Abstract

CRUELTY-FREE APPROACHES FOR SAFETY EVALUATION OF COSMETICS: A REVIEW

*Pratiksha Purohit, Dr. Bharati Ganu

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Abstract

The safety of every cosmetic product is the highest priority of the cosmetic industry. It involves exhaustive testing of ingredients they contain. Cosmetic preparations were tested on animals for many years because they were considered as subjects due to their physiological similarity to humans. Animal testing is used to check whether the product is safe for human use or not. The biggest drawback of animal testing is that animals experience pain, suffering and ultimately die during this procedure. Various substitute methods to animal experimentation are proposed to overcome the drawbacks associated with animal testing. Many countries have banned animal testing including India. In India, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, was introduced and according to this act India banned cosmetic testing on animals in 2014. This review focuses on substitute methods for animal testing that include evaluation of cosmetic products using human cells and tissues (In-Vitro methods), advanced computer-modeling techniques (silico models) and studies with human volunteers. These cruelty-free models might be used to replace animal testing initiatives for safety evaluation of cosmetics and more precise results.

Keywords: Animal Testing, Banned, Cosmetic Products, Cruelty-free, Safety Evaluation, Substitute Methods.