Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Beauty and the Nano Beat


For all the high-minded talk of nanotech curing cancer and creating world peace, do not underestimate the power of the true killer app: Vanity.

As this article shows, beauty is serious science as well as business.

    Growth in ethnic hair and skin care technologies is due to the fact that 35% of the U.S. population is non-Caucasian and 80% of the population outside the U.S. is non-Caucasian. Delivery systems that now play a dominant role in cosmetics and personal care products are micro and nano particles (core shell and matrix systems), porous micoparticles, liposomes and cyclodextrins. Nanotechnology is extremely important to future innovations in active ingredients used in innovative products. Nanoparticles, microcapsules and nanoemulsion technologies are the desired delivery systems for cosmeceuticals, color cosmetics and personal care products.

    ... Anti-aging treatments account for the lion’s share of growth in the skin care market. Consumers expect fast, visible results. To deliver these results there is a growing trend by companies to rely on the use of advanced technologies. Delivery systems play an increasingly important role in the development of effective skin care products. Nanoparticles can be subdivided on the basis of the encapsulating membrane structure into liposomes and nanoemulsions/ nanosomes/nanotopes. Read the rest.

Check out Small Times on Friday, by the way. Yes, the only nanotech news organization with its own sports correspondent will also introduce a reviewer on the nanobeauty beat. Correspondent, and part-time model, Jennifer Foss will report from the front lines as Small Times' nanocosmetics guinea pig.

Related Post:
Don't hate me because I'm nano-beautiful

Discuss


No comments: