Testing Cosmetics on Animals Could Soon Be a Thing of the Past One beauty brand’s innovation could change the entire cosmetics industry. Shutterstock

Animal testing could finally (finally!) be a thing of the past one day soon, thanks to 3D printing technology and one beauty brand's innovative idea. L'Oreal has partnered with Organovo, a 3D human tissue company, to figure out how to print actual human skin—and lots of it, reports Bloomberg. This skin would then be used to test the efficacy and toxicity of cosmetic products.

L'Oreal already has a farm in Lyon, France, where they grow skin samples from tissues donated by plastic surgery patients. But by partnering with San Diego-based Organovo, the company hopes to speed up and automate the process within five years, according to Bloomberg. 

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"We developed our technology incubator to uncover disruptive innovations across industries that have the potential to transform the beauty business," said Guive Balooch, global vice president of L'Oreal's Technology Incubator, in a press release issued by the company. "Organovo has broken new ground with 3D bioprinting, an area that complements L'Oreal's pioneering work in the research and application of reconstructed skin for the past 30 years. Our partnership will not only bring about new advanced in vitro methods for evaluating product safety and performance, but the potential for where this new field of technology and research can take us is boundless."  

Whoa. Is there anything a 3D printer can't do? The future is lookin' bright.