FEATURE ARTICLES

Stewart Long is Dow Corning’s global skincare market manager. In this role, he develops new strategies to create innovative silicone applications and formulations to help companies meet consumers’ skin care demands.

Consumers everywhere recognise the benefits that come with the adoption of the latest technologies and product upgrades. This observation remains essentially true among consumers of cosmetics, wherein buyers request the most recent commercially available skin care strategy and technology to help maintain the youthful appearance of their skin.

It is not surprising that silicones are contained in the vast majority of new launches for personal care products. The element silicon from which they are formed is found in abundance in our Earth’s crust.

As the cosmetics and personal care market continues to grow, consumers have an increased number of product ranges to choose from.

SCS Formulate is the biggest meeting in the UK dedicated to personal care ingredients, attracting a substantial proportion of the UK market. Organised for the Society of Cosmetic Scientists, SCS Formulate focuses on the latest technologies, applications and ingredients in the UK cosmetic market.

Consumer demand for products that claim to reduce the signs and appearance of ageing continues to grow, and a more educated consumer continues to drive the demand for more sophisticated products that offer multifunctional strategies to manage the signs of ageing.

The microbial safety of cosmetic products is an important consideration. It is integral to ensuring the stability of the products for the entire shelf- life and to preventing damage to health of the consumers.

In an environment where regulation has an essential role to play and where formulators are searching for new and repeatable ingredients, ID bio offers an efficient answer thanks to a new range of ingredients.

In the past year there have been plenty of articles on technical innovations and new or renewed methods for cleaning quicker, more efficiently and, mainly, cleaning more cheaply.

Since the ancient Egyptians began using creams in their hair to moisturise it, overcoming the drying effects of the hot, desert climate, hair products have become part of everyday life.1 From simple shampoos to complex styling products the hair care market remains buoyant and provides many of us with a cheap way of altering our look.

Skin, as an outer shell, protects the body from harmful external influences and from water and heat loss. Premature ageing is not only a health issue but also a social problem because of the development of visible changes such as wrinkles, dryness and loss of elasticity.

In July 2012, BBC2 Horizon broadcasted a documentary called ‘The Truth About Looking Young’.1 It was presented by consultant plastic surgeon, Dr Rozina Ali,2 and the aim of the programme was to investigate some of the key developments in anti-ageing research and discuss how certain advances are changing the way we think about skin ageing.

A series of presentations at this year’s in-cosmetics Asia will address the hottest trends dominating the industry, while offering companies practical advice on how best to use them to their advantage.

Skin is constantly exposed to external factors that challenge its own protecting mechanisms to remain healthy and functional.

Hair has always been a key beauty area for women and also represents thoughts and feelings: when a woman changes her hair style it means that something has happened in her life; this explains why the hair care industry is so important, and why expectations are very high.

The fragrance industry has a reason to be optimistic. In 2011, fragrance growth exceeded the industry average for the first time in over a decade in the United States.

Whether as an eau de toilette or as a perfume within a skin care or hair care formulation, fragrances have played a pivotal role in the personal care industry as well as in society as a whole.

Within the domestic cosmetics market of Japan, growth has plateaued for several years (Fig. 1). A major cause of this is the declining sales of middle-priced cosmetics products due to deflation in Japan.

Indonesia’s personal care industry defies the global downturn mainly due to the improved economic conditions in the country. The Indonesian economic conditions continued to improve in 2011 with the GDP increasing by over 6% and the unemployment rate remaining at less than 7%.

Melanin, the natural colour in our skin, is synthesised by melanocytes. The distribution pattern in the surrounding keratinocytes and the nature of the formed melanin determine the actual colour of our skin.