the33tv.com: Two and a half million Americans got Botox injected last year to smoothe out wrinkles in their foreheads, between eye brows and erase dreaded crows feet. But a new drug has just been released that may be its new competitor.
Lisa Bailey has been contemplating getting Botox for over a year now. She says, "I would like to get rid of those lines and have a more natural look." But she was hesitant, knowing one side effect of Botox is having a 'frozen appearance'. But a brand new products is trying to fix that. Lisa says, "What sparked my interest in Dysport it's more of a natural look."
Dr. Jeffrey Adelglass, of Skintatic, is one of the first doctors in the US to try it out on patients, after it was approved by the FDA a month ago, although it's already being used in Europe. Botox has been on the market now for 7 years and Dysport is the first competitor, so now the battle to beauty is going wrinkle to wrinkle with more products that offer beautiful, more younger looking skin.
Both drugs are Botlism A and work similarly to relax muscles, but Dysport promises quicket results, that last longer and is about 20 percent cheaper than Botox. Dr. Adelglass says, "It's other main difference is it has a larger area of effect, 12:59:47and what that means it could potentially give you a natural look as it spreads throughout for example the forehead or other larger areas."
This easy-to-use micro-device can painlessly deliver influenza vaccines. At the press of a button, a miniature fluidic pump distributes the vaccine to a set of microneedles. These microneedles deliver the vaccine intradermally, or into the skin, but not through it and into the muscle, like the traditional needle and syringe do.
The micro-device was developed by Flugen and holds the potential to significantly increase vaccine effectiveness.
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TrendsSpotting.com is a trends agency focused on developing exciting tools for Trend Spotting. We follow current trends and are constantly looking for new ones. We specialize in trends research and the social media. Dr. Taly Weiss, TrendsSpotting CEO, is a Social Psychologist, with extensive experience in branding strategy and marketing research. Feel free to explore our trend spotting tools on www.trendoScope.com.
BMH UK: There are few if any black or Asian people who have not at some point been forced to use plasters and bandages that contrast conspicuously with their natural brown skin tones.
The site of a friend's child being bullied for wearing a conspicuous white plaster across his forehead after sustaining an injury in the playground, was the catalyst for Ndiho Sean Obedih, owner of Obedihs Enterprises Ltd , to design and bring to market Briton's first black plasters.
YnotPlast' s range of plasters will mean this child's experience, which resonates with countless brown skinned people will make the trauma of wearing a comical white sticking plaster on brown skin a thing of the past.
YnotPlast products include bandages and first aid kits for home and leisure as well as sticking plasters for minor cuts and grazes in five natural shades of mocha, cocoa, caramel, bronze and honey.
The spending power of the rapidly growing ethnic market and this has forced companies both in the UK and abroad to adopt and tailor their products to the needs of ethnic minority groups.
Youthful Essence by Susan Lucci is a patented personal Microdermabrasion system that gently exfoliates away dull, dry surface cells to reveal fresh, more radiant skin beneath.
This product was developed by the award-winning husband-and-wife skin care specialists Dean and Amby Rhoades, for use in their Beverly Hills salon. They created this personal Microdermabrasion system for celebrity clients wishing to continue the rejuvenating effects of the professional services they were receiving in the salon. Now you can get a spa-style treatment in the comfort of your own home, at a fraction of the cost.
Sniff n Go delivers the health benefits of aromatherapy through an innovative inhaler that fits conveniently in your pocket or purse. The synergy blend aromas of pure essentials oils are micro-infused into a personal aromapod that is discreet, non intrusive and easy-to-use. Just slide open, inhale deeply 3 to 5 times, and close.
The Wall Street Journal: Could shiso be the new white tea in beauty products?
The Japanese mint-like herb that popped up in trendy cocktails and sushi rolls a few years ago has surfaced in a host of new beauty products, much like the way white tea became ubiquitous in beauty lines several years ago.
Niche beauty brand Zelens just started selling a $200 serum featuring shiso extract, which it is touting as a potent, natural antioxident. Natural skincare line Thann has a $29 shiso hair mask and French label Roger & Gallet is now selling a $25 shiso body cream and claims that the extract helps to energize and stimulate the skin.
The shiso trend is part of beauty companies’ efforts to reach out to consumers who are continuing to seek out natural products even during this economic downturn.
Iconoculture: Open your mind wide! Dutch tech tank Philips introduced a smart iPill that monitors temperature and acidity as it travels down the digestive highway and drops its drug cargo right where it's needed. It was developed to reduce dosages and side effects with targeted treatment.
Packed in the plastic pill are a microprocessor, battery, wireless radio and the drug. Doctors and iPill communicate via computer.
Some concerns about the iPill are the cost — currently $1,000/pill — and the, er, end game.
Talking Retail: Wilkinson Sword is simplifying the shaving process with the launch of the new revolutionary 2-in-1 Quattro for Women Bikini that combines a bikini trimmer and a high performance razor in one convenient beauty accessory.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of women regularly maintaining their bikini area, with 49% of women now incorporating this zone into their beauty regime vs only 35% in 1999. In addition, the incidence of hair removal from the underarm area and lower legs is high and in growth.
Until now, women have needed a repertoire of razors, creams, trimmers and scissors to complete the hair removal process for their Bikini line. This breakthrough launch from Wilkinson Sword finally brings to market a single girly gadget to address all women's hair removal needs in just one compact, accurate tool.
Quattro for Women Bikini boasts a battery operated, waterproof trimmer for safe use in the shower with an adjustable length comb for accuracy, safety and ease of use to facilitate quick and even trimming.
4Hoteliers.com: Susie Ellis President of SpaFinder predicts the worlds of spa and medicine will further blend as consumers become more health and price conscious, while new generational trends take hold.
SpaFinder, the global spa resource, has announced “Top 10 Spa Trends To Watch In 2009,” the company’s sixth annual forecast of the emerging concepts that will shape the world of spa in 2009 and beyond.
The global spa industry’s extraordinary growth and resiliency has been fueled by important new ideas in health, wellness, fitness, beauty, design, and cuisine. Despite a turbulent economy, SpaFinder President Susie Ellis believes 2009 will prove no exception. In particular, one clear ‘macro’ trend is emerging: the interweaving of medicine and spas in unprecedented ways, with spas poised to increase their roles in wellness and healthcare, while hospitals evolve to embrace spa-like offerings and hospitality.
As Susie Ellis, President of SpaFinder, Inc. noted: “In a few short years I’ve watched spas go from a narrow focus on pampering to become a vastly expanded category where dozens of wellness solutions are explored. They’ve become, in essence, our alternative ‘laboratories’ for testing new health and wellness approaches - from fitness, nutrition, acupuncture and yoga - or more recently, sleep and fertility solutions.
SpaFinder’s Top Ten 2009 Spa Trends:
1. Energy Medicine
2. Casinos & Spas
3. The Medical and Spa Tourism Shuffle
4. Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of Green
5. Trains, Boats & Planes: In-Transit Spa-Going
6. Brain Health and ‘Mind’ Gyms
7. Learning Labs for Stress Reduction
8. Mindful Spending
9. Move Over Baby Boomers: Gen X & Y Are Spa-ing Their Way
10. Brands, Brands, Brands
TrendWatching.com: South African health insurance company Discovery has a wellness program called Vitality which is the only one of its kind to offer rewards for a healthy lifestyle based on scientific measurement. Members receive points by decreasing risk factors for illness, and the higher the points, the higher the status (bronze, silver, gold, diamond), and the greater the access to shopping and travel discounts.
