Alternative methods to animal tests

The  Bureau of Indian Standards has approved the removal of any mention of animal tests from the country's cosmetics standard. The use of modern non-animal alternative tests also becomes mandatory, replacing invasive tests on animals (See: India bans cosmetic testing on animals).

Ending rabbit skin irritation tests with the EpiDerm 3D human skin model. MatTek

Humane Society International has documented advanced alternative, non-animal testing approaches that represent the very latest techniques, which science has to offer to ensure the safety of new cosmetic products and ingredients.

The term "alternative" in the context of animal testing is used to describe any change from present procedures that will result in:

• the replacement of animals,
• a reduction in the numbers used, or
• refinement of techniques to alleviate or minimize potential pain, distress, and/or suffering.

This is known as the "3Rs" principle.

Some simple animal tests can be replaced by a single cell culture alternative using a 1:1 approach. For example, the "3T3 Neutral Red Uptake" test using mouse cells has been accepted as a replacement for the use of animals to detect sunlight-induced "photo"-toxicity, and 3-dimensional reconstructed human skin models such as EpiDerm can replace rabbits in testing for skin corrosion and skin irritation.

However, replacement of more complex tests that take account of potential effects on the whole body requires an "integrated testing strategy" approach using combinations of molecular, genetic, cell and tissue tests together with computer modeling to extrapolate toxic effects seen at the cell level to a whole-body scenario.

Another replacement approach is to "waive" the requirement to conduct new animal testing because, e.g., the levels of anticipated human exposure to a chemical are below what is considered a significant health risk, or because information on a similar chemical can be used to predict the likely effects of the chemical in question.

(Courtesy: Humane Society International)