Lawlor had developed dental care compositions, which are useful for providing a substantive composition on the surfaces of oral cavity, which can provide prophylactic, therapeutic, and cosmetic benefits.[27]

Regulatory aspects

The claims made about drugs are subject to high scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review and approval process, but cosmetics are not subject to mandatory FDA review. Much confusion exist regarding the status of 'cosmeceuticals.' Although there is no legal class called cosmeceuticals, this term has found application and recognition to designate the products at the borderline between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.[28] Cosmeceuticals are not subject to FDA review and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act do not recognize the term itself. It is also often difficult for consumers to determine whether 'claims' about the actions or efficacies of cosmeceuticals are in fact valid unless the product has been approved by the FDA or equivalent agency. Some experts are calling for increased regulation of cosmeceuticals that would require only proof of safety, which is not mandatory for cosmetics. Some countries have the classes of products that fall between the two categories of cosmetics and drugs: for example, Japan has 'Quasi-drugs'; Thailand has 'controlled cosmetics' and Hong Kong has 'cosmetic-type drugs.'[17] The regulations of cosmeceuticals have not been harmonized between the USA, European, Asian and other countries.

Conclusion

The global trend in the cosmetic industry towards developing 'medicinally' active cosmetics, and in the pharmaceutical industry towards 'cosmetically' oriented medicinal products as part of a current 'life-style' ideology.[29] The future promises increasingly sophisticated formulations for cosmetics and skin-care products. Cosmetic companies are finding ways to deliver small-dose ingredients that do not require medical regulations and to introduce steroids and hormones into lip balms, which would result in production of cosmeceuticals that could help to improve body mass, nail, and hair growth. New challenges will also be presented to government regulatory agencies as more chemicals with true biological activity are invented and tested. Claim substantiation and premarketing testing must also evolve to accurately assess efficacy and safety issues with important implications for total body health. The new vehicles and delivery systems combined with established ingredients will alter percutaneous absorption, requiring re-evaluation of substances with an assumed good safety profile.[30] Biotechnology will also compete directly with the pharmaceuticals and cosmetic businesses. The most influential angle over the coming 5 years will be the links between internal health, beauty, and anti-aging. The next big beauty trend will include skingestibles that will promote beauty from the inside out, borrowing of pharmaceutical terms for cosmetic applications, amino peptides to make the skin more elastic, neuro mediators which are chemicals to tell the brain to be happy and the blurring of boundaries between surgery and cosmetics. The trend towards therapeutic cosmetics is sure to result in the need to obtain a better understanding of modern ingredients and assessment techniques.