Trends in Japan: There’s still no shortage of Japanese seeking luxury experiences, especially when it comes to health and wellness. Japan’s aging society is still a wealthy one, and isn’t afraid to spend money on products and services that can enhance quality of life. Salt Studio Saltasia fits right into this category, creating stylish salt rooms to promote anti-aging and relaxation for women.
Saltasia uses hexagon-shaped, natural salt tiles on the floor, ceiling, and walls to create what feels like a honeycomb for relaxing. Behind the tiles are colored LED lights which, along with ambient music and sounds, diffuse smoothly and create a soothing experience for guests who can stretch, meditate, and let off stress.
Far from being a sauna (it’s only 41°C), the point is to be able to sweat without having to push yourself through an intense 90~100° session in normal dry sauna.
A new medical trend with the potential for huge impact is the brilliant innovation by Chris Holden, which can completely alter the drug administration procedures worldwide. The medidome has all of the essential parameters needed to eliminate all the fears, discomforts, complications and contamination dangers of the standard medical injections.
The medidome comes in two variations, both of which are disposable and beautifully designed.
The first one, Needle medidome, is a disposable needle based injection, which can reduce injuries and human errors, as well as speed up the injection process so that more people can be treated in less time. It is far less intimidating than a regular needle and can be used for pediatric purposes. Also, it is most useful for self-injections, first-aid kits and military and army field based injections. Probably the greatest advantage is the potential for mass immunization required in developing countries where the possibility of contracting the HIV virus can be easily obliterated.
The second one, Absorption medidome, administers absorption-based drugs by using a unique slow release design. This too, has a great many advantages. There is absolutely no syringe sharing which eliminates the contraction of HIV. It also particularly facilitates the administration of slow-release painkillers and children's antibiotics.
The incredibly long list of medidome benefits can only indicate that it will soon become the most prominent drug-administration aid worldwide. We sure do hope.
TrendsSpotting.com is a trends agency focused on developing exciting tools for Trend Spotting. We follow current trends and are constantly looking for new ones. We specialize in trends research and the social media. Dr. Taly Weiss, TrendsSpotting CEO, is a Social Psychologist, with extensive experience in branding strategy and marketing research. Feel free to explore our trend spotting tools on www.trendoScope.com.
Back in March, Argo Medical Technologies Inc., announced the development of their ReWalk Exoskeleton, a light-weight, brace-like suit for people whose legs have been paralyzed. The Exoskeleton fits the body snugly and detects various upper body movements, which allow the wearer to start or stop the walking process.
Featuring integrated DC motors at the joints, rechargeable batteries, and an extensive series of sensors linked to a computer control system, we are indeed looking at the future mobility for those who have been unable to recovery from serious injury.
A US trial for the ReWalk is scheduled to begin in November at the Moss Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, after which Argo will apply for FDA regulatory approval.
Christopher Aceto currently heads Thottfield Inc., a small multimedia and communications consultancy based in Toronto, Canada. Always on the hunt for innovative and exciting ideas, his passion for the creation and production of ground-breaking technologies and services has granted him the opportunity to act as a creative consultant for various companies and industries throughout the world.
You're just about to go down the catwalk at the Paris fashion show, but you've cut your cheek on one of the crystal champagne flutes. What to do? Slap on one of these high-fashion bandages over your boo-boo, adjust your outfit (which is the size of a bandage anyway), and off you go!
Blinged out bandages with 4 Swarovski crystals are available in three colors (white, red and pink), and one little tin sells for $12 at Charles and Marie.
TrendCentral: Imported from Turkey and used as a cure for skin ailments such as psoriasis, Garra rufa (aka Dr Fish) are the latest trend in Japanese spa treatments. But be warned, this treatment is not for the squeamish: the fish feed off of the dead and affected areas of skin and leaves healthy skin to grow. Basically, you stick your feet in a small tank where hundreds of fish swarm and nibble and suck at your dead skin. The first few minutes certainly feel freaky and it takes time to get used to the sucking feeling.
TrendHunter: This is no joke, hitting up a vending machine for marijuana is now possible in Los Angeles!
Herbal Nutrition Center has installed operating machines next to two dispensaries that are open 24/7. Security Guards are present, to keep any people away who might not “meed” the pot, but after you get a perscription from your doctor (for your, uh, back pain) you have to be fingerprinted and jump through some other hoops.
But then, dude you are righteous. Hit the machine and walk away with the finest cheeba you need.
PR Web: QR (Quick Relief) Powder is an exciting product that is now being offered by Select Safety Sales on-line store. It has the ability to stop the bleeding immediately when sprinkled on a wound. A scab forms instantaneously and bleeding stops within seconds. QR Powder is a revolutionary powder bandage that can be used in lieu of a traditional bandage.
QR Powder, when compared to a traditional bandage not only stops the bleeding quicker, but also allows the person inflicted to resume work immediately or to get to a health care facility with less blood loss. QR Powder is also available with an applicator to stop nosebleeds instantly without the need for cauterization. The possibilities are endless; an athlete on the field, a construction worker on the job or a child on the playground.
Born Rich: Enjoy the benefits of a large swimming pool within a small space with the Endless Pool. The pool is designed to generate a counter-current that enables you to adjust your swimming speed from beginner to racer levels. Perfect for relaxation and aquatic-therapies, the Endless Pool kit is small enough to fit inside your home and patio. The pool’s high volume non turbulent bubble-free water flow is wider than your body giving you the maximum benefit for your efforts. It shouldn’t be wrong to call it ‘Treadmill for Swimmers.’ The Endless Pool current is adjustable to any ability and level of fitness from the beginner to the avid competitor. In an Endless Pool, you can do aquatic therapy at the ideal temperature and pace for your needs and at your own convenience.
Test your limits with the Endless Pool [Born Rich]
TrendCentral: Eyelash bars first became a beauty trend when Shu Uemura opened one in Tokyo’s hip Omotesando neighborhood two years ago. Once primarily attracting high end beauty shoppers or outrageously dressed clubbers, the Shu Uemura eyelash bar now attracts teens who go for fun designs like the Yellow Flash and Lucent Sun, which, when hit with light, cast colored patterns on the face. Copycat eyelash bars around the city are also attracting teens, making eyelash bar hopping a popular afterschool and weekend activity.
Realty Times: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) can be devastating for those who suffer from it. Fragrances drive these people crazy -- sometimes to the point where they can't perform normal, everyday functions.
Perhaps few people understand this more so than Siri Amrit, the founder of an internet retailer called Tigerflag Natural Perfumery.
Tigerflag specializes in fragrances, candles and other products for those with multiple chemical sensitivity. Few companies have this special focus.
Siri has MCS and in the past she found herself working for a company that was filled with something that made her walk out the door. Fragrances. It seemed that every person there was wearing some fragrance of some kind -- and that environment was making her ill.
Siri made a deal with her co-workers. If she could locate quality fragrances that would not trigger a multiple chemical sensitivity reaction, her co-workers would at least try them.
