A hot soy oil manicure kit, a skin treatment made with organic soil mineral and an argan nut oil firming cream are among the personal care and a watch that doubles as a refillable perfume dispenser are amongst the offerings reviewed by Datamonitor's latest Productscan round-up.
The first product falls into the ever-popular anti-aging category and also touches on natural ingredients. Pierre Fabre has introduced in Spain and France a new range of anti-aging products which are claimed to be the first to be based on argan oil.
This oil is extracted from the nut of the argan tree which grows in Morocco and is traditionally used in Berber medicine. The Galenic Paris Argane range consists of two products - the Galenic Paris Argane Nutritive Concentrated and the Doble Cuidado Tensor Delta 7 - which are recommended for normal to extra dry skin.
Staying in the area of natural-based skin care products, Bare Escentuals has launched a skincare line in the US which also utilizes a new ingredient for skincare - 100 per cent pure organic soil mineral concentrate.
The line's RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment Night is designed to be used at nighttime to exfoliate the skin and increase cell turnover. It is said to "work in harmony with the natural circadian rhythms of the body" and to be non-comedogenic, non-irritating and allergy-tested.
The product, which at $60 is positioned near the top end of the skincare market, is said to help reduce the effects of acne, redness from rosacea and hyper-pigmentation.
Moving on to a particularly innovative skin care product, Aloette Cosmetics has come up with a way to combine the popularity of candles with a more efficacious way of nourishing and treating the skin.
Its Hot Soy Manicure Treatment candle is designed to be used to moisturize the skin, particularly the cuticles. The candle is made of cosmetic grade soy oil rather than traditional waxes such as paraffin or beeswax, and melts into a warm oil that can be directly massaged into the skin.
Equally innovative is the German-made Venexx range of watches, which have been launched on the market in the US and Canada containing vials of perfume. The unisex Venexx Perfume Watch range retails at $180 and contain roughly 60 spray dosages of perfume filled using a funnel and pipette.
Meanwhile Hardy Candy has launched a beauty product which is marketed in novel packaging. Its Kiss & Tell Fortune Telling Lip Gloss, available in the US market, consists of sheet lip gloss that comes in a variety of shades and has a 'fortune-telling' cap.
The user is instructed to apply the lip gloss, ask a question and then check the cap for the answer - these can range from Yes, No, Yum, Yuk, '?' or a heart. Datamonitor believes that the 'fortune-telling cap' feature could be a novel way to add an element of fun and mystery to an otherwise fairly conventional product and would probably most appeal to the adolescent market.