At
Beiersdorf, we are committed to making animal testing obsolete worldwide. We
are convinced that animal testing is not necessary to prove the skin
tolerability and effectiveness of our cosmetic products. This is why we do not
conduct any animal testing for our cosmetic products and their ingredients, and
do not have any animal testing done on our behalf – unless, in the very rare
case, this is specifically required by law.
For us, consumer safety always comes first. As
one of the leading researching companies, we have been at the forefront of developing
and promoting alternative test methods for 35 years. We have been – and still are – intensively involved in the successful development and validation of key
methodologies that are now internationally accepted by the OECD (Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development) and are already approved by key
regulatory agencies. We invest significant resources for this, and have worked
in joint collaboration with more than 50 partners and stakeholders on this
effort worldwide to date.
In the EU, animal testing has
been completely banned for cosmetic products since 2004, and for all the
ingredients of these products since 2013. Beiersdorf, of course, is in
compliance with these legal requirements and, for a long time before, already
actively forewent animal testing worldwide whenever legally possible. It is our
stated goal to advance research to the point when animal testing can be
completely abandoned worldwide.
Our commitment includes:
Intensive research of alternative test methods for
35 years
Beiersdorf
is one of the pioneers and global leaders in the field of alternative test
methods. For 35 years, our research and development has been actively promoting
the topic – through the own development of suitable methods as well as active
participation in validation studies and research projects.
Development of one of
the world’s first officially approved test without animal testing
In 1992, our researchers at Beiersdorf developed the
basic method of the so-called 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Test,
thereby setting an important milestone: Following a formal ring study for
validation, the test was the first officially accepted alternative method to
animal testing (in 2000 in the EU and in 2004 within the OECD). Today, the
method for testing the tolerability of new ingredients under the influence of
UV lights is the worldwide standard and the first in vitro test to also be
accepted in China for instance.
International
collaboration with renowned partners
We
are actively promoting the development of innovative alternative
methods and the international acceptance of existing ones through joint
collaboration with more than 50 stakeholders and partners to date. We are
intensively involved in various working groups that fall under the European
umbrella organization of the cosmetics industry (Cosmetics Europe), cooperate
with the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (EURL
ECVAM), and support the OECD through the provision of scientific insights. We
are an active member of the European Society of Toxicology in Vitro (ESTIV)
and, since 2006, a founding member of the European Partnership for Alternative
Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA), a cooperative organization of the European
Commission and seven industry sectors. In addition, Beiersdorf has cooperated
on innovative, cutting-edge research, such as studies on organ-on-a-chip
technologies, which simulate the interplay of several organs.
Continuing to advance
and support research in the future
Even though great progress has already been made, at
the present time, there are still not officially accepted and established
alternative test methods for all safety-related questions. Above all, this has
an impact on the development of innovations and the approval of new ingredients
for cosmetic products. Therefore, we will also continue to advocate intensively
for the development and successful use of alternatives to animal testing.