Siri did research and found certain fragrances from throughout the world made the old fashioned way, without the synthetic petroleum constituents that make some people ill. Her co-workers loved the products and in time, Tigerflag Natural Perfumery was born.
Now for the caveats: I am not a doctor and I am not promising that these products are safe for those who wear them, or those who come within the vicinity of wearers.
Iconoculture: Residents of the town of Varallo in northwestern Italy are turning kilos into euros through a communal diet project initiated by the mayor.
Men who lose 4 kg (9 lbs.) in a month will receive €50 ($70). Women will get the same amount for losing 3 kg (7 lbs.). If they keep the weight off for five months, they'll receive another €200, or $280.
There is power in numbers. A group approach to a challenge empowers people and provides a sense of community. Denaro (money), even more than health or appearance, can be highly motivational.
Eating a healthy diet is one of the most important ways you can maintain an active lifestyle and protect against health problems.
The EatSmart Nutrition Scale™ provides nutrition information that helps you make informed food choices. It is extremely valuable to individuals that are at risk of developing certain medical conditions—such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol and osteoporosis, (all impacted by diet)—that require close monitoring of specific nutrients.
The EatSmart Nutrition Scale™ instantly calculates the exact values for 12 major nutrients contained in any size portion of hundreds of different foods which are programmed into the scale in the following sequence by pressing the 1/2/3/4 button on the left-hand keypad.
The EatSmart Nutrition Scale™ is also useful for people striving to control their weight, and for others who simply wish to maintain optimum health by monitoring and balancing their daily nutritional intake of calories, fats and proteins.
By using the EatSmart Nutrition Scale™, you can make your nutrition program as comprehensive as you wish by analyzing the nutritional value of thousands of labeled and unlabeled foods with touch tone ease.
Popgadget: The iStraw is a lightweight polycarbonate straw fitted with a special membrane, which uses micro-filtration technology to clean your water. If you've tried chlorine tablets, you know how icky the taste can be, and with the iStraw there's no aftertaste. The company sent one for me to try out so I can attest that the water tastes great (well, as well as tap water can.)
iStraw is handy for personal use to help protect you from waterborne bacteria and protozoa that may be present in drinking water -- whether you're backpacking, camping, sightseeing,or just sipping cocktails in a foreign country. By filtering up to 500 litres of water, it will be some time before you have to change the cartridge.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: It's small, plump, purple and sexy. It's the acai berry.
Harvested from palm trees in the Brazilian Amazon, acai (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee) seems to have everything going for it.
It's got more antioxidants than blueberries, red wine or pomegranates. It's rich in omega fatty acids, fiber and vitamins. It packs a delectable berry-cocoa flavor - think red wine with a strong infusion of chocolate.
And its growing popularity in the United States -- in smoothies, energy drinks, juices and supplements -- might even help to preserve the Amazon rainforest, since acai farming can provide a sustainable alternative to logging, cattle farming and other industries that cause deforestation.
Acai took root in the United States after California surfer Ryan Black went on a trip to Brazil in 1999. He found the locals eating a purplish mush, which they made from berries that grew in clumps on the tops of palm trees. He saw an opportunity to market acai in the United States to foodies, athletes and the health-conscious.
The Cool Hunter: It's Saturday night, the music is pumping and you are on a hot date . Everything is going down fine until the humidity in the club suddenly turns your hair from Cher to Macy Gray in about 7 seconds.
Fear not, entrepreneurs, Richard Starrett and Neil Macka, have come to the rescue with their Hot Iron vending machine. With 500 units already placed in clubs/gyms throughout the U.K , the Beautiful Vending company provide coin operated hair straightening hot irons, for the quick and convenient use of club patrons who's hair has suddenly gone 'poof'.
Using professional grad GHD tongs, the irons run for 2 minutes per use and cost $2.00. The idea is perfect for countries where the weather can be unpredictable and affect recently straightened hair.
Iconoculture: Good health may be its own reward, but a little pampering can't hurt. The Westin New York at Times Square's Walk This Way program encourages physical activity and a healthy lifestyle while on the road by offering pedestrian guests a 15% discount at their in-house spa and an upgrade to a WestinWORKOUT room on a future visit.
Armed with a pedometer, a map of measured walking routes and directions to New York hotspots, guests need to rack up 10,000 steps (that's about 7.5 miles) to claim their rewards. The Westin New York at Times Square was rated among the country's 11 healthiest hotels by Health magazine and AOL CityGuide.
You'll appreciate it more if you've earned it, right? Fit consumers appreciate programs and amenities that empower — and reward — their healthy approach to living and traveling.
Hotels offer consumers a lab for living — where they can try everything from luxury bedding to eco-consciousness to fitness. A little encouragement and instant gratification gives fitness newbies the push they're looking for to try out an active lifestyle.
Iconoculture: Americans are apparently a determinedly unhealthy lot. Despite nudging, hinting and suggesting that we eat healthier and exercise more, up to 70% of illnesses are lifestyle-related. BeniComp Advantage health insurance company seeks to lower healthcare costs by reducing the number of claims, figuring that if their members take responsibility for their health, they won't go to the doctor as often.
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BeniComp Advantage has high premiums that can be reduced by adhering to health guidelines in four areas: body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure and tobacco non-use. Members earn a $500 premium reduction for each area in which they meet the guidelines.
This plan is designed to save employers money, encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own healthy lifestyle choices, and put the burden of healthcare cost on those who do not meet health guidelines.
Some people can't take a hint, so health insurance companies are trying tough love. The pocketbook has always been a highly motivational pressure point for consumers.
Willingly or not, consumers are educating themselves about their health and taking responsibility for maintaining it. Prevention is ever more important, since doctor visits, even for those with insurance, can be spendy. To that end, consumers appreciate accurate information about how to maintain health and convenient ways to incorporate changes into their lifestyles.
Iconoculture: While Coca-Cola is busy trying to come up with the perfect mix of pure and healthy for the anti-corn-syrup crowd, the folks at Aqua Tan think they've stumbled on the cure for what ails Coke, and just about everyone else on the planet.
The healing water comes from the cave of Massabielle, where a young girl claimed she saw an apparition of a "lady," who has now become the legendary Lady of Lourdes.
Aqua Tan products are known for providing what the company calls a "couture tan" — a self-tanner in a bottle that is pure, clean and healthy. For consumers looking to go gold, Aqua Tan's marketing message is that they provide a healthy alternative: Their tanner is light, clean and inspired by the purity of water. Consumers on the hunt for purity and healing are relying more and more on organic and wholesome. And Aqua Tan can provide the sun, and more, in specially designed bottles.
The Cool Hunter: Organic isn’t just a trendy buzzword anymore, savvy consumers demand it, whether we’re talking about apples, chicken, cotton bed sheets and even skincare. Melbourne duo Myke Christoffel and Lara Deutsch have capitalized on the growing market for the latter with their boutique organic skincare range Stem Organics. Sales for natural and organic personal care have doubled between 2002 and 2006, with 78% of adults in developed countries preferring to use products over chemically derives ones, so the brand hit the stores at the perfect time.
