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Nanotechnology
patents currently make up the fastest growing applications at the
USPTO and global patent filings.
NANO-COSMETICS:
BEAUTY & NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanotechnolgy
has aggressively entered the cosmetic field, and is considered the
“hottest technology” available.
Cosmetics
giant Estee Lauder entered the NanoMarket in 2006 with a range of
products containing NanoParticles. The products, including anti-wrinkle
creams, are said to be absorbed deeper into the skin due to Nanosized
particles in the formulations.
L’Oreal,
the world’s largest cosmetics company, is devoting about $600 million
dollars, of its $17 billion dollar revenues, to Nano patents, and
has patented the use of dozens of “nanosome particles” 800 times
smaller than a human hair as delivery systems for nutrients.
With
192 patents in Nanotechnology, L’Oreal now ranks No. 6 among Nano
patents in the United States. At L’Oreal factories, nanosize bits
are being created with high-pressure machinery that fires droplets
of material at the speed of sound.
L’Oreal
is focusing its research efforts and expertise on engineering ultra-tiny
particles that can act on skin and hair in ways that naturally occurring
molecules cannot.
Christian
Dior of France, Procter & Gamble, Shiseido, Estee Lauder, and
other rivals of L’Oreal are hot on the heels of Nanotechnology in
cosmetics, incorporating Nanoparticles into their products.
Nano
products introduced by L’Oreal include Revitalift (described
by L’Oreal as containing Nanosomes” of Pro-Retinal A), Vichy
Reti C, Biotherm Age Fitness Nuit, and Revitalift Double
Lifting (which delivers vitamin C into skin). L’Oreal intends
to introduce cosmetics containing Nanoparticles engineered to produce
more vivid colors, including metallic’s and iridescent shades.
SAFETY
ISSUES
The
beauty and cosmetic industries have fully embraced the field of
NanoCosmetics, but scientists take a different view.
Scientists
and government committee’s in every country have become alarmed
at the potential for unsafe Nanotechnology. As there is no coordinated
global governing body that oversees NanoScience, it is up to each
country to provide an analysis on the safety of NanoParticles placed
on the skin or orally ingested.
Nanotechnology
that escapes scientific scrutiny has the potential to be very dangerous.
Recently,
the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) studied
the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics after the United Kingdon's
Royal Society & Royal Academy of Engineering concluded
that NanoMaterials should be treated as new chemicals from
a risk assessment point of view.
IDENTIFYING
SAFE NANOCOSMETICS
The
public needs to be able to identify safe NanoCosmetics from potentially
unsafe NanoCosmetics. Per the guidelines of the Scientific Committee
on Consumer Products (SCCP) and the United Kingdom's Royal
Society & Royal Academy of Engineering, safe NanoCosmetics
must meet specific Soft Particle regulations.
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