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The Future of Safe Sunscreens: Assessment Without Animal Testing
Historically, sunscreen assessment has been complicated by diverse and even conflicting data requirements among regulatory authorities. In many countries, product developers are mandated to avoid animal testing whenever possible while other countries continue to require it.
As an example, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), categorizes sunscreens as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, not cosmetics. This means sunscreens sold in the US are subject to the same testing requirements as OTC pharmaceuticals which severely limits access to the UV-filter innovation found internationally. However, with passage of the 2025 SAFE Sunscreens Act, the US Congress has directed the FDA to modernize sunscreen assessment, a move which aligns perfectly with FDA-wide efforts to replace animal testing with new approach methods (NAMs).
This webinar series, presented in partnership with the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS), aims to identify practical solutions for UV-filter development and testing that improve predictivity while providing animal-free assessments of sunscreens. In the first session, experts will discuss the Global Perspectives on Sunscreen Regulation, covering unique experiences of implementing NAMs across Europe, the United States and Brazil. The second session will focus on Modern Safety Assessments for UV Filters, highlighting Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) principles, systemic toxicity, carcinogenicity, developmental toxicity, and Read-Across approaches for sunscreens. The third session will tie everything together with a discussion of Policy and the Regulatory Path Forward for Sunscreen Safety.
Abstracts, learning objectives, speaker bios, and more details will continue to be added as information is confirmed and finalized. Check back often for updates!
Session 1: Global Perspectives on Sunscreen Regulation
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET / 14:00–16:00 UTC
FEATURING:
Global Regulatory Landscape
Kimberly Norman, PhD, DABT, ERT, Personal Care Products Council
- FDA’s current OTC drug monograph requirements for sunscreens
- 2025 SAFE Sunscreens Act
European Union UV Filter Safety Regulations: Raising the bar and setting the pace for the rest of the world
J Nash, MS, PhD, Procter & Gamble
- Finished products containing UV filters are cosmetics and subject to animal-testing bans
- Safety of UV filters is assessed by independent experts at the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), according to their Notes of Guidance
- Efficacy and safety testing follow international standards
Human-based Approaches for Assessment of UV Filters
Warren Casey, PhD, DABT, US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- US National Institutes of Health will discuss efforts to address the endpoints relevant to FDA concerns
Transitioning to NAMs for Sunscreens in Brazil
Carolina Motter Catarino, PhD, Grupo Boticario
- Implementation of changes
Discussion and Q&A
Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, MSc, PhD (moderator), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Shagun Krishna, PhD (moderator), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
- Commonalities
- Shareable and adoptable concepts
- Identifying exiting barriers
- Actionable steps forward
Session 2: Modern Safety Assessments for UV Filters
Date TBD (Registration will open once the date is finalized.)
10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET / 14:00–16:00 UTC
FEATURING:
Principles of Next-Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) for Sunscreens
Matthew Dent, PhD, Unilever
- Exposure-led, hypothesis-driven, and NAM-based risk assessment tailored for UV filters
Systemic Toxicity Case Study
Matthew Dent, PhD, Unilever
- Benzophenone-4 (Baltazar 2025)
Carcinogenicity Case Study
Samuel M. Cohen, MD, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center
DART NAMs Screening: Establishing a Scientific Roadmap for UV Filter Assessment
Matthew Burbank, PhD, L’Oreal
PCPC Case Study
Kimberly Norman, PhD, DABT, ERT, Personal Care Products Council
- Avobenzone (Norman et al. 2025)
- Octocrylene (Norman et al. 2026)
Applying NAM-Enhanced Read-Across Using a UV Filter as a Case Study
Catherine Mahony, Procter & Gamble
- Applying read-across elements
Discussion and Q&A
Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, MSc, PhD (moderator), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Session 3: Policy and the Regulatory Path Forward for Sunscreen Safety
Date TBD (Registration will open once the date is finalized.)
10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET / 14:00–16:00 UTC
FEATURING:
Summary
Presented by an ICCS / Sunscreens WG Member
- Key takeaways from Sessions 1 & 2
- About the ICCS Sunscreens Working Group and its current activities
Policy and the Regulatory Path Forward
Emily Anderson, MS, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
- How the SAFE Sunscreens Standards Act could open the door for NAMs in FDA sunscreen decisions
- The FDA ISTAND program as a pathway to qualify NAMs for sunscreen safety assessments
- What the US and EU can learn from each other: Bridging OTC drug versus cosmetic frameworks
Panel Discussion on the Path Forward
An ICCS / Sunscreens Working Group Member (moderator), International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety
Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, MSc, PhD (moderator), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Speakers from each session will join a 45-minute, moderated discussion panel.
- Regulatory contexts and next steps
- Moving sunscreen safety forward with NAMs
Special Thanks to the Steering Committee and those who helped develop the agendas for this series.
Dave Allen, PhD, International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety
Donna Macmillan, PhD, International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety
Emily Anderson, MS, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, MS, PhD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Gavin Maxwell, PhD, Unilever
J Nash, MS, PhD, Proctor & Gamble
Jon McCord, PhD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Kimberly Norman, PhD, DABT, ERT, Personal Care Products Council
Kristie Sullivan, MPH, Institute for In Vitro Sciences
Matthew Dent, PhD, Unilever
Shagun Krishna, PhD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
