On 16 May the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published the 12th revision of The SCCS Notes of Guidance for the Testing of Cosmetic Ingredients and Their Safety Evaluation. The guidance contains information on the different aspects of testing and safety evaluation of cosmetic substances in Europe. Integrating new scientific and toxicological knowledge, the guidance includes an update on alternative methods to animal testing and regulatory developments.
New Approach Methodology (NAM)
The guidance covers several animal-free alternative methods, i.e., NAMs (New Approach Methodology), which are emerging tools in toxicology for performing chemical risk assessment. These includes, for instance, the use of in silico prediction tools, read-across/grouping approach and in vitro models. The importance of the use of NAMs in terms of chemical testing was highlighted in the June 2023 report from ECHA on The use of alternatives to testing on animals for the REACH Regulation.
Nanomaterials
The revised SCCS guidance also has a section on “special consideration for certain cosmetic ingredients”. This section addresses specific ingredients, including nanomaterials, focusing on definitions, safety issues as well as required information for nanomaterials.
Reach out to DHI, if you need toxicological support or guidance on alternative test methods:
Brian Svend Nielsen
bsn@dhigroup.com
Tel +45 4516 9140
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