YOKNEAM, ISRAEL-The burgeoning market for home-use laser- and light-based devices designed for skin care is getting more competitive. Syneron Medical and The Procter & Gamble Company (Cincinnati, OH) signed an exclusive joint development and supply agreement to commercialize Syneron’s patented laser/radio-frequency technology for home-use devices designed to treat fine lines, wrinkles, age and sun spots, and cellulite.
Gillette, a division of Procter & Gamble, already has a similar manufacturing and distribution pact with Syneron’s competitor, Palomar Medical Technologies (Burlington, MA). Palomar’s light-based hair-removal device received US Food and Drug Administration clearance to be sold over the counter in December. Gillette and Palomar executives have not said when the product will be on the market or how much it will cost, but the FDA approval opened the door for other in-home light cosmetic procedures, including wrinkle removal and cellulite treatments, such as the Nulase Soft Touch diode-laser system (see “Home-based skin-care laser uses nano delivery,” Medical Laser Report, Nov. 2006).
It will likely lead to some patent battles as well; Philips, for example, recently applied for a patent for a device that uses short pulses of near-infrared energy from a halogen lamp (600-950 nm) to make hair follicles dormant and thus arrest the entire hair-growth cycle, leading to smooth skin. According to the company, three treatment sessions over the course of two weeks will reduce hair growth by 90%.
Under the terms of the agreement with Procter & Gamble, Syneron will lead the research, development and, manufacturing, while Procter & Gamble will focus on the development of the compositions, marketing, and distribution. The home-use devices will be marketed under the P&G family of skin care products and will be co-branded with Syneron’s elos technology. P&G and Syneron plan further collaboration that could lead to commercializing additional products in the future.