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A new RIFM-led study in collaboration with scientists at Procter & Gamble and published in Toxicology in Vitro demonstrates how the Peroxidase Peptide Reactivity Assay (PPRA) supports RIFM’s global strategy to advance and implement New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for fragrance material safety assessment.

As part of its long-standing commitment to advancing modern, science-based safety assessment, RIFM does not conduct animal testing for any human health endpoints, including skin sensitization. Instead, RIFM applies integrated NAM-based approaches that combine in vitro methods, in silico tools, exposure science, and decades of human-relevant data to evaluate fragrance ingredient safety.

The study, Assessing the skin sensitization potential of fragrance ingredients in consumer products using the peroxidase peptide reactivity assay (PPRA) as an additional weight of evidence, evaluated 99 fragrance ingredients and demonstrates how PPRA can provide important mechanistic insight for substances requiring oxidative or metabolic activation before becoming protein-reactive.

The research introduces structural activity sub-groups and a decision tree to help determine when PPRA can add value alongside existing Key Event 1 assays. Results showed that PPRA expanded hazard identification for 20 known sensitizers among pre- and pro-hapten fragrance ingredients, supporting increased scientific confidence within NAM-based weight-of-evidence frameworks.

The work reflects RIFM’s role in driving global scientific progress in NAMs for fragrance materials, supporting regulatory engagement, scientific validation efforts, and the continuous advancement of non-animal safety assessment tools.

“This research demonstrates how PPRA can strengthen NAM-based weight-of-evidence approaches,” explained lead author Isabella Schember, PhD, Senior Associate Scientist, Dermatotoxicology at RIFM. “By combining structural activity information, in silico tools, and NAM data, we can continue advancing globally relevant, human-relevant safety science for fragrance materials.”

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tiv.2026.106202