Is Burt's Bees ethical and cruelty-free?
Mostly — Burt's Bees scores 75/100. It clears our bar on 3 of 4 ethics signals, with gaps worth checking before you buy.
Burt's Bees positions itself as a natural personal care brand with strong commitments to sustainability, ingredient transparency, and environmental responsibility, though its ownership under Clorox, parent company, raises questions about full alignment with the most stringent ethical standards.
The evidence, signal by signal
Cruelty-freeverified
Burt's Bees does not test on animals and is Leaping Bunny verified, ensuring no animal testing by suppliers or final manufacturers.
Vegan optionsunverified
Burt's Bees offers a limited vegan product range, clearly labeled on its website, but many products contain beeswax or honey.
Sells in mainland Chinaverified
The brand does not sell through channels that require mainland China post-market testing.
Third-party certifiedverified
We record 3 distinct certifications across this brand's products.
Public pledges: Aims for 100% recycled, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025, 50% carbon reduction by 2030, and 1% for the Planet membership.
Scored with our public methodology. Profile last updated 2026-09-11.
Burt's Bees products we score
A classic natural lip balm made with beeswax and vitamin E, offering reliable moisture for sensitive lips. Not vegan but cruelty-free and widely available on Amazon.
More on Burt's Bees
Is Burt's Bees ethical? FAQs
Is Burt's Bees cruelty-free?+
Burt's Bees does not test on animals and is Leaping Bunny verified, ensuring no animal testing by suppliers or final manufacturers.
Does Burt's Bees have vegan products?+
Burt's Bees offers a limited vegan product range, clearly labeled on its website, but many products contain beeswax or honey.
Does Burt's Bees sell in mainland China?+
The brand does not sell through channels that require mainland China post-market testing.
What is Burt's Bees's ethics score?+
Burt's Bees averages 75/100 across 1 product we score on certifications, sourcing, labour, packaging and transparency.
What are the best alternatives to Burt's Bees?+
See our full list of ethical alternatives to Burt's Bees for better-scoring options in the same categories.