REGULATORY MANDATE
The cosmetics industry led the transition to animal-free testing, driven by the EU's 2013 cosmetics regulation banning animal testing for beauty products. This regulatory mandate accelerated development of reconstructed human epidermis, skin organoids, and validated in vitro methods now accepted globally for safety assessment.
VALIDATED METHODS
- Skin Irritation: EpiDerm, EpiSkin reconstructed epidermis (OECD TG 439)
- Skin Corrosion: EpiDerm, SkinEthic models with barrier function assessment
- Skin Sensitization: DPRA, KeratinoSens, h-CLAT defined approach (OECD TG 497)
- Eye Irritation: EpiOcular, SkinEthic HCE reconstructed cornea (OECD TG 492)
- Phototoxicity: 3T3 NRU and reconstructed skin models (OECD TG 432, 498)
KEY PROVIDERS
- MatTek: EpiDerm, EpiOcular products used by major cosmetics companies
- EpiSkin (L'Oréal): Reconstructed epidermis for internal and commercial use
- Henkel: Phenion full-thickness skin model development
- Episkin SAS: SkinEthic reconstructed human epidermis and cornea
BEYOND SAFETY
Skin organoids and reconstructed tissues now support efficacy testing for anti-aging, moisturization, and skin lightening claims. Full-thickness skin models with dermis enable evaluation of wrinkle reduction, while pigmented models test melanin modulation—providing human-relevant data for marketing claims.