Effective cosmetics safety assessment requires knowledge of possible exposure routes of ingredients and access to the toxicology information necessary to perform and document the evaluation. Digital tools offering a more efficient way of performing calculations, accessing scientific data, and storing documentation in an organised manner could improve cosmetics safety assessment.

The valuable database

Assessment of exposure is an integral part of any cosmetic product safety evaluation that differs depending on the product type and its anticipated use. An organised way of calculating exposure could make the process of reviewing critical parameters comprising the exposure assessment more efficient and less error-prone than performing separate calculations for each step.

A digital tool could be leveraged to reduce the administrative workload of exposure assessment calculations needed to perform a safety evaluation. An automated calculation tool could organise the inputting of the data, calculation, and presentation of results in a more efficient manner, reducing calculation errors and time spent on administrative tasks.

Access to comprehensive cosmetic toxicity database could also become an essential tool in supporting cosmetic safety assessment. Centralising the storage of scientific data relevant to the safety assessment of cosmetic ingredients could help in providing an efficient way of researching and accessing toxicology information, endpoints, supporting studies, and scientific data relevant to ingredients under evaluation. Access to such information would reduce the time spent searching for individual references.

Organised toxicology resources could also improve traceability and documentation by providing a repository for scientific references and supporting documents relevant to a safety assessment. This would improve the efficiency of updating and reviewing documentation and ensure there is consistency of information for different products and ingredients.

Toxicology resources could also improve collaboration by centralising and organising scientific data and documents relevant to the evaluation of cosmetic ingredients, thus removing the burden of repetitive searches and documentation sharing between safety assessors, toxicologists, regulatory affairs, product development, and researchers. This would improve the efficiency of the overall safety assessment process, ranging from initial review of ingredients to documentation and approval of final reports. A dermal exposure calculator could be used to systematically calculate and document the relevant exposure information, while a could be used to store the toxicology information necessary for the exposure assessment and improve traceability and organisation of information relevant to the ingredients.