What’s About the NCSTOX Database? via Unitis

The NCSTOX database is a predictive tool containing a mass of information aiming to determine the toxicological profile of Natural Complex Substances (NCSs) – Plants extracts used in cosmetics. It provides data about the potential risks of 25 000 molecules contained in plants for the following toxicological endpoints:

Mutagenicity (Ames)
Genotoxicity (Micronucleus)
Systemic toxicity
Cutaneous sensitization.

The innovative feature of the approach adopted is based on the fact that:

The safety of the finished product depends on the safety of the ingredients, in accordance with Cosmetic Regulation EC 1223/2009;
A botanical extract is considered to be a mixture of natural molecules.

The methodology associates:Specific in silico predictive models

Bibliography by an innovative multi-step text mining approach for semantic annotation of documents
Joint expertise of Toxicologists and Pharmacognosists
Development of analytical methods

Evaluation relies on the concept of the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) allowed in risk assessment for cosmetics as the natural molecules of extracts are present at trace levels in cosmetic formulations.