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Is Universal Cleaner vegan?Updated 9 hours ago

TL;DR: Yes. Universal Cleaner contains no animal-derived ingredients, so it is suitable for vegans. It is made from a highly diluted inorganic ingredient, potassium hydroxide, and purified water. Vegan and cruelty-free are two different claims: Koh does not test on animals across its products, and that is separate from whether a given formula is free of animal-derived ingredients.


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✓ No animal derivatives

Nothing in the Universal Cleaner formula comes from an animal, so it is suitable for vegans.

✓ Two ingredients

A highly diluted inorganic ingredient, potassium hydroxide, and purified water. That is the whole formula.

Yes. Universal Cleaner is suitable for vegans because it contains no animal-derived ingredients. The formula is a highly diluted inorganic ingredient, potassium hydroxide, together with purified water. Neither comes from an animal and neither is tested on animals for Koh. This answer is about Universal Cleaner specifically. It is not a statement about every product in the Koh range.

✓ Suitable for vegans

Universal Cleaner contains no animal-derived ingredients. The formula is a highly diluted inorganic ingredient, potassium hydroxide, together with purified water, and neither comes from an animal.

There are no added fragrances, essential oils, synthetic fragrances or colourants in it either, which is why the ingredient list is so short.

Is vegan the same as cruelty-free?

No. They are two different claims and they are often confused. Vegan is about what is in the formula: whether any ingredient is derived from an animal. Cruelty-free is about testing: whether the finished product or its ingredients were tested on animals. A product can be one without being the other. For Koh, neither our finished products nor their ingredients are tested on animals by Koh at any stage of development, and we work only with suppliers who give assurance that the raw materials we buy are not tested on animals for Koh's use. Separately, Universal Cleaner contains no animal-derived ingredients, which is what makes that specific product suitable for vegans.

✓ Vegan is about ingredients

Whether anything in the formula is derived from an animal. For Universal Cleaner, nothing is.

✓ Cruelty-free is about testing

Whether the finished product or its ingredients were tested on animals. Koh does not test on animals, and requires the same assurance from suppliers.

A product can be one without being the other, so we keep the two claims separate rather than rolling them into a single badge.

Is the rest of the range vegan?

This article confirms the position for Universal Cleaner only. Koh does not test on animals across its products, but that is the cruelty-free claim, not the vegan one, and we do not extend a vegan statement to a product we have not confirmed it for. If you want the position on a specific product such as Dishwashing Liquid, Sensitive Laundry Liquid or Loo Cleaner Tabs, contact us and we will send you the full ingredient list for that product so you can check it yourself. Support hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 Australian Eastern time, closed weekends and Australian public holidays.

⚠ We will not stretch this to the whole range

This article confirms the position for Universal Cleaner. We do not extend a vegan statement to a product we have not confirmed it for, so please do not read this page as a range-wide claim.

If you want the position on a specific product, ask us and we will send you the full ingredient list for it so you can check it yourself.

Universal Cleaner confirmed

Ask about a specific product

Koh Universal Cleaner 2L

Universal Cleaner

Two ingredients, no added fragrance or dye, and no animal derivatives.

Do you test on animals?

The other half of the answer: what cruelty-free means at Koh, and what we ask of our suppliers.

Browse Sustainability & standards

Last reviewed: August 2026 · Koh UK

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