Cosmetics: A New Open Project

It is my great pleasure to announce a newly launched open access journal, Cosmetics, published by MDPI, dedicated to this fascinating world. Do we need a new journal in this area? This was the question I had in mind before starting the project and I will try to answer in the following paragraphs.

Today, cosmetic science is a very broad research area involving very diverse scientific categories ranging from basic science and chemistry, to medicine and more. In each of these areas, there are journals and publications dealing with some aspects related to cosmetic science, research and development of cosmetic products. Unfortunately, sometimes these publications are restricted to a very specific and narrow audience, making knowledge available mainly to limited professional areas, making them less translational and difficult to share among different scientific communities. Today we need research, ideas, studies and concepts to be distributed and exchanged globally as fast as possible with no boundaries and restrictions in order to expand the field and improve in terms of scientific soundness, quality and customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, new ingredients and activities are needed to maintain efficacy and safety at the uppermost level possible. Cosmetic products are no longer made by mixing inactive base ingredients, as was the case years ago, but have become the logical consequence of basic and applied research associated with quality controlled manufacturing processes derived from the pharma industry.

This is why Cosmetics can play an important role in this community. This is the first open access journal in the area, open to all professional categories involved in cosmetic development. We therefore welcome papers on basic science, cosmetic chemistry, clinical dermatology, cell biology and more, in order to create a common platform for open discussion. Indeed, free access will grant every scientist interested with full availability of the manuscript, and authors receive speedy publication and web diffusion of their work.

Cosmetics will publish reviews, research papers and communications. The aim is to encourage the publication of experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Full details should be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Being a clinician, I also will encourage submission of papers dealing with cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic and laser treatments, cosmetic side effects and safety. New technology and methods to investigate skin function and the effects of topically applied products on skin environment will also be particularly welcomed. Furthermore, there are new aspects of the cosmetic industry, such as efficacy claims and advertising, which are becoming more and more important because they have an immediate and strong impact on consumers and regulatory agencies: Cosmetics will be the first journal opening doors to discussions and communications on regulatory issues.

I hope you can join us in ensuring the success of this exciting project and we look forward to receiving your contributions!