Is Colgate ethical and cruelty-free?
Mixed — Colgate clears 1 of 4 ethics signals and fails 2, so it depends which issue matters most to you.
Colgate, owned by Colgate-Palmolive, is a global oral care leader with strong commitments to sustainability and ethical sourcing, though its animal testing policies and lack of a fully vegan range present limitations for some consumers.
The evidence, signal by signal
Cruelty-freeverified
Colgate-Palmolive is Leaping Bunny certified and does not test on animals except where required by law (e.g., China).
Vegan optionsunverified
Colgate does not have a fully vegan range; many products contain fluoride (possibly from bone char) and glycerin (may be animal-derived). The Smile for Good line is widely considered vegan-friendly.
Sells in mainland Chinaflagged
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
Third-party certifiedflagged
No independent certifications recorded on the products we track.
Public pledges: 100% recyclable packaging by 2025, 100% renewable electricity by 2030, net-zero carbon by 2040, and 50% water reduction by 2030.
Scored with our public methodology. Profile last updated 2026-09-12.
More on Colgate
Is Colgate ethical? FAQs
Is Colgate cruelty-free?+
Colgate-Palmolive is Leaping Bunny certified and does not test on animals except where required by law (e.g., China).
Does Colgate have vegan products?+
Colgate does not have a fully vegan range; many products contain fluoride (possibly from bone char) and glycerin (may be animal-derived). The Smile for Good line is widely considered vegan-friendly.
Does Colgate sell in mainland China?+
Selling through mainland Chinese retail has historically triggered post-market animal testing.
What is Colgate's ethics score?+
Colgate averages —/100 across 0 products we score on certifications, sourcing, labour, packaging and transparency.
What are the best alternatives to Colgate?+
See our full list of ethical alternatives to Colgate for better-scoring options in the same categories.