Certified Vegan

1. Review the standard: Visit vegan.org and read the Certified Vegan criteria — products must contain no animal ingredients or by-products and must not be tested on animals at any stage of production.

1. Assess product eligibility: Audit your product formulations and supply chain to confirm all ingredients and manufacturing aids are free of animal-derived substances and that no animal testing is conducted by your company or any contractor.

1. Compile ingredient documentation: Gather complete ingredient lists, supplier declarations, and any relevant manufacturing process documentation for each product you wish to certify.

1. Submit your application: Complete the online application at vegan.org, listing each product and uploading the required ingredient and supplier documentation.

1. Pay the application and licensing fee: Fees are based on your company's annual gross sales; Vegan Action will provide a fee schedule upon application.

1. Undergo Vegan Action's review: Vegan Action staff conduct a second-party documentation review of all submitted materials. They may follow up with questions or requests for additional supplier information.

1. Receive certification and logo license: Upon approval, you receive a license to display the Certified Vegan logo on your certified products and in marketing materials.

1. Renew annually: Each year, resubmit updated ingredient and formulation information and pay the annual licensing fee to maintain certification. Report any formulation changes promptly.

The Certified Vegan standard evaluates three core criteria for each product submitted. First, ingredient composition: every ingredient, processing aid, and additive in the product must be free of animal-derived substances. This includes obvious animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, lanolin, beeswax, carmine, etc.) as well as less obvious by-products such as casein, whey, isinglass, and certain colorants or processing agents derived from animals.

Second, manufacturing process: the production process itself must not involve animal ingredients or by-products at any stage, including filtering, fining, or processing steps. Cross-contamination risks and shared manufacturing lines are considered in context.

Third, animal testing: neither the company nor any of its independent contractors may conduct animal testing on the product or its ingredients. This applies to finished products as well as individual ingredient testing commissioned by the applicant.

Verification is documentation-based. Vegan Action reviews supplier declarations, ingredient specifications, and formulation records submitted by the applicant. There is no on-site audit or third-party laboratory testing required. Each product is assessed individually, and certification is granted on a per-product basis.

The Certified Vegan logo from Vegan Action is widely regarded as the most recognized vegan product certification in the United States, having been established in 1998 — well before the current wave of plant-based consumer interest. With over 15,000 certified products across more than 1,500 companies, it has achieved significant market penetration across food and beverage, cosmetics, personal care, and household goods categories. The logo is distributed and recognized globally, though its strongest foothold is in North America.

The vegan product market has grown substantially over the past decade, driven by rising consumer interest in animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and plant-based diets. This has increased demand for credible vegan labeling, benefiting established programs like Certified Vegan. However, the space has become more crowded, with competitors including The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark (UK-based but internationally recognized), BeVeg (which offers third-party audited certification), and NSF Certified Vegan. Brands seeking the most rigorous external verification may gravitate toward audited alternatives, as Certified Vegan relies on second-party (self-reported) documentation review rather than independent third-party audits.

Despite this limitation, Certified Vegan's longevity, nonprofit credibility, and consumer recognition give it a strong competitive position, particularly for U.S.-based brands. Its relatively accessible fee structure and straightforward application process make it attractive to small and mid-sized companies. Retailers such as Whole Foods Market and Thrive Market actively look for vegan-certified products, making the logo a practical commercial asset. Demand for vegan certification is expected to continue growing alongside the broader plant-based and ethical consumption trend.

Vegan Action (formally the Vegan Awareness Foundation) was founded in 1995 in Richmond, Virginia, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the mission of reducing animal suffering, environmental harm, and diet-related health issues through promotion of veganism. Recognizing that consumers needed a reliable, at-a-glance way to identify vegan products without scrutinizing every ingredient list, Vegan Action launched the Certified Vegan logo program in 1998. It was among the first dedicated vegan product certification programs in the United States.

Over the following two and a half decades, the program grew steadily alongside rising consumer interest in plant-based living. By the mid-2020s, the logo had been licensed to more than 1,500 companies covering over 15,000 products across food, beverage, cosmetics, personal care, and household goods. The Certified Vegan logo became a registered trademark and achieved broad global distribution, though its primary market remains North America. The program has maintained its core three-pillar standard — no animal ingredients, no animal by-products in manufacturing, no animal testing — since its founding, with ongoing refinement of its ingredient review processes as new animal-derived substances and processing aids have come to market.