Part
01
of one
Part
01
Cosmetic Teledermatology
We were unable to find any materials that dealt directly with the request for information on "the shifts in over-the-counter skincare to clinically-driven solutions...." Instead, we found that consumers are using more OTC products that ever before. The five 2019-2020 trends in skincare products that we identified below will illustrate these findings, along with information on prescription medications and natural ingredients.
Helpful Findings
Five Trends in Skin Care Product Marketing and Manufacturing
- Acne and other skin conditions common to 11-30-year-old people are becoming accepted and are being treated with OTC products as well as with traditional dermatologist-prescribed products. A prescription acne product called Tretinoin is available for patients.
- Skin technology devices are selling more widely. Personalized skin care, including DNA-based prescribed face care is a sector that has been growing sector since 2015. Research from Forrester reveals that 77 percent of consumers have chosen, recommended or paid more for a personalised service or experience...."
- According to CosmeticsBusiness.com, "across the industry, microbiome skin care has been declared the next big thing in beauty." Ninety percent of "US millennials say they have tried or would like to try probiotics in facial skin care products"....
- There is a consumer shift towards skin care that focuses on "specific lifestyle concerns", from "period skin care" to brands that focus on acne, to focus on skin tone, to focus on consumers from 15 to 30, to consumers over 45. For example, "Retinoids, which are topical or oral products related to Vitamin A, are present in many skincare products and treatments" that are used to treat "aging, wrinkles, acne and hyperpigmentation. Retinoids, most commonly known as Retinol, are available by prescription. There are professional-grade Retinol skin care products available in creams, lotions, serums and even some moisturizers."
- Changes in sunscreen is a trend. Consumers have focused on rising temperatures and ocean-safe ingredients, sun-induced aging and skin cancer, and new regulations that target ingredients allowed and prohibited.
Prescription Skin Care Products Trends
- "Biologic agents or protein-based drugs are increasingly used in dermatology for treatment of psoriasis ...and other inflammatory skin diseases. Treatment of psoriasis is the largest area of development for dermatological biologics. There are around 10 approved biologics in the dermatological products market to treat moderate to severe psoriasis."
- "Manufacturers in dermatological products market are also focusing on developing sunscreen products with SPF between 15 and 50 to provide better protection against damaging UV radiation."
- Scar treatments are in demand. "...[T]he rise in surgical procedures worldwide is driving the demand for scar treatment products...." Manufacturers are "developing silicon gels and mild skin products that can reduce the appearance of the scars."
"Natural" Skin Care Product Ingredients
- "Consumers should not necessarily assume that an 'organic' or 'natural' ingredient or product would possess greater inherent safety than another chemically identical version of the same ingredient", according to a former FDA Commissioner.
- In fact, according to experts, certain "natural, organic ingredients used in skincare products can cause significant skin sensitivities that build up over time. Some of them can also be harsh and abrasive on skin." This includes fragrance and essential oils.
Research Strategy
We searched for information on trends in the use of "clinical-grade or prescription skincare products" but found very little. We expanded the search to trends in OTC skincare products and located substantial information on trends in the use of those products. We looked for comparisons of clinical-grade products and OTC products, but did not find any articles. We found one description of three prescription products (Latisse, Nu-Derm, Tretinoin), but no statistics on their use. We looked for surveys of dermatology patients and found information on the surgical procedures that patients obtain from dermatologists, but not on skincare products they purchase from dermatologists.