COMMERCIAL FEATURE

HOW SMES IN AESTHETIC MEDICINE CAN CAPITALISE FROM DRIVING INNOVATION

Michael Stott explores how SMEs can use intellectual property to protect innovation, strengthen market position and create greater commercial value in aesthetic medicine

In 2020, AbbVie acquired Allergan, owner of Botox, for $6.3 billion. Whilst the foundational patent for Botox expired in 2007, Allergan had filed additional patents for specific formulations and manufacturing methods which extended protection until 2029, sustaining its market dominance and the acquisition price.

Allergan’s carefully thought-out IP strategy paid off, and it seems that other SMEs in the aesthetic medicine space are following the same playbook.

CONSUMERS ARE CHOOSING SCIENCE

Scientific advancements are raising the bar in the aesthetics industry. Beauty brands are exploring new active ingredients and delivery systems, whilst consumers are looking for scientific evidence over sweeping claims, and genuine longevity over surgical interventions. Recent regenerative entrants to the space include polydeoxyribonucleotides (PDRN), purified DNA fragments which have anti-inflammatory effects and trigger biological repair mechanisms; exosomes, natural messengers which are harnessed in skincare to prompt cell repair; and peptides, which are the building blocks of proteins like collagen and elastin.

As opportunities for innovation have expanded, so too has the growth in patent filings. The number of patent applications related to cosmetics increased sharply from 2007 until 2017 and has stayed steady over the last decade. Since 2007, around 121,000 patent applications for preparations for care of the skin have been filed. Of those, the most significant proportion has been anti-ageing preparations, with 44,000 patent applications since 2007. Other subclasses include preparations for chemically tanning the skin and preparations for treating cellulitis.

SMES ARE LEADING INNOVATION

The most influential aesthetics companies are prioritising patent-protected science. L’Oréal, for example, filed 725 patent applications in 2025, exploring new technologies like PDRN, light therapy, and AI to analyse biomarkers of longevity.

However, whilst larger companies lead their own R&D, increasing standards in cosmetic technology has pushed them to outsource innovation to SMEs, expanding their range with products which blur the line between cosmetics and biotechnology/ pharmaceuticals. For instance, L’Oréal is collaborating with biotech company SENISCA, whose work focuses on modulating RNA biology to tackle cellular ageing, and Timeline, a Swiss brand who have developed a supplement containing Urolithin A, which enhances mitochondrial function to reduce signs of ageing.

Two decades ago, the number of cosmetic patent family filings by the top 100 companies was close to the number of cosmetic patent family filings by all other companies combined. Now the picture has flipped. The number of patent families filed by smaller companies grew significantly in the 2010s, reaching nearly four times the number of filings by established leaders. Smaller players have become significant patent filers, enabling them to protect their market share, and assign or licence their technology to other companies for large returns.

Timeline’s Mitopure (their Urolithin A supplement), for example, is protected by over 80 patents. Solésence, a skincare and sun-protection brand which licenses its technology to major beauty brands, shared that it had increased its patent portfolio by 20% to more than 120 patents in 2025. In their annual conference, their CEO described the strategy as creating a “valuable picket fence,” protecting their market control. And the impact is clear: in roughly two years, they have nearly doubled their revenue.

IP portfolios are also essential leverage if planning an exit strategy. Larger companies are looking to buy a defensible market position, rather than the product itself. Acquiring a company with patented technology gives them the opportunity to dominate a new category in the market. Without patent protection, a product loses its singularity and, therefore, its value.

WHAT SHOULD SMES DO?

• File early: Make sure you file an application for your invention before you publish, present or demonstrate which makes any information public. An invention must be novel and any publicised information, even if it is released by you, can count as prior art that may invalidate your claims.

• Build a sufficient protective wall: As we saw with Allergan and their Botox-related assets, although the core patent expired, the company preserved the product’s value through supplementary patents. Plan protection in layers over years, covering composition, formulation, manufacturing, delivery system and method of treatment, not just as a one-off. This is particularly relevant in regenerative aesthetics, where the active ingredient is often used by multiple companies, whilst the differentiation lies in purification, stabilisation and delivery.

• Be strategic: Treat your IP portfolio as a valuable commercial asset, not just a safety measure. Align your IP strategy with your business goals and consider key factors when filling, such as where the buyers are.

MICAHEL STOTT

Michael Stott joined the patent profession in 2008.. He has extensive experience in patent drafting, prosecution, global portfolio management, and freedom to operate and patent landscape assessments. Working across cosmetics, aesthetics and other chemical fields