Interestingly Christoffel and Deutsch actually launched the brand in the US first, selling through online retailers and more recently, through hip lifestyle boutique chain Theory and Fred Segal, where Stem Organics is fast becoming a ‘must have’ brand among their urban, image and health conscious customers.
Popgadget: My girlfriend told me that toothbrushes harbor more germs than a toilet bowl. Yeeewwwww!
That was enough to get me looking for a solution, and fortunately for my sanity, VIOlight has already come up with a solution. Their little gizmo is proven to kill 99.9% of germs found on your toothbrush using UV light. And did I mention that it was designed by Philippe Starck, so it looks good in any bathroom? With the adaptors that come with, you can even fit your electric toothbrush head in the unit.
The company sent me the bath unit to try out, and I can report that it's easy to set up. Just plug it into the wall, place toothbrushes in the slots (4 of them), press the button, and after 10 minutes of ultra violet light, you've killed all those nasty germs and bugs. That’s millions of microscopic bugs that can cause flu, colds and other illnesses.
Shiny Shiny: Young and old, nobody likes needles. But we all have to put up with them from time to time, whether you're doing 'something amazing today' by giving blood, or just having a plain old blood test.
The Luminetx VeinViewer claims to make the process a bit less painful, by showing the needle-wielding nurse exactly where to poke to get that vein straight off. It uses near infrared light to detect veins inside our body. The near infrared light reflects off tissues surrounding veins but not the blood cells inside veins. The system picks up the reflected light, processes it, and then beams a picture back onto our skin, highlighting the vein locations. The result is a strange green web on a piece of plastic on your arm, showing the whereabouts of your veins, so those stab-happy medical people can get it right first time!
Endgadget: Although some women do indeed prefer an in-store (human) professional when looking for a new lineup of cosmetics to try, those independent ladies who'd rather take things solo just might prefer this method. Mitsukoshi, Shiseido, and Fujitsu have teamed up to bring a virtual, real-time makeover machine into Japanese department stores in order to give women a chance to test out a smorgasbord of shades on their virtual face before throwing down their hard earned loot. Sure, we've seen hypothetical approaches before, but this rendition lacks the mess and time requirements of previous methods by allowing customers to snap an image of their face, and then scan electronic tags of interesting looking makeup in order to dash their on-screen persona with whatever they please.
Iconoculture: Instant messaging. Video-on-demand. And now, instant crowns. D4D, a digital dental system that makes and fits new teeth in a single visit, is in clinical field trials awaiting final FDA approval. Dentists capture an image of the tooth site with a handheld scanner and feed it into a software program to model the design. A computerized milling machine makes the finished crown in just 30 minutes, so the patient can be fitted on the spot.
No one enjoys a trip to the dentist. Downsizing the process of getting crowns from two visits to one would be a great leap forward for dental patients everywhere. Digital technology continues to revolutionize healthcare in bold ways, opening the door for further innovations.
Scentuellepatch: Is feeling sexy just a memory? You’re not alone. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, millions of women long to re-ignite the passion they enjoyed during those first heady days of their relationship. But for a growing number of women, their desires are overwhelmed by their increasingly busy lives. They get lost to deadlines and schedules, crying babies and expanding waistlines, menopause and aging. The reasons for their flagging libidos are as long as their to-do lists.
But new research in the emerging science of aromachology has shown that a woman’s sense of smell is the gateway to increased desire and sexual well-being. Recently introduced to North America, the Scentuelle patch consists of a complex combination of scent molecules that stimulate the libido by targeting the brain’s smell receptors. It reproduces the effect of the body’s ‘feel good’ hormone, dopamine, which controls sexual desire.
Simply place the small, transparent patch in a discreet place, such as the inside of the wrist, and smell it regularly throughout the day. Scentuelle begins to work from the first sniff and its effect is cumulative, building to an optimum level after three weeks. Nothing enters the bloodstream so there are no side effects and a doctor’s prescription is not required.
TrendBlog: Some people won’t be able to travel, due to either lack of time or of money. Therefore Arizona Mobile Spa provides services directly to clients at home, at the office, or in a hotel suite. Arizona Mobile works via a network of spa professionals. The mobile spa service offers packages for groups of four and up. Some options are spa parties, corporate events, corporate chair massages, wedding parties, bridal parties, and bachelorette parties. Ideal for relaxation, networking, socializing and starting a healthy livestyle on the spot.
East Valley Tribune: It's the newest trend among Scottsdale spas - pureed perishables used to attract upscale clientele. And local spagoers are eating it up, spending up to $240 for a single treatment.
"Right now, I am just seeing everything that you can possibly eat in a spa treatment," said Lisa Kasanicky, chief executive of Arizona Spa Girls, a local spa directory Web Site.
Spa owners say newly discovered healing benefits in foods like caviar, coffee and chocolate are helping spagoers stay young and beautiful. But others say it's mostly hype.
For instance, the antioxidants in fruits like pomegranates and cranberries are supposed to reduce wrinkles and improve skin. They are both common ingredients in facials and body scrubs.
"Probably the hottest food right now is pomegranate. Pomegranate is the new green tea for spa treatments because of all the antioxidants," Kasanicky said. "But honestly, it's probably better if you just ate it."
Regardless, the unusual is becoming so usual at the spas that Scottsdale's Convention and Visitor's Bureau took notice and compiled a list of some of the more exotic resort spa treatments.
The list included everything from a coffee-grounds body wrap to a massage using warm golf balls.
"Spa is becoming more and more of an everyday thing in peoples health and wellness routine," said Laura McMurchie, vice president of communications for the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"People are looking for more exotic and different types of treatments," she said.
Dental Economics: Zenith Dental introduces Kolorz, a new hygiene line that includes a Topical Anesthetic Gel, Prophylaxis Paste, and Foam and Gel Fluoride.
To develop this new product, Zenith went to gourmet food industry experts to develop products with a superior taste and smell. Care has been taken to assure that these products contain no controversial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin. Kolorz contains Sucralose®, a safe, noncaloric sweetener, and Xylitol, a natural sweetener found in fruits and berries. Both of these are safe for diabetics. In order to prevent allergic reactions in patients with Celiac disease, all Kolorz products are gluten-free.
You will be very impressed with the taste and smell of the variety of popular flavors. Be sure to try this one. Order from your dealer or go to www.zenithdental.com for more information.
Strange New Products: Betty Beauty is the name of a hair coloring made especially for pubic hair.
Apparently many hair salons have made the practice of providing women with a brown bag of hair coloring to match the coloring they just got put on their heads. A woman named Nancy Jarecki decided why not sell a product like this over-the-counter.
And so, Betty Beauty was born.
Coloring comes in five different colors, brown, black, blonde, auburn, and hot pink. What? No red?
It's supposed to be the safe alternative to using head-hair coloring, and can be used by men also.
Trendhunter: Beautiful Vending, a UK company, has released a hair straightener vending machine. Their site describes, “We all know how frustrating the British weather can be, the rain, wind and even the heat can cause perfectly styled hair to ‘frizz’ and ruin the best night or day out. The saviour of bad hair days has arrived, the Straight Up machine is now available in clubs, bars and gyms, so for those occasions when sleek and sexy turns to shock and horror, we have the solution.”
