“Not tested on animals”, "vegetarian" and “vegan” describe different aspects of a product.
PhycoHealth does not conduct or commission animal testing on our products or proprietary seaweed ingredients. This is evidence because our peer-reviewed published science outlining the skin or nutritional benefits of our products have zero track record of animal research. You can scan our research profile in any scientific database like ORCID. In fact - our foundations are exactly those of ethical and sustainable principles from our original fields of scientific research.
However, not every product we make is vegan—and we prefer to explain the few exceptions clearly rather than make one broad claim across the entire range.
Most of our products are made without animal-derived ingredients, and we have created a dedicated collection on our website to make these products easy to find.
Sustainable and Ethical Solutions where personal choice is key.
There are, however, a few products that sit within a vegetarian or personal choice zone. We present these transparently for each person to make the decisions on where they land.
Our PhycoMuesli, for example, now contains honey rather than relying only on rice malt syrup. Many vegetarians are comfortable eating honey, while vegans generally choose not to. One of our pasta varieties contains egg, while our other two pasta products are made without animal ingredients.
A small number of our exfoliating skincare products contain finely milled calcium carbonate recovered from discarded Sydney rock oyster or pearl oyster shells. These are not animal tissues and the oysters are not harvested for our skincare. The shells are waste materials from other industries that would otherwise require disposal.
We recognise that shell remains an animal-derived material and that some vegans will therefore choose not to use these particular products. We completely respect that choice.
Our own ethical position is also grounded in circularity.
We believe that carefully repurposing an existing marine waste material can be more environmentally responsible than manufacturing synthetic exfoliating polymers or extracting more virgin mineral material from the Earth. Shell flour gives us a natural skin-buffing ingredient while helping us avoid plastic exfoliating beads and make better use of a material that already exists.
Not tested on animals—from the formulation to the science
Our commitment extends beyond never testing a finished skincare product on an animal. We do not conduct or commission animal testing on our formulations or proprietary seaweed ingredients—and the evidence supporting them comes from our published scientific research. We lead with human cells, advanced animal-free “organs on a bench” and properly governed human clinical studies, reviewed by Human Research Ethics Committees and registered with the ANZCTR. Where required, we have also worked through the appropriate TGA clinical-trial pathway to take first-of-their-kind extracts safely into human research. You will not find a single laboratory animal used to prove the benefits of our ingredients in our published work. The only animals you may find are in research designed to improve their health and welfare—such as feeding farmed abalone their natural seaweed diet rather than formulations dominated by land-based pellet ingredients. For us, being free from animal testing is not simply a claim on a skincare jar; it is embedded in how we develop the science itself.
This reflects a broader principle within PhycoHealth: ethical choices are sometimes more nuanced than a single label. Animal welfare, ocean health, waste reduction, material circularity and personal dietary beliefs can all form part of the decision.
We want to be transparent about the choices we have made—and allow you to make the choice that is right for you.
If you prefer products made without animal-derived ingredients, please visit our Plant-based collection, where we have brought those options together for you.
PhycoHealth and animal-free research statement
- We do not conduct or commission animal testing on our products, formulations or proprietary seaweed ingredients.
- Our peer-reviewed scientific research contains no laboratory-animal studies used to demonstrate the benefits of our ingredients.
- Instead, we focus on human-relevant science—including human cells and advanced animal-free “organs on a bench.”
- Our human clinical studies undergo independent safety and ethics oversight through Human Research Ethics Committees, ANZCTR registration and, where required, the appropriate TGA clinical-trial pathway.
- We respect cruelty-free and sustainability certifications. Their logos can help customers make quick and informed choices.
- For PhycoHealth, however, these principles were not adopted later to earn a badge. They are the minimum foundations upon which our company and our science were built.
- Our approach is transparent: anyone can examine our peer-reviewed publications and clinical-trial registrations.
- The only animals found in our research are those we are working to help—such as improving farmed abalone diets by returning natural seaweed nutrition in place of formulations dominated by land-based pellet ingredients.
- A certification may one day help us communicate our position more simply—but it would be confirming an established practice, not creating one.