Validation tests and cell cultures in cosmetology: The present and prospects

The interest increasingly attracted by cosmetics in recent years has led to considerable development in the related technologies. This progress, however, has not been followed up by adequate legislation. The recent 93/95 Directive of the European Economic Community established that from January 1st 1998 the safety of cosmetic products can no longer be tested on animal models, and that alternative methods must be employed, if available. Direct experimentation in vivo is prevented by ethical reasons, while animal models are frequently poorly predictive. For these reasons in vitro culture is now of outstanding interest in cosmetology. The authors review the cell culture types that can be used in cosmetological studies.