The Go Cruelty Free initiative was developed by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), with the ultimate aim of ending cosmetics and household products testing on animals worldwide.

This initiative contributes to the BUAV's wider vision of creating a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals. Through undercover investigations, political lobbying, legal and scientific expertise and media activities, we work tirelessly to make the world a better place for animals.

In 1996 the BUAV joined a global coalition of animal protection groups from Europe and North America. This coalition recognised that statements made by companies claiming their products are not animal tested can often be misleading, causing considerable confusion among consumers. For example, product packaging may state 'This product has not been tested on animals.' However, even though an end product may well be free from animal testing, the individual ingredients may not.

To help consumers identify and purchase true cruelty free products, the coalition introduced the Humane Cosmetics Standard and the Humane Household Product Standard (known in the US as the Leaping Bunny scheme).

The Standard is currently supported by coalition groups in the UK, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, Finland, Switzerland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In the UK it is operated by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV).

Find out more about the BUAV »

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