Lab-Grown Human Cells Could Replace Animals For Cosmetics Testing
Cosmetics Corey Ann via Flickr Good news for animal rights activists: Lab-grown human cells can be used to test for allergic reactions to cosmetics, possibly negating the practice of animal testing for certain compounds. In the US, animals are still regularly used as test subjects in studies of the toxicity and allergy sensitivity of cosmetics, detergents and oils. But animal testing for cosmetics was banned in the European Union in 2009. Cosmetics manufacturers thus have no way to test their products for allergy sensitivity. (Animals are still used in a wide range of other tests, however.) Banning cosmetics testing is good news for animals, but it can be problematic for people who suffer from allergic contact dermatitis, in which itching or eczema results from prolonged exposure to certain chemicals. Tests can help pinpoint the source of the "sensitizing" chemical, or the chemical that makes one's skin sensitive to reaction. But...