Analysis of the world tendencies of the cosmetic market
Everyone knows that annually in the world more than 40 billion US dollars are
spent for skin care products and cosmetics. Development of the market of
cosmetics shows clearly the level of economic development of the state as a
whole because the manufacture of high-quality and expensive cosmetics is
possible only in the countries where the population has a high living standard.
It is difficult to imagine that cosmetics manufactured, for example, in Botswana,
will appear in beauty salons in the near future. At the same time, the richest
countries of the world, such as the USA, Japan, France, Germany, hold leading
positions in the cosmetic market strongly even in Russia. This fact would not
cause fear if the products sold in our market were really of a high quality. For
today 2/3 of products in the Russian market are inexpensive products from Poland,
Germany and of some other European countries that are far from being the best.
Unfortunately, the Russian beauty treatment began to introduce itself only
during the last few years. Dur-ing the period, when France and all Europe made
outbreak in this direction (1930’s-1960’s), Russia was building a totalitarian
society and the Soviet beauty treatment, as well as all Soviet people, was of
general national and faceless nature. At the same time, the cosmetology is the
art of individuality, one of its tasks is to emphasize and set off the
individuality of the person in the modern society.
For today, in our opinion, the cosmetology does not exist as a science yet. We
are present at the begin-ning of a birth of a really new area of knowledge,
which incorporates the richest experience of medicine, pharmacology,
biochemistry, biotechnology, chemistry, biophysics and even psychology. Its task
is to maintain human skin young and active functionally during all life cycle.
It is possible to note with satisfac-tion, that the departments of cosmetology
are open at some higher educational institutions. This is the first budding of
the future universities. The task becomes more actual, when society becomes more
socialized. It is enough to note that the highest number of long-livers is in
the USA and Japan. It is easy to suppose that if the nation becomes more “adult”,
it results in rising demand for effective cosmetics helping the per-son lead an
active social life in advanced age.
Although the cosmetics have been in use for thousand years, the development of
biochemistry and bio-technology results in appearance of new active components
in the arsenal of modern cosmeticians. Crea-tion of new cosmetics goes on two
directions: the first one is creation of new cream bases, using the achievements
of chemistry, and the second one is the search of active components that form
the basic acting substance of modern cosmetics. The first direction is shared
for the majority of the cosmetic com-panies because many chemical concerns make
researches in this direction and sale their products on in free market but the
second direction often is a "know-how" of cosmetic manufacturers.
Active components of modern cosmetics are divided into:
1. Synthetic
2. Semisynthetic
3. Natural
3.1. Microcosmetics
(active components of microorganisms)
3.2. Petrocosmetics
(active components of minerals and elementary substances)
3.3. Sea cosmetics
(active components of seafood)
3.4. Entomocosmetics
(active components of insects)
3.5. Phytocosmetics
(active components of plants)
3.6. Xenocosmetics
(active components of animals and birds)
3.7. Allocosmetics
(active components of human tissues)
By influence on the skin, cosmetics are subdivided into groups the largest
from which are:
1. Protective.
2. Nutritious.
3. Hydrating.
4. Cleansing.
5. Stimulating.
6. Substituting.
7. Special.
These classifications of cosmetics will help you easily to determine the true
position in the market of any cosmetic by our own not taking into account
excessive pressure of the advertising companies.
Let's consider more in detail the cosmetics and active components contained in
them.
1. Synthetic
At rapid development of pharmacological chemistry many active components
synthesized for medicine are used for production of cosmetics. In particular,
synthesis of some vitamins, antioxidants, and sun-protection factors is well
established. As synthesis of components is carried out with the pharmacological
cleanliness, the given active components have the expressed and narrow range of
action. At the same time, their price in the market is low. As a rule, the
cosmetics of this group fulfil a rather specified function: protective or
nutritious. Because of reduction in price of the synthesis of the active
components extracted from natural raw material, these components will be
developed and studied more intensively. This direc-tion in the cosmetology is
young, but perspective.
2. Semisynthetic
This group of active components includes the natural material modified
chemically. Such a modification strengthens their positive properties used in
cosmetics (an isopropylpalmitate is obtained from plant oils; saponified edible
oils). Basically semisynthetic components are used in production of shampoos and
soaps.
3. Natural
The given active substances are clearly the leaders in the lead in the market of
cosmetics and have centu-ries-old traditions. Their feature is that all of them
are extracted from natural objects.
Microcosmetics
This kind of cosmetics includes the components of vital activity of
microorganisms as active material.
It is rather young cosmetics using achievements of biotechnology in obtaining of
active component. The most known cosmetics from this group are botox (a toxin of
botulism used in beauty salons for temporary muscle stretching), hydrolysates of
amino acids, hyaluronic acid. The advantage of the cosmetics is rather small
price of active component, the marked first effect. The disadvantage is
antigenicity to human being because of protein admixtures of producer strain
that results in allergenicity and quick habituation to the given cosmetics.
