ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Skin barrier integrity must be maintained to preserve the physiological functioning of the skin. Cosmetic products are applied frequently to skin and when an irritation or sensitization reaction occurs, damage to barrier integrity may take place. A lack of barrier integrity could lead to a significant increase in exposure to potentially toxic chemicals that come in contact with the skin. Several methods for measurement of skin barrier integrity have been used to evaluate the irritation potential of a chemical in the development of topical formulations.
