Because of the animal protection regulations, from the year 2013 animal experiments will be definitively banned in the European Union for testing cosmetic ingredients and finished products.
To ensure the safety of new finished products and for selection of raw materials the in vitro test methods described below are used routinely to determine the irritation potential:
- Chorioallantois membrane test on incubated hen’s eggs (HET/CAM-Test) for evaluation of eye irritancy of finished products and raw materials (INVITTOX Protocol # 47/96).
- Assay of haemolytic activity in the red blood cell test (RCB test) for evaluation of the irritation potential of surfactants and products containing surfactants (INVITTOX Protocol # 37).
