Inventory groups current nanotech cosmetics launches

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has taken its
research into nanotechnology for consumer products a stage further
by launching a comprehensive database of the most recent launches
on the market.

The inventory, which was officially launched this week, currently holds a total of 212 products, of which more than 30 fall into the personal care category, making it the largest of its kind in the world.

On a geographical basis, the inventory also reveals a considerable divide on the launch and uptake of nano-based consumer goods, with the US market proving to be streets ahead, accounting for 126 launches, followed by Asia with 42 and Europe with 35.

Of the materials being used in the products, the inventory also reveals that nano-engineered carbon is the most commonly used amongst all the products, followed by silver and silica.

The inventory has been put together as part of the Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, which encourages discussion around its benefits, as well as its safety and potential environmental impact.

The comprehensive inventory holds a spectrum of products, including clothes, paints, foods, supplements and packaging. It also contains a comprehensive range of personal care products, including anti-ageing treatments, moisturizers, soaps, shampoo, tooth whitener and a scalp treatment.

The personal care products range from highly specialized offerings by companies focused solely on nanotech products, such as UK-based Nanogen's Nanothick hair thickening treatment, to Revitalift Double Lifting anti-aging treatment from the world's largest cosmetic company, L'Oreal.

Each entry contains an image of the product, backed up by the manufacturers claims as to its functionality and effectiveness.

"We are at the vanguard of discovering the endless benefits of nanotechnology for applications like targeted cancer treatments and more efficient solar cells,"​ said David Rejeski, director of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, which is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

"With this inventory, we also are learning that this technology is already being incorporated into our daily lives. It's on store shelves and being sold in every part of the world,"​ he added.

The body says that the inventory can be used by consumers, retailers, researchers and the media in an effort to keep up to date with all the latest launches on the market.

Until now, the US government has relied on data compiled by EmTech Research, but this kind of specific product data was not freely available to the general public.

Nanotechnology is being billed as the next big technology step for many personal care categories, with anti-aging and sunscreen products so far proving to be the most popular applications.

These products have benefited from the development of ingredients containing molecules that are a fraction of their normal size, which in turn can help to improve the efficacy of many leading active ingredients.

An indication of how big this technology is likely to be comes from current predictions that put the value of this technology at $1 trillion by 2015.

The US government is hoping to becoming a global leader in the field and in turn it is supporting the investment of $3 billion worth of research and development into the field, a figure that currently accounts for one third of total expenditure world-wide.

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