Nanoemulsions for Cosmetic Applications: What Innovation Status?

Background: Brazil is the fourth largest personal hygiene, perfumery and cosmetics (HPPC) consumer market in the world, leading industries to invest heavily in cosmetic research. Nanotechnology is studied and applied in several branches of health and, in the cosmetic area, focuses on the effectiveness of the products, safety of use and stability of the formulation. Thus, nanoemulsions appear as an attractive option for cosmetic manufacturers. Objective: In this context, a technological investigation was carried out, through a patent search, with the objective of verifying the current panorama of the nanoemulsions for the development of cosmetic formulations. Method: To do this, we consulted the Espacenet (R) database, using the word "nanoemulsion", associated with the IPC code "A61q19". A total of 188 patents were found, of which 118 were available for display, whose data were organized into charts for discussion. Result: The results show that developed countries are still the largest patent holders in the area, with the exception of South Korea, which ranked first with 39 patent applications. France appears as the most important in this research, but the largest market of interest for this technology is North America. Brazil seems to have less number of patents (3) and have not been registered in the country. Conclusion: The predominance of cosmetic nanoemulsions was mainly for aesthetic purposes. Nanoemulsions for cosmetic application still have potential for research and development, especially when related to raw materials of plant origin, where Brazil can be highlighted.