Unilever-owned Axe gains PETA approval and joins Beauty Without Bunnies list; brand has pledged not to commission any animal tests on ingredients or finished products

Axe, known as Lynx in the UK, is the latest Unilever brand to gain approval from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The accreditation means Axe joins more than 20 Unilever brands on the animal protection organisation’s global Beauty Without Bunnies programme, renowned for its rigorous high standards.

It’s independent recognition that Axe does not conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients or finished products, and that the brand pledges not to do so in the future.

The business case for non-animal testing

Unilever has used and developed alternatives to animal testing for more than four decades. We are recognised by PETA as a company working for regulatory change, and we share our scientific expertise in non-animal safety science with governments, NGOs and businesses all over the world.

We say use science not animals. And the Gen Z consumers who choose Axe feel the same way. In the UNiDAYS 2022 Beauty Report ^[a] , conducted across five countries, UNiDAYS found that 43% of Gen Z students said they would never buy beauty products that have been tested on animals.'

Championing confidence without cruelty

“We are proud to be officially PETA approved,” says Unilever Personal Care President Fabian Garcia.

“Axe will continue to champion confidence while consumers can be safe in the knowledge that none of AXE’s products or their ingredients will be tested on animals anywhere in the world.”

Dr Julia Fentem, Global Head of Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Sciences at Unilever , adds that the brand’s PETA approval is thanks to decades of pioneering research in alternatives to animal testing by Unilever’s scientists, working together with other leaders in non-animal safety science and global stakeholders.

“Unilever has more than 20 PETA approved brands and we’re thrilled to see Axe join them. We believe that using non-animal approaches to assure ingredient and product safety enables us to better protect people and the environment – and we remain steadfast in our commitment to support an end to animal testing all over the world,” she explains.

A longstanding commitment to ending animal tests

Axe is sold in more than 90 countries across the globe. PETA’s logo will begin to appear on Axe products next year, demonstrating that the brand does not, and will not, test on animals anywhere in the world.

“We welcome Unilever’s iconic men’s fragrance brand, Axe, to our list of companies and brands that have banned all tests on animals,” says Kathy Guillermo, Senior Vice President, Laboratory Investigations Department at PETA.

“Millions of PETA supporters and compassionate consumers all around the world will be delighted by this news, and we want to thank Unilever for its longstanding commitment to ending tests on animals everywhere.”