Cosmetics - Safety studies

The identification of hazardous ingredients is mandatory for consumer protection. Toxicological testing is used to determine, whether cosmetic products would pose any kind of risk to the health of consumers.

Within Europe a ban on the performance of animal testing for cosmetic products came into force on 11 September 2004 (animal testing ban). Furthermore the Cosmetics Regulation prohibits the placing on the market of cosmetic products, or products containing ingredients, which have been tested on animals.

Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing is a leader in safety testing without the use animals and is deeply committed to the principles of the 3 R´s of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. With a set of alternative in vitro and ex vivo test methods we are able to provide the full service to assess necessary toxicological data under GLP-compliance.

Besides the standard testing battery we offer additional studies and individual advice concerning your specific project with regard to scientific and regulatory requirements. These customized test designs help to address specific safety concerns.

Our Profile of in vitro Services for the Biological Testing of Cosmetics:
 

• Cytotoxicity Test
  - Growth inhibition test (based on ISO 10993-5)
  - BALB/c 3T3 NRU
   
• Skin Irritation/Corrosion
  - Reconstructed human skin equivalents - EPISKIN or Epiderm (OECD 439)
  - Reconstructed human skin equivalents equivalents - EPISKIN or Epiderm (OECD 431)
  - Corrositex® Membrane barrier test (OECD 435)
   
• Eye Irritation/Corrosion
  - Bovine corneal opacity and permeability test (BCOP; OECD 437)
  - Hens egg chorionallantoic membrane test (HET-CAM)
  - Reconstructed human corneal epithelial models (EpiOcular)
  - Red Blood Cell Test (RBC)
   
• Skin Sensitization
  - Direct Peptide Reactivity (OECD 442 C)
  - KeratinoSens (OECD 442 D)
  - Activity of dendritic cells - h-Clat
   
• Genetic Toxicity
  - Bacterial Mutation: Ames Test (OECD 471)
  - Mammalian Mutation Assay: Mouse Lymphoma Assay (OECD 476)
  - Mammalian Mutation Assay: HPRT-Test (OECD 476)
  - Mammalian Clastogenicity Assay: Micronucleus Assay (Chinese Hamster Cell/Human Lymphocytes) (OECD 487)
  - Chromosome Aberration Test (Chinese Hamster Cells/Human Lymphocytes) (OECD 473)
   
• Phototoxicity
  - Phototoxicity - Balb/3T3 neutral red uptake with artificial UV-light (OECD 432)
  - Phototoxicity using human skin equivalents
  - Selected photogenotoxicity assays (e.g. Photo-Ames, Photo-Chromosomal Aberration etc.)
   
• Skin Penetration
  - Skin Absorption (Rat/Human Skin) (OECD 428)
   
• Endocrine Disruptor Activity
  - Steroidogenesis assay using H295R cells (OECD 456)
  - Androgen receptor binding assay using cytosol of prostate (OPPTS 890.1150)
  - Estrogen receptor binding assay using cytosol of uteri (OPPTS 1250)
  - Aromatase assay using human supersomes (OPPTS 890.1200)
  - Transcriptional estrogen receptor binding assay using HeLa cells (OPPTS 890.1300)
   
• Reproductive Toxicity
  - Embryonic mouse stem cell test (EST)
   
• Carcinogenicity
  - Cell transformation assays (Bhas42) assay and SyrianHamster Embryo (SHE) assay

Beside these safety tests Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing is also offering services for the quality control and efficacy testing of cosmetics.