The fusion of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics—cosmeceuticals—and consumer desire for chemical-free personal care products are on the rise. Consumer awareness of potentially dangerous synthetics is awakening and spurring growth in the natural and organic personal care sector. CompaniesandMarkets.com recently reported market growth of European natural and organic cosmetics in the Benelux region due to low product launches in the area.
And Andrew Maynard named cosmeceuticals as one of the top ten technologies to emerge in the next ten years. Maynard said the development of these hybrid products is becoming more possible with “advances in synthetic chemistry and nanoscale engineering.” The only hiccup in this hybrid project is regulation, as drugs adhere to a stricter approval process than cosmetics.
Regardless of government regulations, both cosmeceuticals and natural and organic cosmetics are pushing market lines and demanding consumer attention—and they’re getting it.