Skin-on-chip — The future of drug and cosmetics testing?

Developing new topical drugs or cosmetics requires a long, expensive research and marketing process, with each launch estimated to cost about $3 billion. With a growing demand to replace animal testing — and its inherent limitations — comes a need for alternative approaches that address the complex, diverse properties of human skin. Ghiță-Răileanu reviewed the promising results of current skin-on-chip (SoC) platforms as well as their challenges in replacing animal models.

“It is timely and necessary to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art microphysiological systems targeting human skin models for in vitro testing of pharmaceutical or cosmetic compounds, as well as wound healing models, to outline future directions based on the present research achievements,” said author Ciprian Iliescu.

The complexity of human skin is the biggest challenge for SoCs. Not only is it comprised of multiple layers, nerves, and an intricate network of blood vessels, but these components all serve important functions and need to be integrated with one another. For example, the skin’s senses respond to sun radiation and the tickles of an insect, and mimicking this is difficult.

With this challenge met, a major advantage of SoCs is their ability to provide individualized, in vivo-like models that can mimic specific skin structures to test for sensitivities, irritation, and other skin conditions to customize drugs and cosmetics.

“By combining diagnostic and drug testing on a single platform, complex medical procedures will generate insights into various medical conditions, providing timely, personalized therapeutic approaches while monitoring disease progression and improving quality of life, prognosis, and prophylaxis,” Iliescu said. “Prevention is better than a cure.”

There remain some hesitations with adopting SoCs, but their ethical benefits are key in a rapidly progressing field.

Source: “Skin-on-chip: Quo vadis?” by Mina Ghiță-Răileanu, Bianca Maria Tihăuan, Irina Oana Lixandru-Petre, Georgeta Luminița Gheorghiu, Gratiela Gradisteanu-Pircalabioru, Gabriela Cioca, Florina Silvia Iliescu, and Ciprian Iliescu, APL Bioengineering (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0268706 .