MOISTURIZERS OF TODAY

Moisturizers are part of a group of cosmetic products designed for skin care and hygiene. The moisturizers known as hand and body lotions, as opposed to facial moisturizers, make up over half of the sales in this category of consumer products. Although hand and body lotions are sold in department stores and through catalogues, 70 % of these types of moisturizers are purchased at mass market outlets such as food and drug stores. A survey of currently marketed hand and body lotions is presented. Analysis of this survey reveals that 90 % of this type of moisturizers are oil-in-water emulsions. Sixty-five percent of these products are fragranced, 25 % are unfragranced, and 10 % are offered in either fragranced or unfragranced versions. The most frequently used preservative system is a combination of parabens (typically methylparaben and propylparaben) and a formaldehyde donor (usually quaternium-15 or DMDM hydantoin). Moisturization claims are centered around the healing of dry skin by adding moisture from the emulsion, which results in smoother, more supple, and healthier-looking skin; additional claims are made for preventing the return of dry skin. These current product claims do not align well with the scientific and medical literature on remoisturization, which describes a four-step process: (1) barrier repair, (2) alteration of the cutaneous moisture partition coefficient, (3) moisture diffusion from the dermal capillary beds across the dermal-epidermal junction into the epidermis, and (4) restoration of functional intercellular lipids to attract, hold, and redistribute the body's own natural moisture effectively.