Cosmetics

Assess toxicity and understand mechanisms induced by cosmetic ingredients with competitive in vitro testing

As the cosmetic industry is subject to a ban* on the testing of finished products and ingredients on animals, alternative in vitro methods are required to ensure the safety of new cosmetics.

Indeed, cosmetic ingredient databases contain many compounds targeting the liver and kidneys in rodents upon systemic exposure. Consequently, innovative in vitro approaches, such as MiToxView® platform must be capable of assessing ingredients’ toxicity, as a substitute for in vivo testing.

To identify potential toxicity of ingredients related to mitochondrial dysfunction, in vitro assays developed on MiToxView® platform mimic the physiological functionality of specific human organs: liver, kidney, skin, etc.

These assays are performed on cultured human cells or isolated mitochondria from human cell lines. They provide the cosmetics industry with information on the mechanisms behind the toxic events (adverse outcome pathway, AOP) caused by compounds, and thus constitute a valuable toolbox to define safety margins for new ingredients.

Potential mitochondrial toxicity and its deleterious consequences can be identified by assessing:

 

* European Cosmetic Directive 76/768 EEC modified 93/35EEC Art 7bis modified 2003/15 EEC.