What Leaping Bunny does

The Leaping Bunny Program, established in 1996 and administered by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) with the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) as the Chair organization, is a cruelty-free certification standard for cosmetics, personal care, and household product companies headquartered in the United States and Canada. Its core technology is a compliance framework rather than a software product: certified companies must declare an unalterable cut-off date after which no animal testing occurs at any stage of product development, set up supplier monitoring systems that collect signed declarations from all manufacturers and ingredient suppliers, recommit annually, and submit to independent third-party audits. The program operates a Compassionate Shopping Guide (an online searchable directory of 2,344+ certified brands), a free mobile application with UPC barcode scanning, and a logo licensing program.

The business model is primarily mission-driven rather than revenue-maximizing. Certification itself is free for US/Canada-headquartered companies; revenue is generated through optional logo licensing fees (a one-time payment of $500 to $4,500 based on gross annual sales) and audit fees ($500-$1,000) charged only to companies with gross annual sales exceeding $10 million — Leaping Bunny subsidizes audits for smaller companies. Companies outside the US and Canada are certified through a reciprocal arrangement with Cruelty Free International (UK), which uses a separate version of the Leaping Bunny Logo. The customer base spans both large enterprise brands (Burt's Bees, Seventh Generation, Method, YesTo) and small-to-medium businesses (Dollylocks, Also Green, Timeless Skin Care, Cōpḍī Beauty), distributed horizontally across personal care and household product categories. The organization is structured as a non-profit coalition with 1-10 employees based in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

Name

Leaping Bunny

Legal name

American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS)

Website

https://leapingbunny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leaping Bunny is a non-profit cruelty-free certification program, established in 1996 and operated by the CCIC, that certifies cosmetics, personal care, and household product companies in the US and Canada against animal testing through annual recommitment and independent audits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jenkintown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Logo Licensing Fees: Optional one-time licensing fee for companies that wish to display the Leaping Bunny Logo on their products, packaging, websites, or social media. Fee is based on gross annual sales.
2. Audit Fees (for qualifying companies): Companies with gross annual sales over $10M must pay for independent audits. Leaping Bunny pays for audits for companies with less than $10M in sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Leaping Bunny administers a cruelty-free certification standard for cosmetics, personal care, and household product companies headquartered in the US and Canada. Companies apply, pledge to end animal testing at all product development stages, set a fixed cut-off date, collect supplier declarations, recommit annually, and are subject to independent audits. Certified companies may optionally license the internationally recognized Leaping Bunny Logo for use on packaging and marketing materials.

Product overview

Leaping Bunny is a cruelty-free certification program operated by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), providing certification services to cosmetics and household product companies. The core offering consists of the Compassionate Shopping Guide (an online directory of over 2,300 certified brands), a mobile app with barcode scanning capabilities, and the Leaping Bunny Logo Licensing program. The program also includes the China Qualification Program to help certified companies enter the Chinese market while maintaining cruelty-free status. Companies must comply with the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals, which requires a fixed cut-off date for ending animal testing, supplier monitoring systems, annual re-commitment, and openness to independent audits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Compassionate Shopping Guide An online searchable directory of over 2,344 Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free companies, enabling consumers to browse brands alphabetically or filter by product type. Free for all users.
• Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide App

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,300 companies certified
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Knudsen&CRCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Partnership with regulatory experts based in Shanghai, China to help Leaping Bunny certified companies navigate Chinese registration requirements and avoid animal testing while selling in China. Provides pre-market and post-market auditing services for the China Qualification Program.
• Cruelty Free InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based partner organization that runs the Leaping Bunny program for companies headquartered outside the US and Canada. Uses a different version of the Leaping Bunny Logo. Certified companies can be listed interchangeably on both organizations' lists.
• CCIC Member OrganizationsminorOthersCoalition member organizations include: American Anti-Vivisection Society (Chair); Animal Alliance of Canada; Beauty Without Cruelty, USA; Doris Day Animal League; The Humane Society of Canada; The Humane Society of the United States; Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; National Anti-Vivisection Society; and New England Anti-Vivisection Society.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Natrue: International natural and organic cosmetics certification body headquartered in Brussels. Operates in the same cosmetics-certification category as Leaping Bunny, but on a natural/organic axis rather than animal-testing, giving brands a broader portfolio of seals to consider.
• EcoCert: Global certification body certifying natural, organic, and 'cruelty-free' cosmetics among many other product categories. Competes for cosmetics-brand certification budgets and offers overlapping 'cruelty-free' sub-standards.
• B Lab (B Corporation): Certifies companies across social and environmental performance. Competes for the 'values-driven brand' positioning space; many Leaping Bunny-certified brands also pursue B Corp, signaling overlap in buyer persona.
• NSF International: Large third-party testing and certification organization offering product-verification seals across health, safety, and sustainability. Not a cruelty-free specialist, but represents the broader standards/certifier segment that competes for similar brand-certification budget.
• USDA Organic: Government-backed organic certification that certifies cosmetics and personal-care products. Represents a parallel premium ethical-label pathway for personal-care brands; the established shelf presence competes for the same 'verified' positioning.

Regional players

• Choose Cruelty Free (Australia): Australian cruelty-free accreditation program with an analogous certification mark. Geographically limited to Australia/Oceania, but overlaps in product categories and competes for cruelty-free-conscious brand participation.

Emerging players

• Vegan Society (Vegan Trademark): Issues the Vegan Trademark to non-food and personal-care products, including many cosmetics. Competes for the same 'no animal-derived ingredients/testing' shelf space, especially with vegan-positioned brands that may treat vegan certification as a substitute for cruelty-free.
• Environmental Working Group (EWG Verified): EWG Verified is a cosmetics/personal-care product certification focused on ingredient safety and transparency. Adjacent ethical-verification seal that competes for the same conscious-consumer attention and brand marketing real estate.

Direct peers

• Cruelty Free International: UK-based charity that administers the international Leaping Bunny program outside the US/Canada using a parallel logo. Operates the same standard (CCIC) and interchanges certified-company listings, making it a direct peer and operational partner.
• PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies: PETA runs the most widely recognized competing cruelty-free certification program for cosmetics and personal-care brands. Directly competes with Leaping Bunny for the same cruelty-free seal on shelf, with overlapping brands often holding both certifications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/leapingbunny
• Facebookfacebook.com/leapingbunny
• Instagraminstagram.com/leapingbunnyprogram
• TikToktiktok.com/@leapingbunnyprogram
• Pinterestpinterest.com/leapingbunny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leaping-bunny-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leaping Bunny