Exploring the ethical values and social drivers behind consumer preferences for cruelty-free products

Together, the findings portray cruelty-free consumption as a script in which logos, parasocial voices, and fair prices jointly ignite compassion, channel it into purchase, and reward it with identity and community pay-offs. Practically, credible certification, authentic influencer partnerships, transparent corporate social responsibility communication, and fair-premium pricing emerge as levers for brands and policymakers seeking to translate compassion from intention to action across the expanding cruelty-free marketplace.