Ex vivo Model of Human Skin (hOSEC) as Alternative to Animal use for Cosmetic Tests

Abstract

For ethical reasons, the use of experimental animals for skin irritation studies is not desired, mainly for cosmetical products. Alternative methods for skin irritation testing have been proposed, but no method has been yet successfully pre validated. Then, the research centers have searched alternative methods. We demonstrated the viability of ex vivo model of human skin (hOSEC: HUMAN ORGANOTYPIC SKIN EXPLANTED CULTURE) by proliferative capacity of skin keratinocyte for up to 75 days in culture and compared it to in vivo models (hairless and human), proving hOSEC method as an alternative for secure and efficacy tests of sun protection factor.