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China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics ›› 2025, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (8): 1042-1048.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2097-2806.2025.08.011

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Analysis on the technical guidelines for the application of threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) method

Yifei Zhou,Feiya Luo,Lei Sun,Huiying Yang,Xinrong Pei,Xianfu Wu*(),Yong Lu*()   

  1. National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China
  • Received:2024-10-12 Revised:2025-07-30 Online:2025-08-22 Published:2025-08-28
  • Contact: *E-mail: wuxf99@163.com;luyong@nifdc.org.cn.

Abstract:

The threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) is a risk assessment methodology used to determine the safe exposure threshold for chemical substances. When the exposed quantity of a chemical substance is below this threshold, the risk is considered negligible or acceptable. The National Institutes for Food and Drug Control released the technical guidelines for the application of TTC method in May 2024, which for the first time explicitly standardizes the process of using the TTC method for cosmetic safety assessment, and details the specific steps and usage requirements. This paper interprets the background and significance of the release of the guide, the principles of its application in cosmetic safety assessment, the precautions when using the TTC method, and the restrictions when using the TTC method for safety assessment of plant extract raw materials. It aims to enhance the guiding role of the guideline and to provide a reference for more practitioners to understand, master, and apply the guideline.

Key words: the threshold of toxicological concern, cosmetic safety assessment, cosmetic raw materials, risk substances, plant extracts

CLC Number: 

  • TQ658