Visit to CLAIM Argentina
The Te Protejo leadership team traveled to Argentina to attend the AVA Summit 2026 and had the opportunity to visit a laboratory that is a true leader in Latin America when it comes to animal-free clinical testing.
CLAIM is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that, since 1999, has been developing clinical research protocols in humans to evaluate the safety and efficacy of raw materials, dermocosmetics, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, household hygiene products, and even pet cosmetics. In other words, they work directly with human volunteers, based on informed consent, in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the Declaration of Helsinki. Since 2009, they have also had an institutional Ethics Committee that approves each study.
Dr. Silvia H. Pérez, Director of CLAIM, welcomed Daniela Medina, Director of Research at Te Protejo, to her laboratory. Silvia has been involved with Te Protejo’s work for many years, and being able to strengthen that connection in person—talking, touring the laboratory, and seeing the equipment and protocols in action—was truly inspiring.
Image by Te Protejo
In a region where traditional animal testing models still persist, CLAIM has spent more than two decades establishing human clinical trials as the standard for supporting cosmetic claims. When a brand wants to claim that a product is “dermatologically tested,” “hypoallergenic,” or “clinically proven,” it doesn’t need rabbits or mice—it needs well-designed protocols, informed volunteers, and trained professional teams.
Among its wide range of validated protocols, we highlight the Repeated Insult Patch Test (RIPT), because it allows claims such as “hypoallergenic” to be substantiated by testing the product directly on human volunteers under medical supervision, rather than relying on animal testing, and non-invasive instrumental assessments, in which specialized equipment measures factors such as how much water the skin loses, its moisture levels, firmness, or even sun damage using special light imaging. These studies not only avoid the use of animals but also provide much more realistic results, as they are obtained directly from human skin. CLAIM operates under strict confidentiality agreements with both clients and its internal team. On its website, there is a form for inquiries and also for volunteering in clinical studies.
We often think of efficacy as something subjective, but at CLAIM, it can be measured using bioengineering equipment that provides quantifiable, reproducible, and non-invasive data, which complements the actual consumer experience with sensory evaluation by trained panels—something no animal model could predict.
We would like to thank Dr. Silvia H. Pérez and the entire CLAIM team for opening the doors of their laboratory to Te Protejo, for their generosity in sharing their expertise, and for the rigorous work they have been doing for more than two decades. Their commitment to ethical, evidence-based, and people-centered science is an enormous contribution to the advancement of alternative methods in our region.
If you'd like to learn more about CLAIM and its work, I invite you to visit its website and explore its protocols.
