The next new thing

After reviewing Michael Burton's exhaustive vision of the future, I have to post his Lecture at the Paris Nanoart Conference in 2009.  The links to cosmetic application may not be immediately apparent, but it raises questions about aesthetic preference that we will all have to consider in the near future, whether we like it or not since Nanotechnologies are already in use in the cosmetics industry. Nonetheless, nanotechnology will become the next new thing in beauty products and skincare and we need to consider the capacity of nanotech to improve cosmetic application and and its effect on design on the body in the future.

Examples of new nanotechnology applications in personal care products include: 

L’Oreal (which ranks No. 6 in nanotechnology patent holders in the U.S.) has used polymer nanocapsules to deliver active ingredients, e.g. retinol or Vitamin A, into the deeper layers of skin. In 1998 the company unveiled Plentitude Revitalift, an anti-wrinkle cream using nanoparticles.  

Procter & Gamble’s Olay brand was designed with nanoemulsion technology in 2005.

Other companies using nanotech in their skin products as of 2005 include: Mary Kay and Clinique from Lauder; Neutrogena, from Johnson & Johnson; Avon; and the Estee Lauder brand.