IHT: Samantha Taube stepped out of the MGM Grand hotel and casino into the bright sun to walk to the parking lot. After a short distance, she approached a trailer, entered, sat in a dentist's chair and had her teeth cleaned.
"If you know Las Vegas traffic these days, you know what a benefit this is," said Taube, who trains employees in the huge casino's slot machine operations. After 20 minutes, she was back at work.
Down on the Strip, Beverly Egan, a poker dealer at the Stardust Resort and Casino, sat in air-conditioned comfort, in another mobile dental office decorated in pale blue amid menacing power drills and X-ray equipment. Egan had popped in to have X- rays taken before scheduled dental work. She, too, appreciated the convenience.
"I'd have to take three hours at least if I had to drive to an office," she said. This visit took only 30 minutes.
The mobile units are owned by On- Site Dental NV, a Las Vegas company founded seven years ago by Chris Davenport, who is not a dentist, but an entrepreneur. His company's basic service combines technology, mobility and the American reverence for saving time.
On-Site Dental owns two trailers, each fitted with two dental offices in which dentists and hygienists see about 1,000 patients every Monday through Saturday in the parking lots of 11 casinos in Las Vegas. Most of the patients are employees covered by the casinos' dental insurance plans, which pay up to 80 percent of the costs of most dentistry.
Strange New Products: Borba, a manufacturer of cosmetics and skin care products, extended its line of "ingestible skin care" products with its new "Chocolate Clarifying Bar".
The zit-zapping confection contains Borba's "Skin Balance Clarifying Aqua-Less Crystalline Powder" to remove toxins and improve skin clarity. The powder contains a cultivated bio-vitamin complex which helps the skin regenerate its natural support system.
If it was eating too much chocolate that put zits on your face, now you can eat too much chocolate to take them off. What will you tell your kids now?
Iconoculture: Hungry? Go brush your teeth. White Glo Crave Away and F.A.S.T. are two toothpastes that claim to curb hunger cravings with herbal formulas that signal the brain that the body has eaten.
Consumers hot on the trail of a thinner body are happy to try new therapies that don’t involve eating less or exercising more. Whiter teeth and a thinner body to go with it? As beauty buffs raise the bar on what they see in the mirror, multitasking products give them greater hope of keeping up.
Gearlog.com: Leave it to the folks at MIT to develop high-tech...toothbrushes? And not just any toothbrush, but "toothbrush toys promoting good dental hygiene."
Instructor Barry Kudrowitz's Toy Product Design course created protypes of kid-friendly toothbrushes and toothpaste dispensers to get kids excited about dental hygiene. Tough job, huh? They actually came up with some really cool stuff.
Entries include a brush that dispenses a sticker every time you brush well, a toothbrush that lets you mix up your own flavors, and a even gravity-defying, magnetic Batman Batcave to hold dental supplies. (Results of the design competition come out soon.)
The course worked with MIT Dental, Hasbro toys, and with the real expert themselves... 2nd graders at a local academy.
Before you dismiss the significance of toothbrush technology, consider these findings from an MIT survey: "Toothbrush beats out car and computer as the invention Americans can't live without."
Blissworld: Want the ‘outside’ skinny? This new water-resistant broad spectrum sunscreen actually helps you fight the look of fat while lying on the beach! With exclusive sun-activated spheres that release the visual slimming effect of caffeine molecules when you need them most— while baring the better part of your birthday suit in the sun—in a non-greasy spray formula of hydrating antioxidants and aloe.
Entrez PubMed: Chinese biomedical scientists are now developing a new approach to medicine by combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western biomedical science. This is the current medical trend in China. Some significant results have already been achieved. For instance, in treating fractures the traditional dexterity in coaxing broken ends of bones into alignment has been successfully adopted, and x-ray has been used to check whether there was accurate bone union. Heart diseases are treated with Western drugs in combination with Chinese herbal medicine, and the results are encouraging. Ancient theories such as Fu Chen Pei Ben (to strengthen the patient's vitality) are applied, for instance, in cancer therapy, i.e., to stimulate the patient's appetite and to improve his general condition with herbs while being treated with Western anti-cancer remedies. However, the Chinese admit that this process has only just begun.
News & Star: For those dismayed by Anita Roddick’s “sell-out” to L’Oreal and who have sworn never to darken the Body Shop’s doorstep again, the hunt is on for alternatives.
There was a time when “ethical beauty” was a bit of an oxymoron. To be ethical, it seemed, a product had to be worthy, unglamorous and look and smell as if it was made of sand and sawdust.
Things have changed radically (due in part to the dramatic rise of the Body Shop in the Eighties) and there are now many ranges suiting all sorts of budgets offering good quality, effective and even luxurious products and most are available in a health food shop, salon or chemist near you.
Israel21c: The first thing most people probably feel like doing after talking with Theodore Welt and Jonathan Weisberg is brushing their teeth and cleaning their tongues.
It's not because they're disgusting or anything, quite the contrary. It's just that the two founders of Israeli company VeriFresh Ltd. are very persuasive and descriptive when talking about their line of futuristic products including tongue cleaners, gum massagers and flossers. They believe they're setting a new standard in oral care, which provides a solution for the 200 million Americans who suffer from a range of oral problems ranging from bad breath to periodontal-disease-causing bacteria.
"Wherever there are toothbrushes, there's also going to be a tongue cleaner," Welt states emphatically like a mouth care evangelist, as he takes the VeriFresh tongue cleaner out of his briefcase to demonstrate.
According to Welt, the tongue cleaner is a new design of an age-old product that provides many oral and general-health benefits.
Iconoculture: WristClinic, made by Ireland’s Telcomed, monitors vital signs with a wireless wrist-top device that measures everything from body temperature and blood pressure to oxygen saturation and one-lead EKG. Patients activate the WristClinic at preset times, using icons on the LCD menu to transmit data to a telemedicine call center or an automated Web-based databank, where it’s stored for later retrieval by e-mail, Web, or fax. Consumers also can opt to have measurements transmitted continuously.
Today’s health-conscious consumers are as concerned with monitoring their stats as they are about long-term physical fitness. Crunching the numbers trumps doing crunches. Globetrotting executives and other busy consumers who need to keep tabs on their vital signs feel more secure leaving home with a mobile wrist-top clinic.
The Sunday Times: Women have always treated the ladies like a no man’s land, a place where the barriers and bitchiness of womanhood come down and two strangers will bond over the texture of a Stila lip gloss, the pigment in a Nars blusher, or a simple, “I really like your top.” Given our ability to turn a lavatory into a private boudoir of chat and beauty, it’s a wonder that nobody thought of the Powderpuff Girls sooner.
For £400, you can hire in this crack team of professional make-up artists in sexy but prim Agent Provocateur-inspired uniforms, who will preen your lady guests with a VIP hair and make-up session — and they do it all in the loos. Katie Reynolds, Powderpuff’s girl-in-chief, says that, at weddings, they tend to be booked for the start of the reception so guests can have their make-up touched up before the next stage in a long day. “At late-night parties, though, you ’ll get women coming in who want a whole adventurous change to their look, mid-evening.”
Reynolds is a ballet dancer-turned-make-up artist, with a love of retro style. She says the Powderpuff Girls offer more than just a useful hair and make-up service: it’s a whole aesthetic. “I love Lulu Guinness’s look,” she says. “We’re coming from the same place, playing on that 1950s style, when women looked immaculate."
