Cynosure signs Unilever agreement to make light-based devices for home use

The home-use laser treatment has been hailed by many as a major emerging market in skin care and is said to have the potential to make a huge impact on the skin rejuvenation sector.

Strong emerging market​

Cyonsure develops and markets aesthetic treatment systems which claim to be capable of removing hair, treating vascular and pigmented lesions and temporarily reducing the appearance of cellulite.

By signing an agreement with Unilever, Cynosure now hopes to be able to target the mass consumer market. President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Davin said that it had been part of Cynosure’s long term corporate objective to enter the home-use market: “We view this agreement as a first step in forming a meaningful long-term strategic relationship with Unilever and an attractive business opportunity for Cynosure.”​

“Unilever is a recognized leader in skin care products. Its world-class distribution, marketing and branding capabilities for home skin care products are second to none. With its global footprint, Unilever has the scale to successfully launch and distribute light based products into the consumer market.” ​

Unilever has echoed Cynosure’s belief in the potential success of home-use light-based devices. Genevieve Berger, Chief Research and Development Officer said “We believe the emerging consumer market for light-based devices is a promising long-term opportunity for Unilever.”​

Safety is a critical concern​

When marketing these products for mass-consumption, safety is clearly very important. It has previously been said that light-based devices can cause erythema (reddening), oxidative stress, blistering and inflammation. Formulations rich in antioxidants have recently been suggested as a method of combating these side effects.

According to Cynosure, their light-based treatment is “non-invasive or minimally invasive”’​. This is integral to Unilever’s belief that the products have over-the-counter potential. ​

Berger said: “We selected Cynosure as our development partner because of the company’s ability to develop and bring leading-edge technology into the marketplace…Cynosure has proven that it can develop products that not only deliver outstanding clinical results, but also emphasize safety, which is a critical element for the consumer marketplace.” ​

The emergence of these light-based products on the popular market looks even more inevitable with the announcement by Palomar Medical Technologies that FDA had given it clearance to sell its home-use laser device direct to customers without a prescription.

Unilever recently announced strong sales result for the first quarter of this year and currently hold cosmetics brands such as Dove and Vaseline among its brands. Financial terms of the agreement between Unilever and Cynosure have not been disclosed.