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Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research logoLink to Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research
editorial
. 2016 Jan-Mar;7(1):1. doi: 10.4103/2231-4040.173264

Nanocosmeceuticals: A boon to personal care products

Upendra Nagaich 1
PMCID: PMC4759978  PMID: 26955602

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Dear Friends,

Cosmeceuticals are the rapidly expanding division of the beauty and personal care industry. Many topical cosmeceutical treatments have been pervasively utilized for conditions such as photoaging, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and hair damage. In the dome of cosmeceuticals, nanotechnology has played an important role. The term “cosmeceutical” is used to define a product, which is a hidey-hole between active pharmaceutical ingredient and cosmetics. It is exploited as cosmetics because it claims to affect appearance but also has a therapeutic effect. It is used in the professional skin care arena to describe a product that has measurable biological action in the skin, like a drug, but is regulated as a cosmetic since it claims to affect the appearance.

There is no classification of cosmeceuticals by the Food and Drug Administration, instead skin experts and professionals used this term to promote purchasing of cosmetic products especially antiaging and sunscreen products.

For the development of elegant and efficient cosmeceuticals, nanotechnology holds an extraordinary place. A nanoparticle is defined as a “particle having dimensions on the nanoscale,” i.e., particle size below 100 nm. As per cosmetology, it is considered that smaller the particle size, more ready will be the absorption and efficient will be the damage repair. Thus, the term was coined as “nanocosmeceuticals.”

A plethora of nanocosmecuticals are utilized such as nanoemulsions (conditioners or lotions), liposomes and niosomes (carriers for unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, or antioxidants), silver nanoparticles (toothpastes, soaps, face creams, body firming lotion, bronzer, exfoliant scrub, eye liner, and styling gel), nanocapsules (first nanocapsule-based cosmetic product was launched by L'Oreal in 1995), nanocrystals, dendrimers, fullerenes, and nanosomes.

Nanotechnology is a quickly growing and prospectively favorable arena with complimentary consequences for society, medicine, industry, and cosmeceuticals. Cosmeceuticals industry is increasing gradually as the products are flooding the market from major and small manufacturers and local companies around the world. Nanomaterial has been assimilated in many skin care products to take advantage of the unique properties of matter on a nanoscale. Fast proliferation and commercialization of nanotechnology in cosmeceuticals have escalated to great scientific and economic objectives, but simultaneously also raises a big question about the surfacing threats to health and safety of consumers. Thus, nanotechnology-based cosmeceutical products should be well fabricated and advertised in an approach which entirely value the worth health of consumers and the environment.


Articles from Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research are provided here courtesy of Wolters Kluwer -- Medknow Publications

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