Dear Colleagues,

Skin care, oral care and hair care contain active ingredients that should provide efficacy to the cosmetic product. Some ingredients are designed to assist in the removal of unwanted substances from the surface (e.g., surfactants), while others should stay on the surface and immediately change the appearance (e.g., colors) or prevent changes occurring later (i.e., sunscreens). Some ingredients are designed to enter into the tissue and affect deeper effects, e.g., antiperspirants, humectants, and anti-ageing cosmetics.

The new European Cosmetic Regulation emphasizes the need for proof of efficacy to prevent consumers from misleading product presentations. Claim substantiation can be done using literature data and by testing in humans. The use of in vitro/ex vivo techniques and cell cultures has grown in importance, but the transfer of data to humans needs careful validation.

With the advent of more sensitive techniques, subtle changes in the skin from ordinary cosmetic ingredients are detected, making the border between medicinal products and cosmetics rather blurred; Medicinal products are known to restore, correct, or modify physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, whereas cosmetic products are qualified as cosmetic if they not strictly modify the physiological function and not significantly affect the metabolism. In cosmetics, a number of medicinal substances are found without any significant action on the physiological function of the human body.

In this Special Issue, the claim substantiation of different types of cosmetics will be addressed. This will drive product innovation, demonstrate the power and efficacy of cosmetics and further increase consumer satisfaction.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Med. Sc. Marie Lodén
Guest Editor

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