Running trials and testing scenarios on unaltered live cells and being able to observe the results in 3D has the potential to completely shift current thinking about product efficacy in the personal care industry.
Far and near
The commercial potential for the new Nanolive microscope is tremendous and extends beyond the beauty business: “Among the first customers for the microscope will be Universities and biotech, medtech, pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies,” notes Cécilia Carron in her item about the new tool on phys.org.
The company explains that researchers using the new technology “will actually see and measure precisely the impact of stimuli and drugs on cells, thus enabling completely new fields of research and smarter products,” as Cosmetics Design reported earlier this year when Nanolive was taking pre-orders for the microscope.
Lab requirements
The Nanolive 3D Cell Explorer microscope is a manageable counter-top lab tool. It’s compact, measuring approximately 38 x 45 x 17 cm and weighing 8 kg, according to the Nanolive site.
The company’s STEVE software for the microscope enables both real-time and computational imaging, facilitates digital staining, and promises an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI).
Science for beauty
The 3D Cell Explorer microscope only adds to the current wave of scientific advancements serving the personal care and cosmetics industries. 3D bioprinted skin was quite newsworthy this year, with L’Oréal, P&G, and smaller firms getting in the game.
And, biotechnology is cropping up everywhere in the industry lately: as a sustainable sourcing alternative for natural ingredients, as a tool for developing novel fragrances, and much more.