The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines cosmetics as “articles intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions.” The recent report from International Cooperation On Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) prepared jointly by the lead industry associations represented in ICCR: Cosmetics Europe (EU); Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, CCTFA (Canada); Japan Cosmetic Industry Association, JCIA (Japan); and Personal Care Products Council, PCPC (US) mentions that all cosmetic products to be safe for consumers under normal use conditions. Many of animal centered toxicity testing models are out of practice because of scientific limitations. Different species can respond differently when exposed to the same chemicals. The most important issue in using animals for testing are on reliability, reproducibility, cost and ethical concerns. Interestingly these results from animals test may not correlate with human. European Union has banned the sale of animal-tested cosmetic and consumer products. There are multiple reasons to transition from using in vivo methods to in vitro methods of testing.

In line with regulatory guidelines, Drik offers a solution to use in vitro 3D human skin tissue for skin irritation, toxicity, pigmentation, depigmentation and photo protection. This model has been used by the National Cancer Institute, the U.S military, and a number of academic institutions. The characteristics of 3D human skin tissue provide customers with a highly-reproducible, accurate and cost-effective measurement. The virtual skin is proving to be an outstanding alternate for the real thing.

• Skin corrosion
• Skin irritation of chemicals
• Pigmentation
• Depigmentation
• Photoprotection
• Oral irritation
• Phototoxicity
• Percutaneous absorption

In Vivo and In Vitro Testing for cosmetics

• Short term and long term toxicity studies
• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Chemical induced Liver, Kidney and cardiac toxicity