The conference takes place over two days, September 6 - 7, in Jurys Washington Hotel in Washington DC, USA and focuses on the regulation of cosmetics and their ingredients, in particular the current alternatives to animal testing.
Day one of the conference entitled 'The changing world of safety substantiation for ingredients and products' invites regulatory authorities and industry experts to discuss the future of non-animal testing.
According to the CTFA, the European Cosmetics Directive's marketing ban on cosmetic products and ingredients tested on animals has brought into sharp focus the need to re-examine approaches to safety substantiation.
For this reason the conference has invited Gerald Renner as speaker, the director of science & research at Colipa, who will outline the current state of play in Europe regarding animal alternatives.
In addition, William S. Stokes, director of the National Toxicology Program's Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (ICVAM), will also be present, speaking on the role of sound cience and the regulatory acceptance of alternative methods.
Linda M Katz, director of the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors, will present the FDA's view, and representatives from big players in the industry will speak on safety substantiation in the real world from an industry perspective.
Day two focuses on regulatory science issues and activities, beginning with an overview of the ISO's new regulations in the cosmetics arena, by Jay Ansell, followed by talks on the current FDA scientific projects and an update from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review director F. Alan Anderson.
Conference communications coordinator Jill Marvin told CosmeticsDesign.com that organisers are very pleased with the response within the Industry, adding that it has exceeded original estimates.
Highlighting the importance of such a conference in terms determining future policy Marvin said that 'a conference such as this, which fosters dialogue among experts in the fields is a critical component in advancing the science of safety assessment'.
The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, CTFA, is the leading US trade association for the personal care products industry; its stated aim is to ensure that the personal care products industry has the freedom to pursue creative product development and compete in a fair and responsible marketplace.
