An end to animal testing?

Campaigners, industry and the EU’s experts are confident that a 2009 deadline for the phasing out of testing cosmetics on animals will be met.

The European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) was set up to assess alternative testing methods being developed as part of the animal testing ban introduced by the cosmetics directive. Its latest assessment for 2005-06 reports progress with various new methods.

Ten tests are awaiting final approval to replace tests for eye irritancy from cosmetic effects and some, such as those for severe toxic reactions to oral cosmetics, such as toothpaste, were described in the report as "promising". Other assessments are continuing on the reaction of some cosmetics to light, to determine the extent to which cosmetic ingredients might penetrate the skin, and to what extent they might cause skin irritations and allergies.

The methods use in vitro tests. They involve testing human skin such as samples from hospital biopsies or circumcisions in a test-tube and testing blood reactions. Tests also use computer simulations. The QSAR method predicts the effect of a particular ingredient based on its chemical composition. Such a test might be one of a number which cosmetics undergo before they can be marketed.

Kirsty Reid, policy officer for research animals at Eurogroup for Animals, a non-governmental organisation, says that many cosmetic companies are already using the new methods so as to build up the expertise in their laboratories before the 2009 deadline.

For more complex tests which examine the possibility of chronic toxicity, such as ingredients causing cancer, the directive allows a deadline of 2013. But the ECVAM report casts doubt on whether this can be achieved. "For some endpoints falling under the 2013 deadline, a (possible) postponement of the deadline might be considered."

Nevertheless, Eurogroup for Animals is pleased with the progress to date. "It’s a beneficial step. It’s not like pharmaceuticals, since cosmetics are ultimately not necessary," says Reid.

Campaigners, industry and the EU’s experts are confident that a 2009 deadline for the phasing out of testing cosmetics on animals will be met.