In depth analysis of selected cosmetic ingredients from the SkinAB database

Due to the ban of animal testing for cosmetic ingredients databases gathering information on these substances can be one way to cope with the lack of animal studies used in conventional risk assessment. This can lead to an increased importance of the "read across" strategy in risk assessment issues. However, evaluation of systemic availability of a substance is required here and, thus dermal absorption is an important factor in risk assessment for the cosmetic industry. An overlap analysis of registered cosmetic ingredients with our SkinAB database showed that more than 400 substances listed in our database can be relevant for cosmetic products [1]. Depending on the use of the substance, dermal absorption ranges from less than 1% to nearly 100%, but more than 50% of the substances show 20% or less absorption. This great range is also seen for one substance because of species differences and other influences on dermal penetration. These factors need to be taken into account when alternative methods are applied to ensure predictability for human exposure. A comparison of in vitro and in vivo data for selected substances can be used to determine if there are differences in the results that have to be considered for future testing especially regarding the above described factors of influence need to be considered To support the strategy of "read across" we selected from our SkinAB database on dermal penetration "data-rich" compounds as cases where a comparison for toxicity on different routes of exposure was analyzed in depth to show the value of connecting different databases on different toxicity aspects to find alternative ways in risk assessment. Thereby a comparison of dermal penetration data with repeated dose data on dermal and oral exposure from the RepDose database can improve the risk assessment [2]. One topic that is frequently discussed in the media is the content of aluminum in cosmetic products. Aluminum is regarded as a neurotoxin at higher doses, which leads to discussions on its use in cosmetic industry. A comparison of dermal absorption data and other toxicological studies can help to provide sufficient data for risk assessment. The in depth analysis of selected substances and comparison of different studies from various databases can be used for example for read across purposes and for strategic in vitro testing regarding cosmetic ingredients. [1]https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/cosmetics/cosing_de [2]http://fraunhofer-repdose.de