Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS): Meeting of the Working Group on Methodologies 10 December 2024, Brussels: Scientific Workshop on Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) for Cosmetic Ingredients Cosmetic Ingredients: Minutes

In December 2024, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) held a workshop to explore Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) methodologies for cosmetic ingredients, with a focus on non-animal testing in light of the EU's ban on animal testing since 2013. Key topics discussed at the workshop included:

• Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Modeling:
  • The application of PBPK modeling to better understand the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of chemicals, helping to improve the safety assessment of cosmetic ingredients.
• In Vitro to In Vivo Extrapolation:
  • Exploring methods for extrapolating in vitro (lab-based) data to in vivo (living organisms) results, which is essential for more accurate risk assessments using non-animal testing.
• Criteria for Accepting Non-Animal Methods in Drug Development:
  • Establishing guidelines for the acceptance of non-animal methods in the context of drug development, which can also be applied to cosmetics.
• Toxicodynamics Toolbox:
  • The development and use of a toxicodynamics toolbox in risk assessment to evaluate the effects of chemicals at the cellular and molecular levels, without relying on animal models.
• Inhalation Thresholds of Toxicological Concern (TTC):
  • Progress in the development of inhalation TTC, a safety benchmark used to determine the acceptable exposure levels for inhaled substances, based on non-animal testing approaches.

This workshop highlighted ongoing advancements in non-animal testing methods, which are essential for ensuring the safety of cosmetic products while adhering to ethical and regulatory standards. The continued development of NGRA methodologies aims to provide more reliable and humane alternatives to traditional animal testing.

Source: https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/2e700cca-9931-4839-9769-c2126c712688_en?filename=sccs2022_miwg_065.pdf

Region: EU Harmonized (27 Markets)