Singapore, July 16, 2010: Small particles are becoming a big business for the world’s personal care products manufacturers according to an analysis of world patent activity published by the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters. The new report, “Can Nanotech Unlock the Fountain of Youth?”, finds that the beauty industry has begun to make an aggressive foray into nanotechnology, using tiny molecular compounds to improve the performance of creams, sunscreens, shampoos and other personal-care products.

The report tracks unique inventions published in patent applications and granted patents from 2003 to 2009, along with trademark data from 2000 through 2009, to identify the companies and areas of nanotechnology innovation showing the sharpest growth in this industry. The global study shows expansion in nanotech-based personal care products and brands with Japan, China and Korea as key growth markets.

Some key findings include: Nanotech growth accelerates: The volume of innovative patents involving nanotech in beauty and personal-care items grew by 103 percent over the last seven years, more than doubling from 181 patents in 2003 to 367 in 2009. The top four authorities of publication of WIPO are from the US, China and Korea. Another growth area indicated in the report is patenting activity in Japan, China and Korea, which increased by 300 percent, 213 percent and 194 percent, respectively, over the last seven years.

Specialty chemical companies stake claim: While L’Oreal and AmorePacific were early innovators in the development of nanotech-based beauty products, a great deal of new innovation in the field comes from companies that one would not traditionally associate with the cosmetics industry, including Fujifilm and BASF. Of 367 unique inventions filed in 2009, 10 were by Fujifilm; nine were by BASF and seven were by Amorepacific.

Nano trademarks: From 2000 to 2009, a total of 217 personal care brands that incorporate the term nano were trademarked in the US, UK, Canada, European Community and WIPO; the second half of that period (from 2005 to 2009) had 575 percent more registered marks than the first half (from 2000 to 2004).

“Nanotech is part of a much larger transformation in markets, business and science that is changing our world. Nanotech is one of the key design tools that will be used to create the largest industry in the 21st century, health enhancement. As humans yearn to improve themselves, they will be attracted to solutions in nanotech that will give them an edge,” said Dr James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures, a San Francisco-based market analyst that forecasts innovations and trends.