Cosmeceuticals Summit to Discuss the Skin's Innate Immune System

Posted: January 27, 2009

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Products such as disinfecting hand gels and liquid antibacterial soaps have posed a new challenge to the skin's innate immune system, and its long-term effect is yet to be unraveled. The use of antimicrobial agents and sebum secretion-controlling active compounds in antiperspirants and deodorants is another challenge to protective bacteria. Moreover, repetitive use of personal care products with a pH that is either significantly higher or lower than normal skin pH is offering yet a new challenge of short- and long-term adjustment.

One common effect of these applications is the loss of skin hydration. This outcome may have supported the gradual growth in development and market of skin moisturizers. The Innate Immune System of the Skin session will offer insight into this phenomenon. It will include presentations by Kenneth Richman, PhD, associate professor of philosophy and health care ethics at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Gary Friedman, PhD, of the R&D department at the Coty Testing Institute; Phil Wertz, PhD, a professor in the department of oral pathology, radiology and medicine at the University of Iowa; and Nava Dayan, PhD, head of R&D at Lipo Chemicals.

This year’s agenda also includes sessions on regulatory issues, scientific and technological developments, and skin aging. The conference will take place March 9–11, 2009, in Orlando, Fla., USA, and is co-chaired by Dayan, Wertz, and Wen Schroeder of SEKI Cosmeticals. For more information, visit the IntertechPira Web site.