Is Animal Testing Still Necessary?

Two years ago, the European Union (EU) banned phototoxicity, genotoxicity, skin irritancy, and four other tests that the cosmetics industry performs on animals. Today, biologists perform these tests in vitro, using commercially available kits to culture cells that better approximate a human skin equivalent (HSE). Two years from now, the EU plans to remove exemptions for more complex toxological tests from its 2009 ban. But will the cosmetics industry be ready?

As research into alternatives to animal testing continues, cosmetics companies in Europe and North America are examining options such as pluripotent stem cells and new ways of culturing cells to simulate toxicity. Scientists are also studying other ways to evaluate the repeated-dose toxicity of specific chemicals. They're using silicon models to predict the effects of chemicals on humans, and computer models to predict long-term toxicity, too. An Australian laboratory has even created a 3D model with a dermal scaffold.

Yet the fact remains, as even the EU itself notes in a recent draft technical report, that alternative testing techniques probably won't be ready in time for the 2013 deadline. The EU report also recommends a series of endpoints rather than a single deadline. Is the 2013 ban simply unrealistic, or can the cosmetics companies do more to end animal testing today?

Source: Specialty Chemicals Magazine