Cellular engineering for cosmetology trials: dermal equivalent for determining cutaneous irritation and efficiency

The authors develop two in vitro cellular models as alternative methods to DRAIZE test for cutaneous investigations: a Dermal Equivalent (DE) and a Skin Equivalent (SE) obtained by culture of normal human fibroblasts on a porous matrix made of seeding normal human keratinocytes on this DE giving a SE. The authors present here the abilities of the DE. For cytotoxicity tests, the DE allows the prediction of cutaneous irritation level of 13 cosmetic finished products tested by topical application. For efficiency tests, the authors show the effects of a new cosmetic substance tested by systemic application, on the synthesis of collagen, glycosaminoglycans and elastin by the fibroblasts of the DE. These preliminary results suggest that the DE may be an useful model for cosmetic industries.