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The cold guard

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The cold guard

Exposure to extremes of biting winds, cold air and dehydrating central heating can cause dry and chapped skin during winter months and exacerbate skin problems like eczema and psoriasis. Dawn Gay considers the treatment options

More suppliers in the skin flare-up category now agree that skin treatments are an increasingly popular segment of the overall winter healthcare market in pharmacies. Recent figures show that the skin flare-up category is valued at £196 million.

Annelies Smits, international brand manager for winter skin remedy Dermalex, explains: “Pharmacists should maximise on the sales potential driven by the winter season by displaying relevant health categories together, such as cold and flu, coldsores and dry skin, and consider introducing targeted promotions so customers are encouraged to get all their winter health solutions in one shop.”

Colder temperatures, strong winds, coupled with central heating and people taking long, hot baths will all encourage the skin to dry out

Dermatologist John Hamilton says that people would prefer to speak to someone over the counter about their skin problem. “This may be because they feel a slight skin irritation does not warrant a visit to the doctor, or because it is faster and more convenient to speak to their pharmacist. And with skin problems generally on the rise, pharmacists are in an important position to help and advise, and have solution-based products to offer,” he says.

A ‘big hand’ for E45

RB added three new products to its E45 hand cream range in October to address very dry skin problems. The top-selling range for dry skin now includes E45 Repair and Protect Overnight Hand Cream (its first night hand cream), E45 Intense Recovery Hand Cream and E45 Nourish and Restore Hand Cream. The launch is being backed by TV advertising and a digital, PR and sample campaign.

GSK announced the launch of its new junior Oilatum Daily Junior cleansers, including a shampoo, wash and bubble bath, at October’s Pharmacy Show. Oilatum’s senior brand manager Caroline Fredj says: “Oilatum is a renowned skincare brand and is bringing innovation to the dry skin category with the launch of the Oilatum Daily Junior cleansing product range. The extension will help drive further growth by meeting consumer demand for a range of products specifically created for babies and young children with dry skin.”The Oilatum child and baby range is currently growing at a rate of 16.2 per cent and is being launched with a £1m above-the-line advertising campaign.

QV Skincare has a highly successful range of products for dry skin conditions and IMS data reveals that sales increased by 58 per cent last year. The brand’s sales team is currently working to increase its presence in independent pharmacies, according to brand manager Stephanie Young. “We’re thrilled to have received such a great response for a product that we know has such a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing. Free from fragrances and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), QV is one of the few brands to contain glycerol in many of its products, protecting the skin against irritation and retaining the skin’s moisture. This, combined with the educational and parenting resources that we provide pharmacies, makes it the go-to brand for pharmacists,” she says.

New to the UK

The Hope’s Relief range of natural skincare products arrived from balmier Australian climes just a year ago. Its eczema relief cream is the top-selling natural eczema cream in Australia.

The 35 year-old company has recently added a new moisturising lotion to its portfolio. Lindsey Springer, commercial director for Mahi Naturals, which distributes and promotes the range, says it is ready for UK winters. “Colder temperatures, strong winds, coupled with central heating and people taking long, hot baths will all encourage the skin to dry out. For customers looking for advice on protecting their skin during the winter months we suggest using products with mango butter and grapeseed, used in the new Hope’s Relief Moisturising Lotion. These ingredients offer higher moisturising qualities than many standard ingredients to actively hydrate, sooth, repair and protect problem skin.”

Already a successful product in the USA, O’Keeffe’s Working Hands made its debut in the UK in November 2013. The hand cream was originally only launched in Lakeland stores and is currently being targeted at the pharmacy market. Andrew Wilson, pharmacist at RH Ferris, has seen successful returns with the product so far. He says: “Since stocking O’Keeffe’s Working Hands hand cream it has fast become one of our biggest selling products. It has a non-oil based formula that contains a high concentration of glycerine, pulling in water rather than repelling it. It’s not greasy or smelly, is packaged well and is very easy to open, so is great for a whole range of customers.”

Skincare gift sets

Christmas is just around the corner and skincare stockists are targeting the seasonal shopper with themed gift sets. The UK-based company specialising in the increasingly popular Moroccan argan oil products, Alassala, is promoting its Christmas box sets. The beauty gift set features the Moroccan Organic Argan Oil for Face and Body to nourish dry skin in winter months. 

Botanical Brands is stepping in as Santa’s helper this year and distributing 'pampering' gift boxes of Living Nature skincare products from New Zealand. The Christmas-themed box sets include natural night care products containing essential oils and a lip hydrator stick with Kiwi ingredient manuka honey.

The research and development institute for natural skincare, Essentially Yours, launched its new Sensitive Facial Oil in July. It claims that the protective and anti-ageing product is a “super food in skincare form”. Mr Hamilton, founder of Essentially Yours, says: “Vital oils such as those found in Sensitive Facial Oil provide real protection from environmental factors such as wind, cold and the drying effects of central heating. This is because they reinforce the hydro lipid film, our protective waxy film on the skin. You are effectively creating a Barbour jacket for the skin, providing total protection while putting in super antioxidants to help repair summer damage.”

Secuvie released Reczema eczema treatment earlier this year, a natural cream containing the active ingredient fulvic acid, which is free from steroids, perfume and preservatives. A randomised, double-blind trial with 36 participants revealed that Reczema showed a ‘significant improvement’ compared to a placebo group. For customers that like to keep things simple, an aqueous emollient cream is an ideal fragrance-, SLS- and colour-free alternative to moisturisers and soaps.

Steve Riley, a community pharmacist and senior prescribing advisor at Cheshire and Mersey Commissioning Support Unit, recommends the products: “Keeping the skin moisturised is vital for dry and itchy skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, and local pharmacists should be able to help. Ones with simple ingredients are particularly useful, such as Care Aqueous Emollient Cream, which is a two-in-one emollient and soap substitute for dry skin, and, unlike many high street products and cleansers, it is 100 per cent SLS-free. SLS is a thickening agent used to make bubbles and lather and can aggravate dry skin by thinning the natural protective barrier, which causes water loss and allows irritants to penetrate.”

Psoriasis can also become worse for sufferers during the winter. The ultraviolet light in sunlight, which helps to ease the symptoms of psoriasis, is reduced during winter months and dry heated air can aggravate symptoms. Dermalex has recently added a new topical gel, Dermalex Repair Scalp Psoriasis, to its dry skin range. The topical gel regulates skin cell production and allows the skin to repair itself, soothing scaling, itching, irritation, flaking and redness. A study showed an average symptom improvement of 74 per cent after six weeks of use and a reduction in itching and scaling reduction from two weeks.

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