BusinessWeek: For products as individual and personal as the look of your face, it is remarkable that cosmetics merchandising in the U.S. has remained stuck in its longstanding "look but don't touch" tradition. On one hand, drug stores sell cosmetics in sealed-plastic packaging that require shoppers to buy things like lipstick without a chance to try it on. Alternatively, department stores allow more hands-on access, but only with the hovering attention of a sales person whose commission is driven by pushing a specific brand. Both approaches leave something to be desired.
Spotting a void in the marketplace, Sephora has staked out the middle ground. Three years ago Europe's leading retail beauty chain moved into the U.S. with a simple, if radical, concept. It created a retail environment that invited customers to roam the store and try on different lipsticks, eyeliners and blushes made by many different manufacturers. Instead of department store-type cosmetics counters that force shoppers to interact with a salesperson to sample a product, Sephora is organized around freestanding racks that feature such chic brands as Bulgari, Christian Dior, Gucci, Lancome and Calvin Klein.
Sephora's open, minimalist displays entice shoppers with sumptuous product colors, packaging and bottle design. Strategically placed mirrors, tissues, cotton swabs, astringent and makeup remover encourage sampling. Prices usually out of sight in department stores are prominently marked. Without the pressure of a salesperson eager to close a sale and move on to the next customer, shoppers feel free to spend an hour or more trying out different colors and different brands until they arrive at the exact ones they like.
Sephora.com: Antin has long required his model and actor clients to shower with bottled spring water the night before a photo shoot so their strands are in top condition for the next day—and free of what Antin says are the dulling and drying effects of tap water. So when Antin created his Jonathan Product hair care line, he used only de-ionized, purified water to offset the dulling minerals found in tap water. Now, Antin has taken water purification to the next level with the introduction of his Beauty Water™ Shower Purification System, a revolutionary water filter for your shower—and the closest you can get to showering with pure spring water short of a trip to the Rockies.
According to Antin and his team of researchers, tap water is loaded with chlorine, heavy metals, and other harsh chemicals that dry out the hair, strip the skin and hair of natural protective oils and prematurely fade hair color. This breakthrough water filtration system removes these damaging elements, rendering hair soft, shiny, and all the more manageable. “The biggest comment we get about the shower filter is how much softer it makes your skin and hair,” says Antin.
Besides improving your hair condition, the Beauty Water™ Shower Purification System may actually improve the quality of your shower: The actual filter attaches to your existing showerhead, and then a luxury showerhead attachment—complete with massage and water pressure variation settings—attaches on to that. The powerful purification filter is made of Amorphous Titanium Silicate, a potassium-charged mineral that’s coated with carbonized coconut shells. These two ingredients work together to remove synthetic chemicals and heavy metals like copper and lead, while a KDF-55 filter whisks away chlorine.
Iconoculture: As technology lets us monitor more aspects of our lives, it can mean safer medicating and better health for forgetful patients.
Time for a pill? The SIMpill bottle takes the guesswork out of medicine schedules, using cellphone tech to alert patients (or their caregivers) when a prescribed dose is missed. Pharmacists program pill-popping times into the dispenser, and if the bottle’s opened too early or too late, SIMpill notifies the patient via text message on their cell. If there’s no response, an alert hits the phone of a family member or other designated caregiver (Business Day 1.25.05). If the pill’s taken at the appointed time, there’s no warning – a better system than constant alarms, says SIMpill’s inventor, Dr. David Green, because “people get message fatigue”
Cosmetics design.com: With increasing market research indicating that there is untapped potential in the silver-haired generation, Lancome is hoping to tap into this growing niche with the launch this fall of Platineum, a new anti-aging moisturizer targeting women aged 60-plus.
Although the company currently markets a number of products aimed at mature women, this is the first time it has marketed a product specifically at this particular age category – one that is all too frequently overlooked by skincare companies.
However, with the first of the baby boomer generation now starting to reach this age category, combined with the fact that they are more affluent than previous generations and more fixated on youthful looks, new marketing potential is beginning to show.
DailyCandy: Okay, Drama Queen: You're crying at commercials. Your face looks like a polka-dot bikini. While inhaling obscene amounts of Chubby Hubby, you decide you're a total train wreck. Period.
Period?
Clearly your monthly visitor is to blame for much ado — again.
Fortunately Amy Galper, a New York-based aromatherapist and shiatsu therapist, has created Girl Balm to ease menstrual pain and even some of the histrionics associated with it. Just rub the menthol ointment on your lower belly and wait for pain and anxiety to subside. It's made from hemp seed oil, jojoba, unrefined beeswax, and essential oils of clary sage, rose geranium, gingerroot, and black pepper, which supposedly encourage hormonal balance and circulation.
Iconoculture: Ask Cleopatra. Empowerment through beauty is an ageless desire for both women and men.
Bye-bye, Botox? Probably not, but acupuncture facials do offer a drug-free (albeit pricier) alternative: special tiny needles placed in the forehead, chin, and cheeks to tighten up loose skin and reduce wrinkling. From an acupuncturist’s perspective, the treatment works by increasing the flow of chi, or vital energy, to the face. It also increases collagen production, as well as blood and lymph circulation. Unlike collagen-induction therapy, which stimulates the skin by pricking it with a DermaRoller, an acupuncture facial uses needles precisely placed along meridian channels. The procedure can be done only by a licensed acupuncturist.
As alternative therapies gain fans in the U.S., beauty seekers are trying its varied treatments as an avenue to amping health and beauty. No toxins? All the better. Just ask Cleopatra. Empowerment through beauty is an ageless desire for both women and men.
Iconoculture: Never fear, Rex the Talking Bottle is here. His mission: Fight prescription dosage mixups by recording and repeating patient instructions. This bit of technical wizardry from MedivoxRx Technologies lets patients, caregivers, or pharmacists record directions into the bottle’s recording / playback device using an accompanying recording station. When it’s time for their meds, patients press a button and get the 411 on what’s in the bottle and how much and when to take it. With audible directions, there’s less chance of accidentally taking the wrong meds or fatal pill concoctions. Rex is a clever device for the visually impaired, illiterate, or foreign language speakers. But it’s also handy for those on complicated drug regimens, like people living with AIDS, and Matures with aging eyes.
Washington Post: Manufacturers are out to invent a better mouth trap, and shelves are overflowing with the results. The flood of new pastes, gels, sprays, strips, brushes, flosses, washes, pills and picks, each guaranteed to whiten, brighten, sweeten or protect, has become a deluge.
To walk down the toothpaste aisle at the drugstore today is to behold a marketing executive's dreams.
Take toothpaste. In a simpler time, Americans made do with a handful of products, choosing from among Colgate's invisible shield, wonder-where-the-yellow-went Pepsodent and a few competitors - when they weren't using tooth powder or plain baking soda and water. Then came fluoride and flavors and exotic gels and the occasional speckled paste. In 1999 alone, companies added 49 new toothpastes.
So far this year, the number of new toothpastes - meaning new brands, flavors, functions or packaging - is a jaw-dropping 96. And that's just a microcosm of what's happening in the entire oral care category, a $4.8 billion gold mine in 2003, according to market research firm Euromonitor International of Chicago.
