A proposed evaluation of new approach methodologies for dermal toxicity assessment of botanicals

Botanicals are widely used in cosmetics and personal care products, but their complex and variable composition can make traditional safety assessment challenging. The HESI Global Botanical Safety Consortium has published a review proposing a strategy to evaluate new approach methodologies (NAMs) for assessing the dermal safety of botanicals.

In this review, the authors:
• Examine NAMs for skin irritation, sensitization, and phototoxicity
• Identify reference botanicals for evaluating assay performance
• Outline key technical considerations when applying methods developed for single chemicals to complex botanical mixtures

This work lays the foundation for a dermal botanical safety toolkit that could strengthen hazard identification, guide further testing, and build confidence in the safe use of botanical ingredients.

Read the full paper: Krzykwa and Hilberer et al., 2026. A proposed evaluation of new approach methodologies for dermal toxicity assessment of botanicals. Pharmaceutical Biology. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880209.2026.2717803

Learn more about the Botanical Safety Consortium: https://botanicalsafetyconsortium.org/