Oxford Biosciences Cosmetic Product Experts Press Esc to close
Oxford Biosciences Cosmetic Product Experts Press Esc to close
A safety report is a conclusion drawn from data. These are the methods that produce it, all run in our own laboratories. For pricing and turnaround, see our testing services.
| Method | Standard | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Preservative Efficacy Test (challenge test) | ISO 11930 | Confirms the preservative system protects the product across its shelf life and period after opening. |
| Microbial Content Test | ISO 17516 | Verifies microbiological quality for batch release, including total counts and specified pathogens. |
| Method | Standard | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Stability and compatibility | Cosmetics Europe guidance | Real-time and accelerated stability with pH, viscosity and organoleptic data, plus product-packaging compatibility, to set shelf life and PAO. |
| Method | Standard | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy metals | ICP-MS | Quantifies lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and antimony traces, kept as low as achievable under Article 17. |
| Antioxidant capacity | DPPH assay | Measures free-radical scavenging capacity, often used to support antioxidant claims. |
| Ingredient and contaminant analysis | GC-MS | Identifies and quantifies volatile compounds, including essential-oil profiling and allergen content. |
| Method | Standard | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| In vitro SPF (Double-Plate Method) | ISO 23675:2024 | Fully in vitro static SPF for emulsions and alcoholic one-phase formulations, published December 2024. |
| In vitro UVA-PF and critical wavelength | ISO 24443:2021 | Determines UVA Protection Factor and critical wavelength after photostability pre-irradiation. |
| Hybrid SPF and UVA-PF (HDRS) | ISO 23698:2024 | Hybrid diffuse reflectance spectroscopy characterising SPF, UVA-PF and critical wavelength together. |
| In vivo SPF | ISO 24444:2019 | The reference in vivo method against which in vitro results are correlated. |
| In vivo UVA-PF | ISO 24442:2022 | Reference in vivo UVA Protection Factor on a volunteer panel. |
| Water resistance | ISO 16217:2020 / 18861:2020 | Water and very-water-resistance by SPF determination post-immersion. |
| Method | Standard | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Human Repeat Insult Patch Test | HRIPT | Assesses skin irritation and sensitisation potential on a human panel. |
| Clinical efficacy studies | Instrumental and consumer | Substantiate performance claims through controlled studies, scaled to the panel size required. |
| Method | Standard | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Aquatic ecotoxicity | ISO 10253, coral and crustacean methods | Marine algae, coral and copepod ecotoxicity to support reef-safe and marine-safe claims. |
| Biodegradability | OECD 301F / 306 | Ready and marine biodegradability for environmental and biodegradable claims. |