A. In February 2003, the EU agreed a Europe-wide ban on cosmetics animal testing but it won't come into effect in stages until 2009/2013. An EU ban on the sale of new animal tested cosmetics has also been agreed but a complete sales ban won't come into effect until 2013 at the earliest.

The UK and a few other countries have introduced a whole or partial ban on cosmetics animal testing, but animal testing for cosmetics continues in the rest of Europe and around the world. This means that consumers are presented with animal tested cosmetics in major high street stores across the country, despite confusing "not tested" claims on bottles, which usually only relate to testing of the final product and not, crucially, to the ingredients.

A. Many people are unaware that animal testing for household products is still allowed all over the world. This involves painful experiments to develop products such as bleach, washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, furniture polish and air freshener.

We are campaigning hard to end this unnecessary animal suffering. Please visit our How To Get Involved page to find out how you can help.

A. In cosmetics and household products research, painful experiments are carried out on hundreds of thousands of animals every year in the UK, including dogs, rabbits, pigs, mice, rats, guinea-pigs, fish and birds. This includes tests for skin or eye irritation, skin sensitisation (allergy), toxicity (poisoning), mutagenicity (genetic damage), teratogencity (birth defects), carcinogenicity (causing cancer), embryonic or fetal genetic damage and toxicokinetics (to study the absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion of the substance).

A. Animal tests for cosmetics or household products are not specifically required by law: to market a product a company must demonstrate its safety, but this can be done by using approved non-animal tests and combinations of existing ingredients that have already been established as safe for human use.

It has been estimated that there are over 8,000 ingredients already proven safe for use. More and more cruelty free companies are saying no to animal testing and still produce safe, effective and high quality beauty and/or cleaning products.

A. There are hundreds of products on the market that haven't been tested on animals and this website is designed to help you find them. It's easy — you can search online for cruelty free companies, or order our free pocket-guide, the Little Book of Cruelty Free. And to help you find them in-store keep an eye out for the Leaping Bunny Logo.

A. Launched in 1998, the HCS is the only internationally recognised scheme that enables consumers to easily identify and purchase cosmetic and toiletry products that have not been tested on animals.

A. The HHPS is the only internationally recognised scheme that enables consumers to easily identify and purchase household products that have not been tested on animals.

Household products include a whole range of items including bleach, washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, furniture polish and air freshener.

A. To be approved a company must no longer conduct or commission animal testing and must apply a verifiable fixed cut-off date - an unmoveable date after which none of its products or ingredients have been animal tested.

Each company must be open to an independent audit throughout its supply chain to ensure that they adhere to their animal testing policy and the Standard's strict criteria.

A. Leading animal protection organisations came together from around the world to develop the Humane Cosmetics and the Humane Household Product Standards. These standards currently operate in the UK, USA, Canada and much of Europe.

In the UK the scheme is managed by the BUAV, in Europe by members of the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments, and in the USA and Canada it is managed by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics.

A. There are a number of retailers and animal groups promoting their own cruelty free schemes. However, the companies approved by them have often done no more than issue a convincing — yet misleading — policy statement on animal testing.

The HCS/HHPS however is the only internationally recognised Standard which guarantees a product is completely free from animal testing, as it requires companies to prove what they claim. It is the only scheme that requires each company to be open to an independent audit throughout its supply chain, to ensure that they adhere to their animal testing policy and the Standard's strict criteria.

A. The Humane Cosmetics Standard and the Humane Household Products Standard were formed precisely to provide a guarantee for consumers in light of the growing range of animal testing claims made by companies. Unfortunately, some companies, recognizing the importance of this issue to consumers, take liberties with the language on their packaging. This can be confusing to consumers.

Unfortunately, such liberties may include manipulating consumers into purchasing products with mere final product claims — with a deceptive "not tested on animals" claim. Truthful in the literal sense, this may well hide the fact that the ingredients have been tested.

A company itself may not test; it may not even commission testing on its behalf. However, testing may occur by its ingredient suppliers, and a company may purchase ingredients with a "don't ask, don't tell" philosophy. The testing may occur by a parent company, while the subsidiary company has actually carried out "no testing." The product was simply packaged and labeled by the smaller subsidiary company but tested by the parent.