"They realized people are willing to fork over $40 on a regular basis for products like these," said Tom Vierhile, executive editor of the new-products database Productscan Online. "I don't think anyone knew this was possible before - they were used to selling tubes of stuff for $2, $3, $4. It was right under their noses."
di-ve.com: Last week, Consolidated Biscuit Co. Ltd saw Devon's first totally sugar free biscuits coming off its production lines. The first sugar free biscuit is being launched under the Healthline trademark. This is good news for people following a healthy diet and life style, for diabetics, vegetarians and also those following a cholesterol-free diet.
Mr. Joe Pace, Managing Director of Consolidated Biscuit Co. Ltd explained that the Company felt that there was a strong need for this kind of product for both the local market and the Company's major export business in the Middle East were the incidence of diabetes is relatively high. According to the Diabetics Association in Malta there are over 30,000 persons who have been diagnosed with this condition.
Iconoculture: A few leaps on the treadmill? The FRĒ FLŌ DŌ fitness program blends break-dancing and skateboarding moves with athletic footwork on a customized moving treadmill called the Launchpad. With its martial arts–like twists, inventor/fitness guru Kappel LeRoy Clarke says its not your mother's treadmill (MTV Summer 04). FRĒ FLŌ DŌ is a great way to challenge the body,”sharpening reflexes, improving weight distribution, and boosting conditioning (Fitness 9.04). And unlike some fitness fads (remember stripper aerobics?), the combo of balance and ballistic moves gives FRĒ FLŌ DŌ an alt-sport, boy-friendly spin.
FRĒ FLŌ DŌ has been dubbed the next generation for fitness freaks (Entertainment Weekly 7.04). And Clarke plans to take the tread trend beyond his classes at New York City's Equinox Fitness Clubs. Workout programs are as fashionable and just as fleeting as hard bodies, and wannabes are always looking to the next new Tae-Bo to stay pumped.
Springwise: Mood swings. Anxieties. Anger. Fatigue. No wonder aromatherapy has become such a massive success. However, until now, it was definitely something that was enjoyed (or should we say applied) in the confinements of consumers' homes or in expensive spas. New Zealand's AromaPod has come up with a mobile solution: twist and sniff inhalers in four functional 'flavors': Awake, Calm, Energize, and Focus.
AromaPod was developed by senLab, which itself is part of the Healthcare Manufacturing Group. Dubbed 'mood-management devices', the AromaPods are being distributed via large New Zealand retailers, supermarkets and BP gas stations. They sell for NZD 9.95 (USD 6.95 / EUR 5.25) per pod, and last for about a month if used regularly. And no, they don't contain calories, caffeine, alcohol or other fun stimulants.
Business Wire:Kraft Foods, North America’s largest food company, will expand its alliance with The South Beach Diet and its creator, Arthur Agatston, M.D., by launching a broad line of new products under the South Beach Diet brand. The wide variety of products – offering delicious choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snacking – will reach national distribution in spring 2005. The South Beach Diet line will include cereal, meal replacement and cereal bars, refrigerated sandwich wraps, frozen entrees and frozen pizza.
"My goal is to help change the way America eats, and these great-tasting, nutrient-rich products from Kraft will make it even more convenient for people to follow The South Beach Diet - whether for a healthy lifestyle or weight loss," said Agatston. "While consumers' interest in radical diet fads like low carb and low fat tends to rise and fall relatively quickly, their desires for new and better ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage their weight still continue to grow. The South Beach Diet has long-term staying power and is clearly different - it's a proven diet that focuses on eating the right carbs and the right fats, along with lean sources of protein, so people can enjoy many of their favorite foods while eating right.
CNN.com: A 22-year-old design graduate has invented a gadget that could make asthmatics' lives a lot easier. Frustrated after seeing his asthmatic friend struggle to breathe in smoky bars, Adam Bates decided to design a wallet-sized inhaler.
Bates, who suffers from mild asthma himself, said inspiration for the 6mm-thick Thinhaler came from an asthmatic friend, who would leave her asthma in haler at home if it would not fit in her bag or she would complain about having to take a bag out with her because her inhaler was too bulky.
Bates' design can fit into a wallet, in the slots normally designed for credit cards. The Thinhaler will not be any more expensive than those already on the market, and could cost as little as £2-3.
Market Launcher: Easy Climb incline anti-rollback system for wheelchairs was developed to fill a need for manually-operated wheelchairs to negotiate inclines without roll-back. Normal operation of a wheelchair results in roll-back on an incline as the operator releases his/her grip on propulsion ring to prepare for a new grip to maintain forward motion.
Easy Climb will allow extra freedom to wheelchair users, help to conserve their energy, increase their safety, and lower their frustration level as they negotiate inclines. An increase in self-sufficiency for wheelchair users will be obtained by using Easy Climb as there will be less need for assistance when operating on inclines.
Easy Climb operates quietly and efficiently, adds very little weight, adds small percentage to overall cost, and fits in the established confines of wheelchair design. It is readily adaptable to wire spoke design or cast wheel and spoke design. Easy Climb can be fitted to many designs of wheelchairs by modification of axle in respect to its attachment method to the wheelchair.
Iconoculture: From autism to Alzheimer’s, patients are finding some multisensory relief in Rompa’s Snoezelen (SNOO-ze-len). It’s a cozy, therapeutic room filled with multiple colors and lights, soft music, pleasing fragrances, plush pillows, and other sensory stimuli that turns agitation into calm and confusion into comfort. A contraction of the Dutch words for “sniff” and “doze,” this European import excites the senses, which, in turn, reduces anxiety and promotes relaxation.
More than 500 of the psychedelic rooms are now lighting up U.S. healthcare facilities with practitioners citing promising results in easing the aggression, apathy, anxiety, and restlessness of Alzheimer’s patients (AlzInfo.org 1.2.04). And beyond patients, it’s good to remember that multisensory environments touch everyone in ways we don’t yet fully appreciate. Mind, body, and spirit can be moved, soothed, and healed when every sense is engaged.
Medicine and advertising – do the two seemingly totally different industries mix? Well, to find out the answer (and perhaps do something similar as converging two entirely unrelated industries together), you’ve to watch whether EMS-TV will become a success.
Emergency Medical Systems Inc., a manufacturer of lifesaving medical equipment has recently launched EMS-TV, a kiosk-based satellite network that is poised to bring medicine to the world of commerce. So what exactly is EMS-TV? MediaDailyNews reports:
EMSI's kiosks, besides displaying health-related video content, weather reports, and advertising, will each contain an automated external defibrillator (AED) device and a direct connection to live paramedics. The kiosks, which are scheduled to go to market in late September, are expected to be placed in pharmacies and schools throughout the nation. Each machine is roughly the size of a small arcade game, featuring a 17-inch LCD screen. These "EmergencyMedicalStation" machines, which will be funded entirely by advertising dollars, allow for a live connection with paramedics in the event of an emergency, all at the push of a button. The paramedic can assess the situation via two-way audio/visual communications and, if warranted, provide access to the defibrillator stored within the kiosk. Local EMS sources would be simultaneously alerted. Advertisers will be able to purchase static slides, 30-second spots, or pretty much whatever they want at the outset. Coonce expects the pharmaceutical category to drive strong business.
