Evaluation of a New In Chemico Skin Corrosion Test

Skin corrosion, defined as irreversible damage to the skin following a single application of a test substance, must be assessed for chemicals and formulations under GHS, EU CLP, and EPA regulatory frameworks. Current OECD-accepted nonanimal methods rely on reconstructed human epidermis (RhE) models that require specialized cell culture infrastructure and have limited shelf life. This study describes the development and performance evaluation of a new in chemico skin corrosion test (DermaSafe SCT™) that uses a synthetic peptide substrate to detect corrosive reactivity. The test was evaluated against a reference set of chemicals with known skin corrosion classifications. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy were calculated relative to the GHS classification system. The method demonstrated high concordance with the RhE reference standard and correctly classified the majority of corrosives and non-corrosives in the reference set. The DermaSafe SCT™ requires no cell culture, is stable at room temperature, and can be performed in a standard analytical laboratory, making it accessible to a broad range of testing facilities.