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Cosmetics Ingredients
Our human in vitro skin tests offer a non-animal alternative testing platform for safety assessment.
Benefits of the Skimune® assay
Detection of clinically relevant cellular immune responses
Validated against novel compounds
Available in combination with complementary assaysNon-animal system
For more information on Skimune® assays and how they can help your business please contact us.
Get in touchCase Study:
Skimune® with cosmetic product X
Skimune® can be used to study sensitisation of compounds used in the cosmetic industry. The assay can detect tissue damage resulting from cytokine release from stimulated immune cells in response to cosmetic actives or compounds, including complex mixtures.
Our client was involved in the development of cosmetics using natural ingredients. Alcyomics was engaged to help generate human safety data and assess any potential adverse immune responses to repeat doses of a novel product (product X) prior to first use in man. Product X had been developed for topical application; the effect of repeat dosage of product X was investigated in the presence of immune cells.
Alcyomics demonstrated that upon repeat exposure this product had the potential to cause an adverse immune response and therefore not safe in its present formulation for human application. For this client we also provided T cell proliferation assays which correlated with, and confirmed, the Skimune® results.
The data showed the usefulness of our screening assays (T-cell proliferation assays) and the Skimune® assay in the development of cosmetic actives or compounds.
Our client was involved in the development of cosmetics using natural ingredients. Alcyomics was engaged to help generate human safety data and assess any potential adverse immune responses to repeat doses of a novel product (product X) prior to first use in man. Product X had been developed for topical application; the effect of repeat dosage of product X was investigated in the presence of immune cells.
Alcyomics demonstrated that upon repeat exposure this product had the potential to cause an adverse immune response and therefore not safe in its present formulation for human application. For this client we also provided T cell proliferation assays which correlated with, and confirmed, the Skimune® results.
The data showed the usefulness of our screening assays (T-cell proliferation assays) and the Skimune® assay in the development of cosmetic actives or compounds.

Figure 1: Analysis of Product X repeat dose over three days using Skimune®
Skimune® was used to investigate the topical formulation of product X after a repeat dose on day 2 and day 3. Damage to the skin tissue at the dermal/epidermal junction could be observed following repeat exposure on day 2 and day 3 showing a Grade III positive response (bottom two images).
A positive response is indicated by damage between the dermal-epidermal junction (highlighted by black arrows).
The negative control (medium) showed a Grade I negative response (top image) and the positive control (DNCB) showed a Grade IV positive response (2nd image).
Skimune® was used to investigate the topical formulation of product X after a repeat dose on day 2 and day 3. Damage to the skin tissue at the dermal/epidermal junction could be observed following repeat exposure on day 2 and day 3 showing a Grade III positive response (bottom two images).
A positive response is indicated by damage between the dermal-epidermal junction (highlighted by black arrows).
The negative control (medium) showed a Grade I negative response (top image) and the positive control (DNCB) showed a Grade IV positive response (2nd image).