In vitro SPF method scientific review by HELIOSCREEN – Helionews #21 –
Read the complete version – The way to get at last an official SPF method all over the word or may be just in some continents is
very long and hard. The most complicated will not to solve the technical problems about reproducibility or
reliability but to change the minds about perception of In Vivo testing. I already mentioned it in a lecture
during the Jean-Paul Marty Skin & Light days 2 years ago. On a technical point of view, our laboratory has
proposed a new method which has been demonstrated to be correlated with In Vivo results… as far as
possible. Because if we consider the proper variability of the In Vivo method whom nobody wanted to
mention previously, we cannot have better results than the ones presented in the last ISO meeting!
You can take it for sure we will have a method soon or late but next step is now the acceptance
from the industry itself. As a matter of fact some existing results could now be challenged with quite good
arguments. I am still convinced it is better for the industry to prepare the next step towards In Vitro than
wait for the change under the pressure. More and more the variability of In Vivo method is mentioned as
another reasons than ethical problem to change quickly our way to evaluate sun protection afforded by
cosmetics.
The following problem when we will have at least a validated official In Vitro method will be to
get it fully accepted and applied because the In Vivo method offers some comfort for the industry as they
can deal with the higher results which can be found in such or such laboratory. Unfortunately, it will be
also the case for In Vitro if institutes will not follow the rules with ad hoc equipment’s required to get
reliability.
Dominique Lutz, CEO Scientist Manager