What all of this means is the statements on packaging may be literally correct — enough to shield the company from accusations of legal breaches or public relations problems — while also quite dishonest. As a consequence, animals still suffer to make these products as virtually all testing is done at the ingredient level. This is why we ask consumers to only look for the HCS/HHPS leaping bunny logo, to know for sure no testing has occurred for that company's products anywhere in the manufacturing process.

A. Some companies proudly display environmentally responsible or animal-related icons on labels, such as globes, leaves, rabbits (often in a crossed-out circle), dogs, etc. We ask consumers to investigate the icon and find out exactly what it means.

Considering public opposition to animal testing for cosmetics, it is hardly surprising that companies still involved in this practice may be reluctant to provide clear and straightforward information to consumers. Often a simple icon or statement acts as a marketing tool to suggest a company engages in responsible, compassionate practices, thus encouraging concerned consumers to feel comfortable with their product purchase.

This is why we only support the Leaping Bunny logo of the Humane Cosmetics Standard and the Humane Household Products Standard. This is the only logo which offers the assurance that a company complies with the Standard, proving that its products and ingredients are not tested on animals at any stage of bringing the product to market.

While many companies continue to use bunnies or similar "natural" icons to imply they have a policy on animal testing, the mere appearance of a rabbit on a bottle offers little assurance of a company's actual policies or practices — unless, of course, it's the Leaping Bunny Logo.

A. A company which adheres to a fixed cut-off date (as required by the Humane Cosmetics Standard and the Humane Household Products Standard) commits to not conducting or commissioning animal tests for any of its finished products, ingredients or formulations after a fixed date.

That commitment is a pledge whereby the company can guarantee that "from this day forward" (the fixed cut-off date), animal testing will not take place as part of the manufacturing of the company's products. The particular date is determined by each company. However, once implemented it must not change. Company formulations and products may change, but a fixed cut-off date must never move.

Over time, as more companies commit to a fixed cut-off date, animal testing will reduce and will eventually be eliminated from the cosmetics and household products industries. This is why we support only those companies worldwide that adhere to a fixed cut-off date.

By contrast, a "rolling rule" (such as a five-year rolling rule) allows a company to simply wait a period of specified time before introducing that tested ingredient into its products. We believe that rolling rules allow for animal testing to continue within the industry, discouraging the development of alternative research methods.

A. A "vegan" product contains no animal by-products or animal-derived ingredients. The vegan claim does not refer to a company's animal testing practices. While many companies that adopt a no-animal testing policy do produce vegan products, the two claims need to be assessed separately.

Similarly, just because a product is "natural" or "organic," it does not necessarily mean the product was not tested on animals.

To be approved under the Humane Cosmetics Standard and the Humane Household Products Standard, products and ingredients must not be tested on animals. One of the main aims of the Standard is to demonstrate to consumers who might otherwise not choose cruelty free products, that buying cosmetics or household products that have not been animal tested is both a practical and viable option. In order for Standard to be successful in promoting the wide variety and availability of non-animal tested products, they must honestly reflect the full range available and this will inevitably include some non-vegan products.

At present, of all those companies approved by the Standard, very few offer a full vegan range and most if not all of these are only available by mail order. By restricting the Standard to vegan-only products we would, unfortunately, be perpetuating the myth that non-animal tested products are an unrealistic choice for the mainstream consumer.

Of course, as an animal protection organization we would prefer that consumers further refine their choice by buying vegan products. It is for this reason that companies that are approved by the Vegetarian Society or Vegan Society are given extra emphasis through product icons in the printed version of our Little Book of Cruelty Free, enabling the ethical consumer to make their own personal selection. We do not however require companies to remove all animal ingredients from products in order to gain approval.

The BUAV welcomes all moves to develop alternative testing methods, whether the companies invest through donations to humane research charities or by establishing their own non-animal testing facilities. Unfortunately however, some companies who claim to invest in non-animal alternatives are unwilling to prove their commitment to ending animal testing by continuing to use ingredients that are tested on animals. Making a donation to alternatives research is no substitute for committing to actually end animal testing. This is why the BUAV encourages consumers to ask further questions of companies who "invest in alternatives" but have not joined the Humane Cosmetics Standard.

A. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact us.