FEATURE ARTICLES

Skin ageing occurs primarily inside the skin, resulting in the appearance of externally visible signs. In a society that increasingly favours appearance, the social impact of visible skin ageing may be considerable.

Autophagy, which was recently discovered in skin, stands out today as a powerful mechanism; essential for detoxifying cells and guaranteeing their proper functioning, thereby limiting the senescence.

To the West, Asia has traditionally been viewed as exotic and mystical, but there has always been a fine history of exchanging science and technology.

One picture is worth more than a thousand words’ is a popular saying which appeared in the 20th century, resembling an earlier quote from the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev in his book Fathers and Sons:

The outer layers of the skin, especially the stratum corneum, play a vital role in protecting the body against many external stressors of chemical, physical and environmental nature, at the same time preventing the organism from losing water, ions and serum proteins to keep the skin flexible and elastic.

Normal, dry, oily, sensitive, combination. There is a science behind understanding a person’s skin type, just as there is a science behind personal care formulation.

The skin whitening market is continuing to grow rapidly in many Asian countries, with Chinese consumers proving to be particularly receptive to new products offering better results.

Hydroxyapatites are naturally occurring mineral forms of calcium apatite, with the general formula Ca5(PO4)3(OH). Hydroxyapatite is the hydroxyl end-member of the complex apatite group, where the OH- ion can be replaced by fluoride, chloride or carbonate ions.

Since at least the nineties and arguably even before that, the trend has been towards making personal care products that are as natural as possible. The cosmetics business has gone green, both metaphorically and in the case of the labels often literally too.

Global demand for natural, organic and Ayurvedic personal care products continues to grow apace and as such, these sectors always seek alternatives to replace synthetic, petrolatum-based, toxic, or ingredients processed with petrochemicals.

Grooming products specifically designed for the male consumer – from skin care to hair care and shaving – are a booming part of the global personal care landscape. No longer limited to bar soap and deodorant, men’s grooming regimens are growing increasingly complex and becoming more personalised.

Regulation of sunscreens, their classification efficacy support still remains complex, but the work of ISO has brought most sides to the table and allowed science based collaboration, resulting in greatly improved opportunities for test method harmonisation.

Sustainability is one of the megatrends in personal care and cosmetics and it applies to cosmetic consumer products as well as to cosmetic raw materials. According to the standard definition of sustainability, cosmetic raw materials should meet today’s needs without compromising (e.g. due to the process of their production) the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Cosmetics are regulated in the European Union by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. The main objectives of this regulation are to create a set of rules that all cosmetics comply with and to ensure a high level of protection for human health.

US health regulator The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)1 has warned that antibacterial ingredients in soaps may pose health risks.

In July last year a major new EU Regulation came into force on the management and transparency of cosmetics product information, which has big implications for any brand marketing its products in Europe.

The Cosmetic Compliance Summit1 was held on 14-16 October 2013 at the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel and Spa, London, United Kingdom.

The market segment ‘natural cosmetics’ still shows strong growth in the personal care market all over the world. Nowadays, consumers are increasingly showing high expectation for personal care products.

The 2013 SCS Formulate was held at the Coventry Ricoh Arena on the 12-13 November. It proved to be another excellent event for formulators across the UK and beyond, offering a wide variety of new ingredients and technology to benefit the next generation of personal care products.

Colour cosmetic formulators continue to seek new, novel ingredients that can allow brands to create differentiated products that meet the requirements of the latest trends in the marketplace.