From Routine to Diagnosis: The Synergy of Personal Care Products and Early Detection Strategies

The growing adoption of Point of Care (PoC) diagnostics is rapidly outpacing traditional diagnostic methods due to their cost-effectiveness, convenience, and immediate results, thus reducing the overall healthcare burden. Innovations like microfluidics, biosensors, cloud-based data sharing, and biocompatible coatings for sample stabilization have further improved accuracy and efficiency.

To meet the demand for convenience in sample collection, a new trend has emerged: merging personal care products with PoC diagnostics. These products, used across demographics, can interact with biomolecules or biomarkers in the body, detecting diseases (e.g., cancer, allergies, hormonal imbalances, stress) or infections (bacterial, fungal, viral).

For example, diagnostic kits may include personal care items for sample collection, such as menstrual blood, urine, sweat, or sputum, which can be transported to a lab or used in PoC devices. This report outlines strategies for developing PoC diagnostic devices that work with personal care products, creating innovative diagnostic tests and business opportunities.

Integrating personal care products into PoC diagnostics and repurposing existing products can significantly improve healthcare outcomes, especially for those in resource-constrained settings. Major market players, such as Palma Group Sa, Crystal Health Solutions, Zorbentz, Prospect Diagnostics, and Qvin, have introduced products in this domain.