Meet Verb. A hair care brand that’s all about keeping it real. They want to use real products on real people to achieve “great hair with no filter.” It’s clean, cruelty-free, and affordable. But could they be doing more for their vegan policies?
Is Verb Cruelty-Free and Vegan?
Verb is cruelty-free. It doesn't conduct animal testing on its products, nor does it distribute its cosmetics where animal testing is required by law. Verb does offer a range of vegan cosmetics; however, it is not considered a vegan brand.
Verb debuted in Austin, TX, in 2011. Its founders chose to develop multi-purpose, high-quality hair care products for all hair types and genders at an accessible price.
Verb’s founders developed something you can find in a drugstore and a salon.
Although it started just six effective products under its belt – it didn't take long before the brand expanded into an extensive range!
All products are color safe and free from gluten, parabens, and harmful sulfates.
They’re super proud of their cruelty-free ethos – but are they doing enough? We’ve done the research, and you’ll need to decide.
Is Verb Cruelty-Free and Vegan?
Verb is 100% Cruelty-Free
It does not:
Verb is truly cruelty-free (no complaints here). The brand doesn’t test its ingredients or final products on animals, nor do any of its suppliers or third parties.
But while Verb is PETA accredited – it might not be enough. Find out why under Certification.
Verb is also owned by Moroccan Oil, another cruelty-free hair care brand.
This brings us to our next point:
Verb is Not Vegan
Although the brand is not entirely vegan, Verb has an extensive range of vegan products from which to choose.
Only 9 items contain animal-derived ingredients. These include:
Luckily, checking if a product is vegan is easy once you’re on its dedicated page. You’ll find a little vegan “stamp” to the right of the picture. Here’s an example:
Some of the most common animal-derived ingredients that Verb uses are:
If you're interested in which products are vegan or finding vegan brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: Verb vegan products.
Animal Testing Policy and History
Verb has a strict no animal testing policy and has been that way since it launched in 2011.
Cruelty-Free Status in 2022
Here is a screenshot of Verb's official statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:
Certification
Verb is PETA certified, which is not a bad start. You are likely to find the little cruelty-free PETA bunny next to each one of its products.
However, it would be nice to see more certification from Verb since it’s a proudly cruelty-free brand.
While you might know PETA very well – it surprisingly doesn't hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations. It seems only to require a brand's written consent that abides by the PETA code of conduct.
Certification from Leaping Bunny is ideal because it holds rigorous standards and does regular audits to ensure they are upheld.
The Leaping Bunny association is very strict and reliable, which ensures that:
If you see a bunny stamp on the back of your product bottle – that's an excellent sign. But don't let the image itself fool you. A lot of brands are using fake logos to deceive consumers.
Do your homework and see which products are genuinely cruelty-free first. This article will help you: Which Cruelty-Free Logos Can You Trust?Is Verb Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law?
Verb does not distribute any of its products in retail stores in mainland China or any country that requires animal testing on cosmetics by law.
China has a shocking track record. It is the country with the most animal testing globally, with over 20 million animals used per year.
However, if you live in China or are concerned about its cruel beauty policies, there are a couple of loopholes.
Here's how to find cruelty-free cosmetics in China: Are Cosmetics Made in China Cruelty-Free?
What Verb Products Are Vegan?
We must admit – Verb has an extensive and exciting range of vegan products.
But if you’re having a hard time choosing what you’d like – here are some of its most popular and award-winning products to choose from:
Unfortunately, Verb does not have a dedicated page for its vegan products. But it’s easy to see what is vegan-friendly once you’ve selected the product you like on their website.
Vegan Alternatives to Verb
Verb has many vegan and cruelty-free products for every hair type.
But if you will not support a brand that isn't entirely vegan or if Verb isn’t available in your area – we have some alternatives you’ll love!
Here are some vegan alternatives to try:
Is Verb Natural and Organic?
Verb’s formulas are filled with active, natural ingredients.
They prioritize making products free from harsh ingredients that anyone can use.
Verb would not be considered organic, nor do they advertise as being organic.
Clean vs. Natural Ingredients
The term "natural" is not regulated for cosmetics and skincare. In other words, it doesn't hold one specific meaning.
Usually, it means a product is free of certain more toxic synthetic ingredients, including parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and more. But people also interpret "natural" to mean ingredients of immediate plant origin.
Here's the thing: "natural" is not necessarily good. Just because an ingredient is natural (take egg whites, for example) doesn't mean you should rub it on your skin and risk a salmonella infection!
All products use a certain amount of synthetic ingredients in their formulas. Verb is no exception – but it does choose to use better or clean synthetics.
If a synthetic ingredient is "clean," it means it is safe and non-toxic for us. Its purpose is to preserve the stability of a beauty formulation.
A few naturally-derived ingredients Verb uses to enhance its cosmetics include:
Does Verb Use Safe Ingredients?
According to Skin Safe, Verb has an 82 – 91% allergen-free ranking for each product.
All Verb products are free of parabens, gluten, and harmful sulfates.
The brand also avoids allergens such as nickel, soy, dye, propylene glycol, and MCI/MI.
Reading the ingredient list is crucial because Verb is not 100% hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic, and they do not claim to be.
Verb has based their lists according to hair type and concerns, so if you have an allergy or concern, make sure to check the ingredients.
The EU/UK Have Stricter Ingredient Regulations
We don’t want to scare you, but you HAVE to read up on any product’s ingredient list before you make a purchase – especially if you live within the United States. The reason why will shock you.
The FDA has only banned or restricted 11 harmful chemicals from cosmetics within the country. Europe and the UK, on the other hand, have banned 1,328!
Although Verb has a safe set of ingredients – you can never be too careful!
With hair care, you want to avoid these ingredients:
Are Cruelty-Free Ingredients Safe?
If you’re worried about how safe it is to use cosmetics not tested on animals – please relax and take a sigh of relief.
There is no reason why cruelty-free products shouldn’t be as safe as anything tested on animals.
Not only is it easy to test ingredients without using animals altogether, but there are so many pre-approved ingredients you can use to make cosmetics that there is no need.
If you’re interested, here’s more on the subject: Are Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Safe?
Is Verb Sustainable and Ethical?
Verb touches the surface of ethical and sustainable initiatives that we need to see in 2022.
Sure – they’re cruelty-free and mostly vegan, but it’s not enough.
Luckily, the brand has acknowledged that they need to be more eco-friendly. So let’s see what they do about it...
The biggest ethical ambition that Verb fulfills is that they genuinely are an inclusive brand.
It's no secret that the world has a huge waste problem, and cosmetic brands are only making it worse by using unsustainable packaging and harmful ingredients.
Verb has urged its customers to be more water and product savvy and even reuse their bottles for other things once they’re used.
As it stands, Verb is taking environmental accountability by:
Some of the ways they could take strong environmental accountability are by:
Final Thoughts
Since Verb launched in 2011 – it has become a beloved brand in many people’s bathrooms. Their products aren’t only cruelty-free and clean but are highly inclusive.
Verb is one of few high-quality hair care brands making an effort to be a more affordable salon-grade brand.
But it is difficult to ignore two things: Verb is not 100% vegan, and they don’t have solid sustainable initiatives.
Environmental activists and vegans might struggle to support them – but we wouldn’t discredit them so quickly!
Verb is not only acknowledging that it has areas it needs to improve but that it is willing to make the changes its customers are requesting.
Now it’s time to see if they fulfill their promises!
If you love the brand but want to see more from them – we highly recommend reaching out and sharing your thoughts. The more we vocalize our opinions, the more likely we are to see improvements.
