The Animal-Free Safety Assessment Collaboration (AFSA) has launched a new online Master Class course that aims to eliminate animal testing from the cosmetics industry.
The ten-module course trains scientists on how to test cosmetics and chemicals without using animals for cruelty-free testing practices worldwide.
The curriculum debuted in 2023 and has attracted 1,200 participants from roughly 70 countries.
Dr. Catherine Willett, senior director of science and regulatory affairs at Humane Society International and principal coordinator of the AFSA Master Class, said,
“Consumers and companies alike want to move away from painful and outdated animal tests, but learning more about the cutting-edge tools available in the animal-free toolbox, and how to use them to make safety decisions, can be challenging.”
The course was created with input from industry, method developers, and regulatory and animal protection experts. The class features real-world case studies and guides users through every stage of “next-generation risk assessment,” culminating in advanced techniques like data integration to ensure robust consumer safety conclusions.
Willett added,
“The AFSA Master Class demystifies animal-free safety assessment, making it easier for companies to replace rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs with advanced non-animal models and computer simulations.”
These methodologies eliminate the need for painful animal-based testing and provide more valid and reliable results concerning the safety of chemicals and products.
Dr. Julia H Fentem, EVP safety, environmental & regulatory science at Unilever, stated,
“Our unique AFSA Master Class program is focused on the safety assessment of cosmetic products and ingredients without generating new animal data and covers all aspects of using non-animal tools and data for internal company decisions-making as well as regulatory safety assessments.”
The AFSA Master Class receives contributions from the following member organizations: Avon Products Inc.,DSM-Firmenich, Givaudan, Humane Society International, Institute for In Vitro Sciences, International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., L’Oréal, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and more.
The ten-module course trains scientists on how to test cosmetics and chemicals without using animals for cruelty-free testing practices worldwide.
The curriculum debuted in 2023 and has attracted 1,200 participants from roughly 70 countries.
Dr. Catherine Willett, senior director of science and regulatory affairs at Humane Society International and principal coordinator of the AFSA Master Class, said,
“Consumers and companies alike want to move away from painful and outdated animal tests, but learning more about the cutting-edge tools available in the animal-free toolbox, and how to use them to make safety decisions, can be challenging.”
The course was created with input from industry, method developers, and regulatory and animal protection experts. The class features real-world case studies and guides users through every stage of “next-generation risk assessment,” culminating in advanced techniques like data integration to ensure robust consumer safety conclusions.
Willett added,
“The AFSA Master Class demystifies animal-free safety assessment, making it easier for companies to replace rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs with advanced non-animal models and computer simulations.”
These methodologies eliminate the need for painful animal-based testing and provide more valid and reliable results concerning the safety of chemicals and products.
Dr. Julia H Fentem, EVP safety, environmental & regulatory science at Unilever, stated,
“Our unique AFSA Master Class program is focused on the safety assessment of cosmetic products and ingredients without generating new animal data and covers all aspects of using non-animal tools and data for internal company decisions-making as well as regulatory safety assessments.”
The AFSA Master Class receives contributions from the following member organizations: Avon Products Inc.,DSM-Firmenich, Givaudan, Humane Society International, Institute for In Vitro Sciences, International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., L’Oréal, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and more.
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