Creative Biolabs is an internationally operating testing laboratory that provides a series of toxicology test services for cosmetic products. Our comprehensive safety testing capabilities meet the international regulatory requirements for cosmetic products. Now we provide multiple methods for skin sensitization testing.

The Introduction of Skin Sensitization

Skin sensitization refers to the hypersensitivity reaction that sensitizer interacts with host protein to form the immunogenic complex. When these small molecules or haptens bind to proteins, the resulting immunogenicity can activate the immune system and cause local inflammation. The whole process can be divided into the sensitization phase and the elicitation phase. During the sensitization phase, Chemical reagents will react with skin proteins, and antigens will be presented to naive T cells by dendritic cells and lead to the expansion of antigen-specific T cell clones. During the elicitation phase, a specific T cell-mediated immune response is triggered when the skin is exposed to the same sensitizer.

Methods for Skin Sensitization Test

• DPRA (OECD 442C)

Direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA) is a chemical analysis method to simulate skin and protein reactivity in the skin sensitization Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP). Since the compounds that cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are usually electrophilic in nature, the test is based on the reactivity of skin sensitizers with synthetic peptides containing the nucleophilic amino acid residues lysine and cysteine to identify skin sensitizer.

• KeratinoSens and LuSens (OECD 442D)

KeratinoSens™ is a cell-based reporter gene assay to simulate events in keratinocytes in the skin sensitization Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP). As an alternative to animal testing, this assay can identify hazards and provide information about the effectiveness of the test material to induce skin sensitization. Following the internationally-recognized test guideline, KeratinoSens™ has been recommended as a comprehensive strategy for skin allergy testing.

• H-CLAT (OECD 442E)

The human Cell Line Activation Test (h-CLAT) is a cell-based assay to identify skin sensitizers by examining changes in the expression of cell surface markers CD54 and CD86. After adding the test substance to the THP-1 human monocyte cell line, the expression levels of CD54 and CD86 can be quantified by flow cytometry. This method replaces animal testing as part of a comprehensive testing strategy for predicting skin allergies.

• GARD™ Assay

This method allows the analysis of the expression levels of biomarkers of approximately 200 genes to predict the ability of chemicals to induce skin allergies. SenzaCell, a human myeloid leukemia cell line, works as an in vitro model of human dendritic cells in this assay to evaluate the chemical stimulation of the cells. The accuracy of the test is about 90%, making it a powerful in vitro alternative to traditional animal testing methods.

Advantages of our Skin Sensitization Test

• No uses animals to avoid ethical and legal issues
• Customized services to meet various needs
• Internationally Recognized (OECD) test guideline
• Rapid-turnaround

Equipped with world-leading technology platforms and professional scientific staff, we are pleased to offer the most qualified services and products for our customers all over the world. If you are interested in our products or services, please do not hesitate to contact us for more detailed information.

• Cytotoxicity Test
• Skin Irritation/Corrosion Test
• Eye Irritation/Corrosion Test
• Genetic Toxicity Test
• Phototoxicity Test
• Skin Penetration Test
• Endocrine Disruptor Activity Test
• Reproductive Toxicity Test
• Carcinogenicity Test