Eye & Skin Toxicity

Chemicals and substances such as personal care products, pesticides, and cleaning supplies are tested to determine if they might cause irritation or other toxicity via contact with eyes or skin. Test results enable classification of chemicals for appropriate labeling and packaging. Nearly all of these tests, referred to as ocular and dermal toxicity tests, have been conducted using animals. NICEATM and ICCVAM have evaluated methods that can replace animals for this purpose.

Ocular Toxicity Tests

Bovine cornea being placed into plastic holder

Defined Approaches to Identify Potential Eye Irritants

Defined approaches to testing and assessment combine data from multiple sources to support hazard evaluations. See current NICEATM projects here. More

OptiSafe Test Method

NICEATM coordinated a validation study of the OptiSafe test method, a non-animal method to test for ocular irritants. Read about the study. Go

Female scientist in safety gear examining test tubes

Short Time Exposure Test

NICEATM reviewed data on the short time exposure test to identify ocular irritants. The review led to international acceptance of the test. Learn more. Go

In Vitro Test Methods to Identify Ocular Irritants

ICCVAM evaluated and developed recommendations for five in vitro test methods used to identify ocular irritants. Learn more about the recommendations. Go

Dermal Toxicity Tests

Man putting antibiotic ointment on an infected wound

Skin Sensitization

Skin sensitizers can cause allergic skin rashes. Read about how NICEATM and ICCVAM have developed approaches to identify these substances without using animals. Go

In Vitro Methods for Dermal Corrosivity Testing

ICCVAM reviewed three non-animal methods to identify dermal corrosives, substances with the potential to cause severe or permanent damage to skin. Read about the review. Go

Reference Data

Stacks of paper documentation and charting with a green pen on top

Irritation Reference Data

NICEATM collects high-quality reference data for evaluation of new approaches for eye and skin irritation testing. More