A certification anyone can verify.
A vegan label means nothing without proof behind it. Here's why shoppers trust independent verification over self-declared claims, what makes a retraceable. report a public record instead of just another logo, and how it compares to the rest of the certification market.
Why vegan certification matters.
Shoppers look for proof, not promises
72% of consumers are more likely to trust an ethical claim when it's verified by a recognized certifying body, and 81% cross-check certifications before buying. A claim you make yourself doesn't carry the same weight as one that's independently verified.
Source: Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market Report, 2024Independent verification is what consumers trust
78% of consumers believe an objective third party, not the producer, should verify animal-welfare and ethical claims. Self-declared labels are exactly what shoppers have learned to distrust, because a brand can print anything on a package.
Source: Wolf et al., "Are They Buying It?", Animals journal, 2018Verified claims are worth more
58% of global consumers are willing to pay a premium for cruelty-free products, and certification is what makes that premium credible. Proof doesn't just protect your claim, it lets you stand behind it.
Source: Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market Report, 2024Not a badge. A public record.
Most certifications give brands a logo to display. retraceable. gives brands a permanent, publicly accessible record and gives consumers a way to verify their claim. Every retraceable. certification is issued through CheckVegan, a public vegan ingredient search engine with over 35,000 classified ingredients. Built by retraceable., free to search by anyone. The same database behind every verification report.
What we actually check.
Every ingredient in your submitted list is checked against our database and classified as vegan, not vegan, or unconfirmed. We don't guess, and we don't quietly pass what we can't verify.
Plant-derived, synthetic, mineral-derived, fermentation-derived, or biotechnology-derived. No animal or insect origin.
Derived from a vertebrate animal or insect, for example gelatin, carmine, beeswax, or lanolin.
Can come from an animal or non-animal source, and the supplier hasn't specified which. Flagged for documentation, never passed silently.
Aligned with ISO 23662:2021
Our classification methodology follows ISO 23662:2021, the international standard for defining vegan and vegan-friendly claims. retraceable. is not an ISO-accredited certification body. This means we apply the same definitions and rigor the standard sets out, not that the report itself carries ISO accreditation.
Scope of verification
Covered: Ingredient composition, based on your submitted product list and our database as of the date of issue.
Not covered: Animal testing practices, cross-contamination during manufacturing, and batch-level sourcing variations. Supplier declarations for unconfirmed ingredients are self-reported by the manufacturer.
All the logos. None of the transparency.
The vegan certification market is fragmented, opaque, and slow. Most certifiers rely on manual audits, revenue-based pricing, and processes that tell consumers almost nothing about how decisions were made. retraceable. is built to replace that model: automated verification, a public transparency ledger, and pricing that does not penalize you for growing.
Opaque, revenue-based pricing. retraceable. is free to start and transparent by design.
Full comparison →Activist and polarizing. retraceable. is clinical, data-driven, and without the emotional baggage.
Full comparison →Lab testing adds cost and delays. retraceable. replaces that with an instant digital database.
Full comparison →Application fees and weeks of waiting. retraceable. verifies in minutes, not weeks.
Full comparison →Built like a law firm. retraceable. is built for founders: direct, accessible, and jargon-free.
Full comparison →Enterprise sales cycles and bureaucracy. retraceable. skips the 6-week sales process entirely.
Full comparison →Months of manual review. retraceable. puts the actual proof in the hands of consumers.
Full comparison →Opaque audits with no visible supply chain data. retraceable. shows its work.
Full comparison →A marketing subscription disguised as a certification. retraceable. is pure verification.
Full comparison →Frequently asked questions.
Everything brands ask us before getting verified.