TEST OF THE MONTH: EYE MILDNESS (ET50 METHOD) – SUPPORTING “NO TEARS” CLAIMS
Dr Carol Treasure
Our Test of the Month for September is the ET50 method for eye irritation / mildness – widely used across industry for an in-depth classification of eye irritation potential for both ingredients and finished products. It’s a great opportunity to learn how leading companies are building the test into their NPD pipelines, from baby bath formulations to adult skin care and household products and even using the data to benchmark within and between brands.
How does the test work?
The test uses a 3D human reconstructed cornea – the closest in vitro simulation of the human eye. Ingredients or formulations are applied to the surface of the cornea, and cellular damage is measured over time using a metabolic dye (MTT) as a marker of intracellular metabolism. Positive and negative controls must meet strict acceptance criteria. Based on a well-established prediction model, there are two outputs from the test:
- Irritancy classification: Severe, Moderate, Mild or Minimal / Non-Irritant.
- ET50 value: time taken to reduce the viability of the cornea by 50% compared with negative controls.
How are the results used?
A key feature of the test is that the ET50 values can be used to place a range of items into a rank order of irritation potential. It’s commonly used to screen ingredients or prototype formulations for eye mildness early in the NPD pipeline, or as a screen prior to clinical studies, particularly for products designed for baby care.
The ability to compare with benchmarks also means that the test results can be benchmarked against brands’ own existing formulations, or market leaders. We have a wide range of anonymised reference values in our database – or you can build in your own choice of benchmarks – uniquely enabling powerful interpretation of the test results.
Cruelty-free
Just as you’d expect from XCellR8, the Eye ET50 test is animal product free – maximising the human-relevance of the tests and ensuring full ethical compliance for cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics brands.
As Test of the Month, we’re offering 15% off all Eye ET50 tests ordered by 30th September.
Contact us to chat about how we can support you with in vitro eye mildness data to support your NPD.
Email info@x-cellr8.com
Call +44 (0)1925 607 134.
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