Comparative evaluation of cosmetic formulations with different alternative methods for eye irritation

The eye irritating potentials of 5 cosmetic formulations were determined by 4 different alternative methods for eye irritation. In particular the test methods were: Hen's Egg-Chorio-Allantoic Membrane (HET-CAM), Bovine Cornea Opacitiy and Permeability Test (BCOP), Rabbit Enucleated Eye Test (REET) and an in vitro method using a human cornea model (EpiOcular TM from MatTek). The cosmetic formulations were chosen to cover the whole range of irritating effects: non, mild, moderate and severe/very severe. The results of this study indicate that the eye irritation models are able to discriminate between the above mentioned irritating effects. This study shows that the existing alternative methods are able to substitute the in vivo Draize Rabbit's Eye Irritation test.