'animal-test-free' originates from Modern English, formed by combining 'animal', 'test', and 'free' — 'animal' ultimately from Latin 'animalis' where the root meant 'living being', 'test' from Old French/Latin roots related to trying or examining, and 'free' from Old English 'freo' meaning 'not in bondage' or 'not subject to'.

'animal' changed from Latin 'animalis' into Middle English 'animal'; 'test' entered English via Old French/Latin senses of trial/examination into Middle English 'test'; 'free' comes from Old English 'freo' and evolved into modern 'free'. The compound expression 'animal-test-free' is a late 20th-century coinage in advertising and product labeling (influenced by phrases like 'cruelty-free') and became common in consumer contexts.

Initially the component words meant 'living being' (animal), 'trial/examination' (test), and 'not bound' (free); over time the compound came to mean specifically 'not subjected to animal testing' in product descriptions.