If EMS-TV hits if off, then you’ve better starting thinking of the various industries you would like to bring together. Advertising and biotechnology? E-commerce plus mobile? Seems that everything is possible nowadays.
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BMH UK: There are few if any black or Asian people who have not at some point been forced to use plasters and bandages that contrast conspicuously with their natural brown skin tones.
The Wall Street Journal: Could shiso be the new white tea in beauty products?
Back in March, Argo Medical Technologies Inc., announced the development of their 
TrendCentral: Imported from Turkey and used as a cure for skin ailments such as psoriasis, Garra rufa (aka Dr Fish) are the latest trend in Japanese spa treatments. But be warned, this treatment is not for the squeamish: the fish feed off of the dead and affected areas of skin and leaves healthy skin to grow. Basically, you stick your feet in a small tank where hundreds of fish swarm and nibble and suck at your dead skin. The first few minutes certainly feel freaky and it takes time to get used to the sucking feeling.
TrendCentral: Eyelash bars first became a beauty trend when Shu Uemura opened one in Tokyo’s hip Omotesando neighborhood two years ago. Once primarily attracting high end beauty shoppers or outrageously dressed clubbers, the Shu Uemura eyelash bar now attracts teens who go for fun designs like the Yellow Flash and Lucent Sun, which, when hit with light, cast colored patterns on the face. Copycat eyelash bars around the city are also attracting teens, making eyelash bar hopping a popular afterschool and weekend activity. 
Popgadget: The iStraw is a lightweight polycarbonate straw fitted with a special membrane, which uses micro-filtration technology to clean your water. If you've tried chlorine tablets, you know how icky the taste can be, and with the iStraw there's no aftertaste. The company sent one for me to try out so I can attest that the water tastes great (well, as well as tap water can.)
Popgadget: My girlfriend told me that toothbrushes harbor more germs than a toilet bowl. Yeeewwwww!
Endgadget: Although some women do indeed prefer an in-store (human) professional when looking for a new lineup of cosmetics to try, those independent ladies who'd rather take things solo just might prefer this method. Mitsukoshi, Shiseido, and Fujitsu have teamed up to bring a virtual, real-time makeover machine into Japanese department stores in order to give women a chance to test out a smorgasbord of shades on their virtual face before throwing down their hard earned loot. Sure, we've seen hypothetical approaches before, but this rendition lacks the mess and time requirements of previous methods by allowing customers to snap an image of their face, and then scan electronic tags of interesting looking makeup in order to dash their on-screen persona with whatever they please.
Iconoculture: Instant messaging. Video-on-demand. And now, instant crowns. D4D, a digital dental system that makes and fits new teeth in a single visit, is in clinical field trials awaiting final FDA approval. Dentists capture an image of the tooth site with a handheld scanner and feed it into a software program to model the design. A computerized milling machine makes the finished crown in just 30 minutes, so the patient can be fitted on the spot.
Scentuellepatch: Is feeling sexy just a memory? You’re not alone. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, millions of women long to re-ignite the passion they enjoyed during those first heady days of their relationship. But for a growing number of women, their desires are overwhelmed by their increasingly busy lives. They get lost to deadlines and schedules, crying babies and expanding waistlines, menopause and aging. The reasons for their flagging libidos are as long as their to-do lists.
TrendBlog: Some people won’t be able to travel, due to either lack of time or of money. Therefore Arizona Mobile Spa provides services directly to clients at home, at the office, or in a hotel suite. Arizona Mobile works via a network of spa professionals. The mobile spa service offers packages for groups of four and up. Some options are spa parties, corporate events, corporate chair massages, wedding parties, bridal parties, and bachelorette parties. Ideal for relaxation, networking, socializing and starting a healthy livestyle on the spot.
East Valley Tribune: It's the newest trend among Scottsdale spas - pureed perishables used to attract upscale clientele. And local spagoers are eating it up, spending up to $240 for a single treatment. 
Dental Economics: Zenith Dental introduces Kolorz, a new hygiene line that includes a Topical Anesthetic Gel, Prophylaxis Paste, and Foam and Gel Fluoride. 
Strange New Products: Borba, a manufacturer of cosmetics and skin care products, extended its line of "ingestible skin care" products with its new "Chocolate Clarifying Bar".
Gearlog.com: Leave it to the folks at MIT to develop high-tech...toothbrushes? And not just any toothbrush, but "toothbrush toys promoting good dental hygiene."
Blissworld: Want the ‘outside’ skinny? This new water-resistant broad spectrum sunscreen actually helps you fight the look of fat while lying on the beach! With exclusive sun-activated spheres that release the visual slimming effect of caffeine molecules when you need them most— while baring the better part of your birthday suit in the sun—in a non-greasy spray formula of hydrating antioxidants and aloe. 
News & Star: For those dismayed by Anita Roddick’s “sell-out” to L’Oreal and who have sworn never to darken the Body Shop’s doorstep again, the hunt is on for alternatives.
Iconoculture: WristClinic, made by Ireland’s Telcomed, monitors vital signs with a wireless wrist-top device that measures everything from body temperature and blood pressure to oxygen saturation and one-lead EKG. Patients activate the WristClinic at preset times, using icons on the LCD menu to transmit data to a telemedicine call center or an automated Web-based databank, where it’s stored for later retrieval by e-mail, Web, or fax. Consumers also can opt to have measurements transmitted continuously. 
Sephora.com: Antin has long required his model and actor clients to shower with bottled spring water the night before a photo shoot so their strands are in top condition for the next day—and free of what Antin says are the dulling and drying effects of tap water. So when Antin created his Jonathan Product hair care line, he used only de-ionized, purified water to offset the dulling minerals found in tap water. Now, Antin has taken water purification to the next level with the introduction of his Beauty Water™ Shower Purification System, a revolutionary water filter for your shower—and the closest you can get to showering with pure spring water short of a trip to the Rockies.
Iconoculture: As technology lets us monitor more aspects of our lives, it can mean safer medicating and better health for forgetful patients.
Washington Post: Manufacturers are out to invent a better mouth trap, and shelves are overflowing with the results. The flood of new pastes, gels, sprays, strips, brushes, flosses, washes, pills and picks, each guaranteed to whiten, brighten, sweeten or protect, has become a deluge.
di-ve.com: Last week, Consolidated Biscuit Co. Ltd saw Devon's first totally sugar free biscuits coming off its production lines. The first sugar free biscuit is being launched under the Healthline trademark. This is good news for people following a healthy diet and life style, for diabetics, vegetarians and also those following a cholesterol-free diet.
Iconoculture: A few leaps on the treadmill? The 
"My goal is to help change the way America eats, and these great-tasting, nutrient-rich products from Kraft will make it even more convenient for people to follow The South Beach Diet - whether for a healthy lifestyle or weight loss," said Agatston. "While consumers' interest in radical diet fads like low carb and low fat tends to rise and fall relatively quickly, their desires for new and better ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage their weight still continue to grow. The South Beach Diet has long-term staying power and is clearly different - it's a proven diet that focuses on eating the right carbs and the right fats, along with lean sources of protein, so people can enjoy many of their favorite foods while eating right.
