At Doctor Eckstein®, products described as “Vegan Philosophy” embrace a way of living which seeks to exclude ingredients that originate from animals, as far as is possible and practicable. Our “Vegan Philosophy” products do not contain any animal-derived ingredient. But acknowledging, that since many vegan ingredients are processed in facilities alongside non-vegan ingredients, it cannot be 100% excluded that during the lifecycle of the ingredient (i.e. extraction/production) it never had any trace contact with an animal-derived ingredient.
At our skin care production facilities, we can ensure that “Vegan Philosophy” products do not have contact with a non-vegan ingredient or product, but we cannot guarantee this for all of our ingredient suppliers.
While we are constantly working with our suppliers to obtain even more thorough documentation about every single step an ingredient goes through before arriving at our headquarters, at this point it is hard to 100% certify and document that before an ingredient reaches us that it has never in its lifecycle been exposed, even briefly or in trace amounts, to any animal products.
As of March 11th, 2013, the European Union implemented a comprehensive legally binding ban concerning animal welfare-- banning the production, marketing, and sale of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients tested on animals.* All cosmetics manufacturers in the European Union (EU) must comply with this legal prohibition.
This general binding regulation aligns with Doctor Eckstein® principles we have been implementing for over 70 years. We have never tested our products on animals, and we also do not offer our products in countries that require animal testing for market approval.