Demand for therapeutic items up.(Skin Care)

NEW YORK -- With the number of skin care products introduced every year continuing to grow by leaps and bounds, the therapeutic segment has emerged as an area of intense activity.

Recent product launches and stepped-up marketing campaigns have thrust items that help treat skin conditions, heal wounds and conceal scars into the limelight.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects a 45% increase over the next four years in the number of Americans between the ages of 45 and 54, while the 55 to 64 age group is expected to swell by 35 million people over the next 14 years.

The dramatic demographic shifts are winning the attention of marketing executives, who note that consumers in those groups tend to be those most concerned about the effects of environmental damage and most disposed to purchase therapeutic products. As a result, manufacturers are stepping up their advertising and marketing efforts.

For example, such suppliers as Galderma Laboratories Inc., which makes the Cetaphil brand of therapeutic skin care items, have recently launched broad-based advertising campaigns for their products. In Galderma's case, the promotional efforts mark its first-ever consumer ad program for the 30year-old Cetaphil line.

Similar initiatives are being undertaken for Bausch & Lomb Inc.'s Curel and Soft Sense lines, a spokesman there says, while Beiersdorf Inc. has recently focused efforts for its Eucerin brand on line extensions and a national public awareness campaign on pediatric atopic dermatitis.

Researchers at many suppliers are constantly looking for new ways to ease the itching and flaking that often accompany skin problems.

Recently, a pair of products debuted that could provide relief to the estimated 25 million Americans who suffer from eczema, an incurable, chronic skin affliction characterized by redness, itching and blistering of the skin. Exorex Eczema Formula from IMX Pharmaceuticals uses a combination of coal tar and fatty acids originally derived from bananas, according to a spokes man. Unlike other treatments containing coal tar, the IMX product is not greasy, will not stain clothing when applied properly and is virtually odorless, he adds.

The other new eczema treatment is from Global Health Alternatives. marketer of a variety of all-natural health care products. Adding to its Natural Relief 1222 fine, which was launched last spring, the company recently introduced a dermatitis and eczema relief cream that a spokesman says is formulated without hydrocortisone or other synthetic ingredients.

Much of the talk in the skin care business over the past few years has centered on antiwrinkle products that claim to smooth out fine lines and creases. While those items continue to generate strong sales, some of the focus in the category in recent months has shifted to products that perform an even more difficult task -- improving the appearance of scars.

A subsegment of the $3.39 billion wound care market, scar management has garnered a lot of attention recently, thanks in part to several significant product launches.

"There are 62 million new scars created every year, according to health statistics from the federal government" notes a spokesman for Merz Skin Care Products, the U.S. affiliate of the German supplier Merz & Co., which recently launched Mederma Skin Care for Scars. "That works out to one in every four or five people. "

Scar management is an area that has been largely overlooked by many retailers, according to manufacturers of such products, mostly because of a lack of consumer demand. But in recent years, as such companies as Merz and RichMark International Corp. have launched effective products for treating scars, interest has grown and demand has increased.

While chain drug stores' cosmetics departments have featured products to mask scars or other skin aberrations for years, the newest scar treatments help the scar vanish rather than just hide the mark.

Like Merz, RichMark recently unveiled a scar management line aimed primarily at chain drug stores. But whereas Merz executives are positioning Mederma Skin Care for Scars as an item that will be sold from behind the pharmacy counter. RichMark's ReJuveness; -- a silicone sheet that is applied over a fresh scar during the healing process -- can be marketed from behind the pharmacy counter or in such self-service departments as cosmetics or first aid.

While concern with appearance is a big part of the rising interest in scar management those in the business indicate that providing relief from the pain of a scar is also vital to a successful scar management product.

Mederma and ReJuveness are good examples of the different approaches suppliers are taking in marketing their products.

Mederma is a topical get that helps scars appear soft and smooth. Clear, greaseless and scented with a rose water fragrance, the product is rubbed over the scar and dries into it so that cosmetics can be worn on top of the scar.

Meanwhile, ReJuveness can be reused and is being positioned for addressing more serious scars, including those that result from surgery, bums, injury, cystic acne and stretch marks. The product is de signed to help reduce the scar and restore skin to a more normal color and texture.

While a lot of attention has been paid to scar management products, aging consumers are still looking for ways to rejuvenate their skin. In response to the demand for items that will help restore a youthful appearance, manufacturers continue to bring new items to market.

Two of the more unusual introductions of late are a dermal patch containing vitamin C and a soon-to-be unveiled nutritional supplement that is said to help heal wounds.

Developed by Doak Dermatologics, a subsidiary of Bradley Pharmaceutical Inc., the patch, the Le Pont Beauty Enhancer, is designed to reduce wrinkles by delivering a controlled-release dose of vitamin C to the areas where the vitamin is needed the most.

The product, which can be worn overnight for up to 10 hours, uses a stable, ultrafine vitamin C in an airtight pouch that vastly reduces the possibility of ingredient evaporation, according to a spokesman.

The new dietary supplement is an extract derived from oak bark. Called SI 96, it is being marketed by PacificHealth Laboratories Inc. (PHL) through an agreement with Dermagenics Inc., the maker of the extract. SI 96 has been shown to be effective in accelerating wound healing, according to PHL president Robert Portman.

"Over 5 million people suffer from chronic and superficial wounds," he notes. "Total cost of treatment last year exceeded $6.5 billion. SI 96, by accelerating epidermal growth, represents a new and exciting approach to the management of both acute and chronic wounds."

PHL expects to launch its first product containing SI 96 in the fourth quarter of this year, Portman says.