New International Collaboration On Cosmetics Safety Aims To Advance Acceptance Of Animal-Free Science Worldwide
February 8, 2023
Global collaboration of cosmetics and chemicals industry experts will work together with animal protection NGOs to accelerate widespread use of animal-free safety science through research, education and regulatory engagement.
NewYork, NY — Today, more than 35 cosmetics manufacturers and suppliers, industry associations and animal protection organizations announced the launch of the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS) to ensure animal-free methods are accepted and used by everyone involved in cosmetics safety testing. ICCS will support animal-free cosmetics and personal care product and ingredient innovation by funding rigorous, scientific evaluation of new animal-free safety assessment approaches. It will share the results of these evaluation activities with cosmetic and chemical regulators and fund education and training activities to help build confidence in animal-free safety assessment approaches.
“We have seen significant scientific advancements in the development, evaluation and use of animal-free methods for safety assessment in recent decades,” said Erin Hill, president and CEO of ICCS. “ICCS brings together scientists from leading organizations around the world to continue this momentum and work toward our shared ambition for a future where no ingredients or products are tested on animals. ICCS is a global collaboration focused on animal-free safety science for cosmetics and ingredients, which currently face unique challenges and inconsistent global regulations. I am honored to lead the organization at such an important time.”
Hill comes to ICCS from the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS), which she co-founded in 1997 and most recently served as president. IIVS is a non-profit research and testing laboratory dedicated to the use and acceptance of non-animal test methods worldwide. Hill brings extensive knowledge to the role of president and CEO of ICCS, having worked collaboratively with stakeholders to provide education and training in non-animal test methods. Her position at ICCS will allow her to draw on resources from IIVS and other members to create programs specifically designed to advance the acceptance of these new approaches for cosmetics and their ingredients.
ICCS will collaborate with existing organizations to:
- Evaluate and further develop animal-free safety assessment approaches and demonstrate their scientific validity for human health and environmental protection.
- Share the results of these evaluation activities with regulators to inform ongoing regulatory acceptance discussions around the world.
- Provide education and training materials to accelerate widespread adoption of the latest animal-free safety science.
- Through these efforts, ICCS is working to enable animal-free methods for cosmetics product and ingredient innovation globally.
“The safety of the cosmetics and personal care products that consumers use and trust every day is our top priority,” said John Chave, acting board chair of ICCS and director general of Cosmetics Europe. “Thanks to evolved scientific methods, we can ensure cosmetics and personal care product safety assessments are performed both rigorously and ethically, without animal testing. There is more to be done as science progresses, and multiple research projects are already underway at ICCS to further advance animal-free science methods.”
The cosmetics and personal care industry and animal protection organizations have been at the forefront of developing, evaluating and using animal-free safety assessment approaches for nearly 40 years. This includes significant contributions to the replacement of regulatory animal testing to address skin irritation, genetic toxicology, eye irritation and skin sensitization through innovative in silico and in vitro methodologies.
Today, while research and animal-free science methods have progressed, many policies and regulations still require animal test data and have not yet incorporated the rapid progress in applying innovative, animal-free science to safety assessment. This drives a need for animal data even where viable alternatives exist. ICCS aims to close this gap by understanding regulatory needs and supplying sound scientific solutions based on innovative animal-free approaches.
