Understanding the role of cosmeceuticals in health, gender and ageing
2024
Dr Renae Fomiatti, Dr Gemma Nourse
Cosmeceuticals are a new category of product at the intersection of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals taken to prevent and treat the physical signs of ageing and enhance or transform appearance. This three-year Australian Research Council-funded project will investigate the advertising, experience, and use of cosmeceuticals in everyday life and in relation to changing intersections of health, beauty, ageing and gender regimes. Through qualitative research methods, including cosmeceutical advertising analysis, interviews and photo-voice diaries with consumers and interviews with practitioners, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the the rapid cultural transformations cosmeceuticals inaugurate. Expected outcomes include a high-quality knowledge base on the hybrid meanings and practices of cosmeceutical consumption to strengthen regulation efforts and improve cosmetic and healthcare practice, as well as new knowledge on cosmeceutical transformations in health, beauty, gender and ageing.
This project has been undertaken to learn more about:
- The meanings given to cosmeceuticals in digital advertising, and the scientific and medical knowledges shaping advertising claims, focusing on the areas of health, ageing and gender;
- How cosmeceuticals shape consumers’ experiences of ageing, health and gender, and the individual and social forces shaping the dynamics of consumption;
- Consumers’ understandings of how cosmeceuticals work, risks and harms to identify informational needs and preferences;
- The specific practices of cosmeceutical use across different settings and among different subgroups;
- The experiences of relevant practitioners, including their views on responding to new and emergent patterns of cosmeceutical use in Australia.
For further information
For more information about the study or to participate in a confidential interview, please contact Dr Renae Fomiatti on 03 9479 8702 or at r.fomiatti@latrobe.edu.au
This project is currently recruiting a PhD student. The successful applicant will collaborate with Dr Renae Fomiatti to develop a thesis project, which is able to contribute to the aims of the larger project while also reflecting the interests and aspirations of the applicant.
Funding
The study is funded by the Australian Research Council, and has received La Trobe University ethics approval (HEC24349)