The safety of cosmetics and quasi-drugs is more secured by the products, but the formulations are also built on the premise that the ingredients do not react with each other, making the assurance of the safety of the raw ingredients the top priority for the cosmetic products. In ingredients in cosmetics and quasi-drugs, the inclusion of prohibited substances and materials of safety concern is regulated, and for quasi-drugs, approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) as the regulatory side is required for new active ingredients and additives. In cosmetics, companies have ensured safety based on industry self-regulations. However, following the abolition of animal testing in Europe in March 2013, domestic companies also declared the elimination of animal testing, resulting in a conflict regarding safety evaluations that do not use experimental animals for the past 12 years, though alternative test methods have increased every year. The industry continues to strive for a new era of risk assessment based on new approach methodologies (NAMs) and next generation risk assessment (NGRA) in the future.
