TESTING 73
Nails: more than just skin extensions
n Diana Khazaka, Christiane Uhl - Courage + Khazaka Electronic, Germany
The horn-like envelopes covering the tips of our fingers and toes are called nails. They are highly specialised epidermal appendages. Finger- and toenails are made out of a tough fibrous protein, the alpha- keratine. The nail consists of the nail plate, the nail matrix and the nail bed below it, and the grooves surrounding it.1 Apart from the aesthetical aspect, a healthy fingernail has the function of protecting the fingertip and the surrounding skin from injuries and preventing the skin at the end of fingers and toes from rolling backwards over the distal phalanx. The nail helps to improve sensitivity and the grip of the fingers and also enables the precise manipulation of small objects through counter-pressure exerted on the pulp of the distal digits (e.g. pulling out a splinter in one’s finger), as well as certain cutting or scraping actions.1,3 The market for nail products is big and constantly growing. Specialised analysts predict that by the end of 2019, it will have a value of nine billion USD. The Americas, especially the US and Brazil are the main players, but are closely followed by Asia and Europe.2
Over 90% of young girls, from ages as young as 9 to 17 years old, use some kind of nail product. Thus, these are becoming the most popular cosmetic product among teenage girls. This trend proves that apart from the above mentioned functions, today the nail has become a fashionable, stylish accessory.2
When thinking of nail products, the first items coming to one’s mind are of course nail polish and relatedly, nail polish remover. In addition to that, nail care comprises the large palette of aesthetic nail treatments which are on the market, as well as artificial nails. Since daily excessive exposure of the hands, respectively the nails, to water and soap or detergents, etc. is straining the nails in addition. Also products for basic care for the nail are being used, claiming to harden, smooth, moisturise or whiten the nail.3
With
increasing interest of consumers in nail care and its rising importance, many different
September 2018
Figure 2: New, patented Nail StrainStress Meter NM 100.
Figure 1: Market for nail care products is constantly growing.
brands are constantly developing new treatments and concepts for the nail, such as overnight or anti-ageing nail care for example. Along with the increasing awareness of the consumers of ingredients, the safety of nail care is moving more into focus. Natural ingredients such as turmeric,
milk, carrots and almonds, just to mention a few, are being incorporated in the products to ensure the protection of the nails.4 Measurement tools to study the nail’s
properties are indispensable for formulating new nail care concepts, to document their efficacy and safety and to make the appropriate claims around them (according to the 1223/2009 Regulation).5
They may
also be used in the clinical research of nail diseases, such as onycholysis (detachment of the nail plate from its bed), brittle nails or simple chronic paronychia (inflammation of the nail folds) and others, as well as for skin diseases which cause nail changes, such as psoriasis, alopecia areata (increases hair loss) and other tissue disorder (e.g. dermatitis, etc.).6
Even though the structure and
development of nails is extensively studied, little has been done to scientifically substantiate the effect of nail treatments and products to objectively prove their efficacy.
A new system to assess in vivo the biomechanical features of the nail is the Nail StrainStress Meter NM 100 (Courage + Khazaka), which has been developed in
PERSONAL CARE EUROPE
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