XCellR8, a UK-based, GLP-accredited laboratory has secured £100,000 from Unilever and AstraZeneca to develop vegan-friendly testing for new cosmetics and personal care products. The company is the only lab globally to make its tests entirely animal-product-free (or vegan).
They do not use serum, tissues, or antibodies extracted from animals.
Between their clients you have retail brands, large ingredient manufacturers, they perform cruelty-free testing for products such as moisturizers, soaps and shampoos, household cleaning products, and industrial chemicals.
They use human cell culture and other in vitro techniques, replacing outdated animal tests.
The £100,000 funding is part of the “CRACK IT” Challenges innovation competition that funds collaborations whose prize is sponsored by Unilever and AstraZeneca and co-funded by Unilever. The study's potential success could lead to the acceptance of new guidelines used by industry around the world.
“The increased availability of in vitro testing services has already saved the lives of countless animals and helped to improve the accuracy and reliability of tests that humans rely on to be sure that products are safe. However, the ongoing use of animal components in most of these tests compromises their human relevance and can affect the reproducibility of results – a factor that has been largely overlooked until recently.
“As consumer demand for vegan products, sustainable supply chains and robust product safety grows, we're delighted to see Unilever and AstraZeneca sponsoring work to address this gap in the science.”
Dr Carol Treasure XCellR8 Founder
