FEATURE ARTICLES

The transport of water and solutes in a highly organised structure such as the skin plays an essential role in maintaining its homeostasis and a healthy appearance. Skin moisturisation involves the entire skin structure through active and passive mechanisms.

It is fair to say male grooming formulations in general are expected to be lighter in consistency and oiliness compared to their female-orientated counterparts.

As soon as the bandwidth on the internet became wide enough to cope with images comfortably, women started using it to talk to each other about their clothes and their makeup.

Formerly a woman’s domain, personal grooming has grown dramatically among UK men over the past few years.

It has recently been said that the long awaited growth in men’s grooming product sales is starting to take hold. A combination of greater product efficacy and a gradual change in attitude towards taking pride in one’s appearance has seen greater acceptance of a wider range of personal care products aimed at men.

In terms of consumer wellbeing, sunscreens are almost certainly one of the most important products to come under the personal care umbrella.

Valued at $42 billion in 2012, the Brazilian cosmetics market represents 58% of the Latin American beauty and personal care market and is home to over 2,000 cosmetic, toiletry and fragrance manufacturers.

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.