By action the cosmetics can be hydrating, nutritious and special (botox).
Petrocosmetics
This kind of cosmetics includes as active material minerals and elementary
compounds kbiosulfur, gold, kaolin, magnesium aluminosilicate, sodium, chloride,
oxide of zinc, oxygen). Due to availability of an active component, as a rule,
it has the low or medium price in the market. The basic expenses consist of
adver-tising costs. These cosmetics basically have cleansing effect, and they
also nourish by microelements, improve general metabolism. The advantages are
the following: good cleansing agents, not very expen-sive. A disadvantage is
narrow orientation of action, brief effect, necessity of constant use.
Sea cosmetics
This kind of cosmetics includes as active material components seafood (algae,
fish, crabs, etc.). The huge group of cosmetics widely represented in the modern
market of cosmetics (agar, extract of algae, whale oil, chitin of crabs,
vitamins В2, ВЗ, В6, etc.). The advantages are availability of raw material, low
price for an active component in coastal regions, high hydrating properties, and
good cleansing agents. The disad-vantage is fast habituation of the skin because
of high antigenicity of active component and narrow orien-tation of action. They
provide cleansing, hydrating, and stimulating effects.
Entomocosmetics
This kind of cosmetics includes as active material components of vital
activity of insects. The most known cosmetics in this group are the cosmetics
containing components of vital activity of bees (bee jelly milk, Propolisum,
honey, beeswax). The given cosmetics are characterized by limitation of the
initial material and high antimicrobial properties. By action the given
cosmetics are stimulating agents. The disadvantage is fast development of
immunity and habituation because of antigenicity to the human being, though the
first effect is expressed strongly.
Phytocosmetics
It is the most known cosmetics used for centuries, containing as active
material vegetable components (vitamins, biotin, folic acid, inositol, olive oil,
sunflower, jojoba, etc., extracts of birch, elder, calendula, aloe vera, quince,
chestnut, camphor, St. John's wort, lemon, rosemary, comfrey, hop, tinweed, etc.).
Thou-sands of plants are a source for obtaining of active materials for
cosmetics. Their advantages are ease in obtaining of the initial material for
the majority of active components. High activity on the directed action due to
huge experience of use, both in medicine, and in cosmetics, low cost of active
component. A dis-advantage is quick habituation of the skin to separate kinds of
active materials, necessity of often changes of cosmetic lines. By action they
are perfect cleansing agents, they have medium nutritious properties, hydrating
properties are absent, they are fine specail activators (antimicrobial agents,
stimulants, bleach-ers, regulators water-fat balance). All history of the
mankind during the use of cosmetics is connected with components of plants and
as a result of it, they are the most investigated and claimed cosmetics in the
market.
Xenocosmetics
This kind of cosmetics includes as active material components, extracted
from animals and birds. The given cosmetics by relationship of active components
is the closest to man among described above sub-stances and that determines its
value. Active materials of the xenogenic nature can be rather expenisive if they
are extracted from organs and tissues of unique animals. Though the basic part
of the creams avail-able in the market, have active components from easy of
access organs of animals and birds (hyaluronic acid of crests of birds, albumen,
lecithine of yolk (of egg), collagen КРС, placental extract of sheep, calves,
semen of cocks, etc.). The advantages are the low price of active component,
high effect with smaller habituation, high nutritious properties. The
disadvantage is the effect of habituation to cosmetics is expressed due to
disharmony of active components to elements of human skin, though this effect is
ex-pressed not so much.
By action this cosmetics can be cleansing, nutritious, stimulating, hydrating
and special (medical) agents. In the market they are presented not enough and
their price is rather big.
Allocosmetics
This kind of cosmetics includes as active material the components, extracted
from human tissues. These are the youngest cosmetics that appeared in
biotechnological laboratories in 1990’s and were achieve-ment of development of
medicine, genetic engineering and biotechnology. Limitation of the initial
material, the highest requirements to virus and microbiological cleanliness,
high price of active component charac-terize them. The advantages are complete
compatibility with components of human skin, high efficiency, absence of
antigenicity and habituation. The disadvantage is the high price. These
cosmetics have practi-cally unlimited range of influence. They are used for
enzymatic cleansing and have the highest hydrating and nutritious properties,
stimulating and protective functions, what is the most important, only
allocosmet-ics have function of replacement (they can change temporarily
“out-of-date” molecules of the skin for "young" ones) of the same nature. The
allocosmetics can be easily used and as a special medical cosmet-ics. Now in the
market these are only two trademarks: “Placenta laboratories inc” (Japan) and
Plazan (Russia) which represent their product line groups.
