As Wikipedia states, “Head & Shoulders is an American brand of anti-dandruff and non-dandruff shampoo produced by parent company Procter & Gamble.” They have long used the tagline, “You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression” so lets see if that is true about their animal-friendliness as well. In this article we look to answer two questions: 1. Is Head and Shoulders vegan? and 2. Is Head and Shoulders cruelty-free?
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Vegan vs Cruelty-Free
While “vegan” and “cruelty-free” are often used interchangeability by beauty brands and consumers, they actually mean two different things. With all lifestyle brand and product analyses we produce at Veg Knowledge, we use the same definitions for vegan and cruelty-free. These definitions are:
“Vegan” products are those that contain no animal-derived ingredients.
“Cruelty-Free” products are those that no animal testing occurs on the product or any of its ingredients.
Therefore, it is possible that a product could be “vegan” but not “cruelty-free” if the product contains no animal-based ingredients, but it is tested on animals due to a certain country’s regulations.
We choose to use these definitions in our analyses because they are often the definitions used by those in the beauty industry. In our option, it is hard to justify that a product is cruelty-free if it includes animal-based products, but this is how the beauty industry labels their products. If you’d like a full breakdown on this topic, check out the Ethical Elephant’s article.
Is Head and Shoulders Vegan?
Head and Shoulders goes in to detail on each of the ingredients is used in their products in the article, “Shampoo Ingredients: What’s in Head & Shoulders?” We cross-referenced each of the ingredients they listed with multiple vegan ingredient guides. The guides used include Vegan Peace’s Ingredients Guide, Peta’s Animal-Derived Ingredients List, and multiple sources found through Google searches.
Of the ingredients in Head & Shoulders, none of the ingredients come from animal-only sources and only three come from animal or plant sources. These three ingredients are: Glycol Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, and Glycerin. However, these three ingredients are typically derived from plant sources when used in beauty products. Due to some uncertainty with their ingredient sources, we reached out to Head and Shoulders to verify if their ingredients come from vegan sources.
On July 26, 2019 we received the following emailed response from Kendra of the Head and Shoulders Team.
In the response they state that animal ingredients are used if there is no alternative, or there is a shortage or alternatives to animal ingredients.
Therefore, Head and Shoulders is NOT vegan as it contains animal-derived ingredients.
Is Head and Shoulders Cruelty-Free?
In the FAQ section on Head and Shoulders website, they have 4 questions all about animal testing. These questions are copied below.
Q: Does Head & Shoulders test products on animals?
We believe that eliminating animal testing is the right thing to do. We do not test our products on animals. In fact, animal testing on cosmetics is banned in Europe and we have not tested a finished product on animals in over a decade.Q: Some companies claim to not test products or ingredients on animals. If they can, why can’t you?
In fact, we have not tested a finished product on animals in over a decade, but we choose not to make this claim because we want to be straight with you. Nearly every ingredient used in consumer products today has been tested in the past and some laws require animal testing still today. That’s why we’re putting so much effort behind developing non-animal alternatives, and working with global authorities for their acceptance as the most meaningful solution to ultimately eliminate research involving animals.Q: Do you use External Business Partners to conduct animal testing for your products?
Eliminating animal testing is the right thing to do, and we do not ask Business Partners to test our products on our behalf.Q: Do you test products in China?
In China, regulatory authorities do animal tests at their own discretion without any involvement of the manufacturer. These tests are scientifically unnecessary. That’s why we have been closely collaborating with international experts and Chinese authorities on the acceptance of safety assessments using non-animal tests. As a result of all of these efforts, Chinese authorities recently announced the acceptance of non-animal alternative safety assessments for a broad variety of products. We will continue to work with authorities on the acceptance of non-animal alternatives, in China and globally.
Because Head and Shoulders is sold in China, their products are subject to animal testing. China currently requires a test on animals for all imported cosmetics, regardless of the location of manufacture. As Head and Shoulders points out: China has recently announced the acceptance of non-animal safety assessments for a “broad variety of products”, but those do not apply to Head and Shoulders products. Until these regulations are changed, Head and Shoulder’s products will still be subject to animal testing in China. Regretfully, Peta has also confirmed that Head & Shoulders is tested on animals.
Therefore, Head and Shoulders products ARE NOT cruelty-free because they are subject to animal testing in China.
Proctor & Gamble's Animal Testing Stance
Vegan and Cruelty-Free Head and Shoulders Anti-Dandruff Alternatives
According to Jason’s, all of their products contain no animal byproducts, no artificial colors, no GMOs, no parabens, no phihallates, no sulfates, no petroleum, and are cruelty free. You can purchase their Dandruff Relief Shampoo and all of their other products on Amazon.
According to Avalon, their Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner contains no parabens, harsh sulfates or preservatives, synthetic colors or fragrances, phthalates, GMOs, or animal testing. It is also vegan and biodegradeable. You can purchase both the shampoo and conditioner on Amazon.
According to DERMA-E, all of their products are consumer tested, clinically tested, allergy tested, coal tar-free, pine tar-free, steroid-free, prescription-free, 100% vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, mineral oil-free, lanolin-free, gluten-free, and GMO-free. You can purchase both their Scalp Relief Shampoo and Scalp Relief Conditioner on Amazon.
