L’Oreal USA has signed an exclusive agreement with US-based bioprinting firm Organovo to develop a human skin tissue equivalent, which L’Oreal will use to research, develop and test its beauty and skincare products.

In the past, Organovo has created skin tissue organ substitutes for use in surgical transplants and pharmaceutical testing, yet the company is now developing ‘3D printed skin’ for the cosmetics industry under its agreement with L’Oreal USA.

L’Oreal will own exclusive rights to 3D printed skin for the development, manufacturing, testing, evaluation and sale of non-prescription cosmetic, beauty, dermatology and skin care products and nutraceutical supplements.

However, Organovo retains the right to use its skin tissue models for toxicity and efficacy testing of prescription drugs and for developing and testing surgically transplanted and therapeutic tissues.

The agreement includes three separate phases- a development phase, a validation phase and a commercial supply phase. The continuation of each phase is subject to the skin tissue models meeting certain performance criteria specified by L’Oreal.