Skin Product

Skin Product

Introduction

A “cosmetic product” means any substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair system, nails, lipsand external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance and/or correcting body odours and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition (EUCosmetics directive, 1976). The legal difference between a cosmetic and a drug is determined by a product's intended use. Different laws and regulations apply to each type of product.

Firms sometimes violate the law by marketing a cosmetic with a drug claim, or by marketing a drug as if it were a cosmetic, without adhering to requirements for drugs (Office of Cosmetics and Colors Fact Sheet, 2002). Cosmetic industry is fundamentally related to people's everyday life. Manufacture of Perfumes and Toilet Preparations have a total turnover of about £11 billion, pre-tax profit of about £0.5 billion in UK, as reported by ICC Plum Data Base(2007). Steady growth in the near future could be expected. UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is forecasted (Source: Treasury, 2007) to grow by between 2.4% and 2.6% year by year, indicating a strong and stable economic situation until at least 2011. Skin care products are forecasted to demonstrate the highest growth between 2007 and 2011, increasing by 13.1% to £1.15bn. Cosmetic industry is highly competitive, typically in skin care category. Manufacturers are attempting to persuade consumers to trade up to premium-priced items by investing large sums in developing and advertising innovative products, for example, the anti-ageing cosmetics.

As women have known for a long time, cosmetics constitute a weapon in the daily struggle for appreciation, esteem and success. It is now statistically proven that well-groomed men too have better career prospects and success with women (Diamond, 2003). Long gone are the days when the use of toilet water and creams was regarded as unmanly. Inhibitions about buying special cosmetic products for men and going to a beauty parlour have recently diminished. Nowadays the male grooming routine has changed dramatically(Müller, Schill, 2007). It no longer only consists of the three S's: Shaving, Showering and Shampooing, whereas males are becoming more interested in improving their looks. Fashion for men has been becoming more and more important in the last decade, especially in Europe. Today, in order to tailor the man's appearance to perfection, cosmetics companies have built a line only for men. In the past few years, a number of major cosmetics companies have entered the UK and partnered with key regional distributors and retailers to expand their market and increase their sales. The demand for men's products has grown tremendously with a growth rate equal to 12%. According to Paul Cochrane, some areas of the UK are not enjoying the best of times at the moment, but others are far from experiencing the worst. The UK has an ageing resident population, which an increasing ...