF rabbit.
Does CCF accreditation mean a product is vegan?
No. CCF certified that a brand and its ingredient suppliers did not test on animals, but accredited products could still contain animal-derived ingredients such as beeswax, lanolin, or honey. CCF did exclude ingredients from animals killed specifically to obtain them and flagged vegan brands on its list, but vegan status still required separate confirmation.
Was CCF stricter than PETA's cruelty-free list?
It was generally regarded as stricter. CCF required verification covering ingredient suppliers and refused accreditation to brands owned by parent companies that test on animals, whereas PETA's program relies primarily on company assurances and lists qualifying brands regardless of parent-company testing. On the corporate-ownership question in particular, CCF drew a harder line.
What should Australian shoppers look for instead of the CCF logo?
The Leaping Bunny logo and Cruelty Free International's online brand search, which absorbed CCF's program after the 2021 merger. Shoppers who also want animal-free ingredients should additionally look for a vegan certification mark or check the full ingredient list, since cruelty-free logos only address animal testing.
Summary
Type
Cruelty-Free
Established
1991
Origin
Australia
Scope
Cosmetics, personal care, household products