There have been many outcries when it comes to animal testing. The purpose of testing is to find out whether or not a specific ingredient or product will be harmful to humans. The catch is that testing done on animals may not fully reproduce the same results as if the product had been tried against human skin. Bad for both animals and humans.

While many products now carry labels that claim they have not tested their product on animals, with new advances in science and medicine, they may not have to even do that. Hundreds of mice, rabbits, and other animals may soon be unnecessary in testing skin care products and many other skin-related items due to the ability scientists now have: Growing human skin in a lab.

It may sound strange, but it is true. Scientists have now found a way to create lab-grown skin, and this was done by the experts at L’Oreal. They have called it Episkin, and it is just a layer of skin created from skin cells that have been donated. Inside the Petri dish where they are grown, once the skin becomes large enough it can be used to test products on, from moisturizer to eye shadow, from ingredient to ingredient, in order to find out what might truly happen to skin when these items are applied.

The way the skin is grown is fairly simple, and though it can take a little time, it is still much faster than waiting for a small rabbit or mouse to grow into an adult. First, the skin cells from the donor are placed into a Petri dish that already contains a collagen gel. Then a mixture made up of water, sugar, and certain amino acids is added to the dish. From that point the cells simply utilize the components of the Petri dish and grow on their own while the scientists wait. This growth process typically takes a mere three days to complete.

Once the skin layer is complete and thick enough, it is exposed to air in order for it to dry out and create a layer similar to what you now have covering your body. The skin continues to grow and after a total of ten days, it can then be exposed to ultra-violet light. This light is used to help age the skin, just as ours is subjected to every time we go outside and into the sunlight (even on cloudy days). By this point the skin is usually 1.5mm thick and is ready for product testing.

When products are added to the skin, scientists will be able to examine how the skin reacts. Does the product damage the skin? Dry it out? Cause something very strange and unexpected to happen? True, because the skin is not likely to include hair follicles and some other, deeper layers of skin that can sometimes be affected, they are not likely to test whether or not something will clog your pores (but let’s face it, just about any product has the capacity to do that if it’s getting rubbed into your skin). But scientists are more interested in seeing any strong, negative effects; mild problems are usually let go, such as just a little dryness, oiliness, and so on.

This new improvement will not only be restricted to one country, but can be used the world over. Skin care products world wide will cease to be smeared on a confused rabbit and instead on a patch of uncaring, unfeeling lab-grown skin. No longer will companies have to worry about their policies and animal rights groups can have one less problem to worry about. Best of all, you can feel totally at ease knowing your skin care products were tested on something that truly does relate to your skin, so you can be sure of its safety. It’s a win-win situation for humans and animals alike.