Cosmetobolomics as an incipient ‘-omics’ with high analytical involvement

This article gives an overview of the complex world of cosmetics metabolism. It outlines the necessity of grouping metabolic studies on cosmetics as a sub-discipline of metabolomics and discusses the reasons for having such a sub-discipline. It identifies the role of analytical chemists in the development of methods to identify and to quantify metabolites and in the elucidation of metabolic pathways. It also sets out the future of cosmetobolomics.