In a significant scientific leap, researchers from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India, and TU Graz, Austria, have developed a 3D-printed human skin imitation using living cells. Published in STAR Protocols, the study presents a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and customizable method to produce skin-like structures for cosmetic testing - without the need for animal experimentation.

The artificial skin mimics the natural three-layer structure of human skin and is made using hydrogel formulations. These hydrogels, with high water content, provide an ideal environment for cell growth, enabling skin cells to survive, multiply, and form tissue over two to three weeks.

Scientists say their early tests were highly successful and believe this breakthrough can revolutionize cosmetic safety testing, especially amid growing global restrictions on animal testing. Beyond cosmetics, this innovation also opens the door to sustainable biomaterials for tissue regeneration, marking a new era in ethical and advanced biomedical research.