2006 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Skin care evaluation in L’Oréal’s R&D centre in Pudong (China).
3,000 people who apply their skills and knowledge in
thirty different disciplines (including biology, medicine,
chemistry, physics and physical chemistry).
ADVANCED RESEARCH
Understanding the diversity of
skin and hair types worldwide
One of L’Oréal R&D’s main functions is to satisfy
the diversity of demand, which is why we are committed
to identifying the characteristics of different
human hair and skin types (behaviour and reactions)
in order to offer products adapted to the
needs of populations across the world. Advanced
Research is currently working on three key development
areas:
• product personalisation adapted to each skin
and/or hair type,
• pigmentation and skin tone, to understand the
formation of blemishes and complexion heterogeneity
by skin type,
• the understanding of chronological skin ageing,
particularly the link between the skin and hormonal
disorders in women.
Advanced technology helping to further
the understanding of skin and hair
Advanced Research invests in cutting edge technologies
to further its knowledge of skin and hair,
and dedicates significant resources to developing
non-invasive investigative methodologies (in vitro
reconstruction of human skin and physical optics
methods).
Among these methods, some are based on nanotechnologies.
In particular, our know-how in nanometrology
allows us to improve our understanding of
the structure and behaviour of skin and hair, and to
ensure the traceability of the nanomaterials used.
> L’ORÉAL R&D CENTRES,
UNITED STATES & CHINA
> Founded in 2000 in Chicago, L’Oréal’s Research
Institute for Ethnic Skin and Hair studies the properties and
behaviour of the skin and hair of individuals of African origin.
It partners with a number of universities and organises
biennial international symposiums to share and spread
knowledge on ethnic skin and hair among academics and
researchers from the industrial world.
> A second L’Oréal R&D centre for Asian skin and
hair types was established in Shanghai in 2005,
whose specific mission is to become a worldwide
centre of excellence on Asian reconstructed skin types.
It is important to emphasise that the nanomaterials
developed for cosmetics are different from the
nanomaterials used in other industries. They differ
by their shape and their molecular structure, the
way that are used and their specific interactions
with living organisms and the environment. They
are called nano-emulsions and nanopigments.
Nano-emulsions are in fact macroscopic preparations
which contain droplets of water and oil
reduced to nanometric size in order to increase
the content of nourishing oil. Sometimes fragile
ingredients that are sensitive to air, such as vitamins,
are protected inside the nanometric vesicles
called nanocapsules or liposomes, which release
them upon contact with the skin at the time of
application.
Nanopigments are minerals already present in our
natural environment, in the form of clay for example.
Titanium dioxide is one of the best known, and
is renowned for its capacity to neutralise UV. It
protects skin from cancers, such as melanoma,
caused by too much exposure to the sun. Furthermore,
titanium dioxide, an inert material, is
a reference of non toxicity. That is why it is widely
used in consumer goods (colouring agent E171)
and the formulation of dental hygiene products
(toothpaste).
Numerous studies have shown that they do not
cross the skin barrier, even in the case where the
skin is superficially damaged (acne, psoriasis).
L’Oréal has developed and promoted an experimental
method to test the ecotoxicology of nanomaterials
under conditions that mimic the real
world.
It is vital to exchange information through networking.
L’Oréal researchers contribute to working
groups and international collaborations with scientific
institutions on the safe use of nanotechnol-
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
16
R&D facilities and 13 cosmetic
assessment centres worldwide
2,961
Staff representing
61 nationalities
Over100
active scientific
partnerships worldwide
Sustainable Development Report_L’ORÉAL 2006 / 19