The hunt is on for a true botox alternative and nanotechnology may provide the answer according to some leading cosmetic companies. 

For a generation of baby boomers determined to look younger as they age - botox seemed to offer a miracle cure when it was first introduced in the late eighties.  Nowadays a botox injection can be almost as cheap as a good hairdo and many women - fed up with some of the disadvantages of botox - are seeking an alternative in the pursuit of younger looking skin.

The downside of botox is of course its non-sustainability.  Botox wears off.  Costs and inconvenience mount when an apparently simple procedure becomes a regular need.  Being dependent on outside intervention for your youthful looks isn't much fun either.  As a result cosmetic companies have been falling over one another in the rush to find the best botox alternative - offering all the benefits of the original and none of the downsides.

Enter the nano particle.  Nanotechnology is being heralded in some circles as the answer to a range of cosmetic problems - including greyness and hair loss.  L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company is devoting most of its massive $650 million research budget to nanotechnology - presumably because it's "worth it". 'Revitalift' is the first of many products using the technology and claiming to deliver immediate lifting effects to the skin using nano particles to push active ingredients deep into the dermis. 

Nanotechnology also extends the range of ingredients that can be used in cosmetics.  Many highly active ingredients - such as vitamins and growth promoters - would cause skin irritation in their raw form.  Nano particles can be used to coat the surface of microscopic amounts of these active ingredients delivering them to the underlying layers of the skin without causing inflammation or irritation. Dior, Johnson & Johnson and Estee Lauder are among some of the other cosmetic giants who have launched - or are currently developing -  nano particle products for their ranges. 

The FDA in the US and the Royal Society in the UK remain unconvinced.  Both bodies have expressed concerns about the long term safety of nano particles and want more tests undertaken to assess just how far they travel in the human body once they are applied to the skin's surface.

And of course we all know the views of the heir to throne on the subject with his nightmare vision of a post-nano future full of "grey goo".  Maybe finding a botox alternative simply isn't at the top of Prince Charles' wish list.

Whilst the FDA and the Royal Society try to apply the brake and the cosmetic heavyweights push forward with a vengeance - what's the average consumer supposed to do?  Boring though it may be - proceed with caution may be the best approach.  This is new technology and it's best to try to look at any research and trial data that's offered and keep your ears and eyes open for the latest pronouncements from the FDA.  A botox alternative - yes - but not at any price.

Note: Cartoon image of Prince Charles by Apokolipstik Inc from the "Grey Goos" series 

Share This