Nano nail repair: Nanovetores eyes potential for nanoencapsulated active in growing APAC market

Nano Nails is a blend of lemongrass, tea tree and clove essential oils encapsulated in biocompatible and biodegradable lipid capsule.

This particular capsule is 250 nanometres, making it small enough to permeate even the deepest layers of the nail to provide an effective treatment in a quickly.

“The main thing about this product is the nanotechnology. Without it, you won’t be able to get a very efficient product. Normally, without nanotechnology, the product can only permeate the nail if you damage it,” ​said André Genovez, international business coordinator, Nanovetores.

According to the firm’s tests, the naturally-derived product has proven action in only four days of use.

“We tested the Nano Nails on nails with leukonychia, which is related to weak, brittle nails. This condition is usually treated with clotrimazole, an antifungal medication. Nano Nails is just a blend of essential oils, and it was able to get rid of leukonychia in four days with two applications daily,”​ said Genovez.

Additionally, using 3D imaging, the company has shown that the ingredient is also able to smoothen the nail structure, strengthening it in the process.

Though the essential oils used are known for its strong odours, the encapsulation helps to reduce the scents.

“This is important as if you apply it on your hands, you don’t want to be smelling the essential oils the whole day,”​ Genovez said.

APAC potential for nail care​

Genovez told us that Nano Nails was one of the firm’s top-selling ingredients and made up 9% to 11% of its annual income.

“This is quite a unique active ingredient. Once we started to promote it, it just took off. People who try the product are very impressed by its effectiveness. Three of our customers represent 60% of the nail care market of Brazil.”​

He attributed the demand of the active to a lack of effective solutions on the market.

“As long as there has been demand for keeping long nails or use of nail polish, there have been products for strengthening the nail. However, they normally don’t work well or have ingredients that aren’t good like formaldehyde.”​

While the product is not new, this is the first time the company is actively promoting the active overseas.

“We’ve never approached the international market because we didn’t notice there was a demand. In the past year, however, we’ve started to have demand for samples,” ​said Genovez.

The firm believes the ingredient has plenty of potential in the APAC region, where it has observed a similar trend in the nail care market.

According to Research and Markets, the APAC nail care market is expected to witness market growth of 7% CAGR from 2018 to 2024.

This growth is being driven by markets such as China, India, Indonesia, and Thailand where the number of spas and salons offering specialised nail care services have grown rapidly.

“Normally, one comes after the other. First its about the nail colours and design. And the more people use nail polish, the nails tend to weaken. When that happens, you will start looking for products that take care of their nail health,” ​said Genovez.

The company already has a few ongoing projects in Asia and expects to see more with the growing demand for nail strengthening products.

Growing need for sustainable beauty

Genovez highlights that its capsules are free of microplastics and 100% biodegradable, making them ideal ingredients for sustainable beauty products.

“There has always been talk of sustainability, but I think COVID-19 has accelerated the change towards more environmental-friendly products. The pandemic came as a shock to everyone and suggested that we are not taking care of the planet.”​

This is prompting more customer demand for eco-friendly products.

“Normally, our customers in China or even the US won’t ask about the environmental effects, but now they do. In Asia, we are also seeing more customers ask us for COSMOS certification, for more information about the biodegradability of our capsules,” ​said Genovez.

He noted that this trend showed no sign of slowing down and expected it to continue growing even once the threat of the pandemic fades.

“It’s not just COVID-19 alone. We started the year with the bush fires in Australia, then we had the fires in Greece and Portugal. Here in Brazil, the Amazon rainforest suffered the worst fires we ever had. You cannot deny global warming. We need to take care of our home and I’m glad more people are realising this.”​