Obagi Medical Products: A Fresh Take on Skin care R&D

Over the past three decades, the Obagi Nu-Derm® name has become synonymous with correcting hyperpigmentation and addressing the appearance of aging skin, but its place as one of the leading physician-prescribed skin care lines is about more than just reputation. It's proven science.

Obagi Medical Products has always placed a high emphasis on clinically demonstrated results. The fact that Nu-Derm is considered the gold standard skin care treatment for hyperpigmentation is based on efficacy that has been shown in numerous clinical trials conducted among patients with all Fitzpatrick skin types, including skin of color.

In turn, those results are what give aesthetic providers like Deborah Sherman, MD, confidence in recommending Obagi products to patients. Nu-Derm was one of the first prescription skin care lines to be introduced, and the fact that it is still a trusted brand speaks to a longevity that is unparalleled by other topical cosmetic approaches. And yet, that heritage is only one aspect of what working with Obagi is really about.

“When I, as a physician, look at someone, whether they're oily or dry or whatever their Fitzpatrick skin type is, I can customize the kits and I can use products as stand-alone, whether I'm using CLENZIderm or the C Rx System,” says Dr. Sherman. “It's wonderful to have a number of paints in my palette so that I can create art because I can use the correct blend to customize.”

However, even gold standard treatments need to address changing patient needs and concerns. Patients want what works, but sometimes they have secondary treatment needs that aren't built into the existing systems. As well, patients at different stages of aging have different concerns for their skin that require individualized approaches.

That is why the reinvention of Obagi Medical (See the first article in this series at ModernAesthetics.com/2018) is about more than just refocusing the company as an independent entity. The reinvention of Obagi Medical is really a commitment to push forward with a mission to promote healthy, youthful-looking skin for people of all ages, with a portfolio that addresses an even wider range of skin concerns. For the Obagi team, this is far more than a corporate imperative. It's personal. The majority of Obagi employees empathize with the patient base, because they share the exact same skin concerns.

Dollars and Sense in Research and Development

Every Obagi product is intended to be transformational in terms of restoring the skin's natural radiance—but that's not just a buzzword offered to garner marketing attention. Instead, Obagi defines “transformational” with a higher standard in mind.

“For us, transformation is a change so profound that you can see it not only on someone's face, but it affects the patient's quality of life, as well. We're not interested in removing two and a half wrinkles. We're interested in making the skin so transformed that today, you're not going to wear makeup because you don't need to,” says Laurence Dryer, PhD, Vice President Research and Development.

That notion, coupled with a strong emphasis on demonstrable results, will become Obagi's bedrock philosophy as it reinvents how it pursues new product development.

“Obagi has quadrupled its investment in R&D, but really, the very big difference is how we run our clinical trials,” says Dr. Dryer. “Running a superb clinical is a science as well as an art. That is something that Obagi does well that will always differentiate us. We go all the way on our clinical trials, and that's why all the before and afters are so very striking, and that's why we can claim, with all the support in the world, that our brands are transformational.”

Trials have objectively assessed clinical outcomes, like improvement in the appearance of the skin, as well as measures like quality of life and patient satisfaction.

There is a palpable desire to recreate past successes, Dr. Dryer added, that will serve as motivation as Obagi looks to broaden its portfolio. In the end, that approach will mean physicians can continue to use a brand they trust with even more patients across the spectrum of skin care needs.

One example of that approach is the Suzan Obagi MD line, released earlier this year, that is hypoallergenic, non-sensitizing, paraben-free, and synthetic- and dye-free, and contains no fragrances, sulfates, or phthalates. The line is ideal for patients with sensitive skin but also fills a niche for the growing segment of patients opting for formulations with fewer chemicals and other ingredients.

“The Suzan Obagi line is a great example of how Obagi is helping me as a physician to serve a new patient segment that I'm seeing in my practice and here I've got something that meets their request,” says Dr. Sherman.

According to Obagi officials, the Suzan Obagi MD line is a great addition to the portfolio in its own right, and it is also a proof of principle of the renewed R&D spirit the company is fostering since reinventing itself as an independent company.

“When we were part of a larger pharmaceutical company, we didn't have the opportunity to focus on research and development, and I think that is a big thing that has changed. We have now given ourselves permission to innovate,” says Dr. Dryer.

A Focus on Education

One of the first things Obagi did as a company to re-establish the prominence of R&D was to take a look inward and figure out what it has done well, as well as to assess what existing assets could be put to use.

During that process of internal discovery, Dr. Dryer and her team realized that there was a large pool of already completed clinical trials that had not been disseminated. In particular, several studies demonstrated the potential to pair Nu-Derm and other products with procedures like intense pulse light (IPL) therapy and injections. Dr. Dryer said there are already plans in place to ensure that data is shared with Obagi's partners in the physician community.

The notion of using Obagi products as part of a broader approach to skin care is synergistic with an overall directional effort to make sure there are Obagi products available for a wider range of patients.

“One of our core tenets is a belief in skin care regimens, because regimens drive compliance, and compliance drives efficacy,” Dr. Dryer notes. “For us, it's always about finding ways to make sure that the patient will get the best result, and that may mean adding products and creating products that are ancillary products around an existing technology. That formula worked exceptionally well in the past, and we believe developing new lines and products that reinforce and potentiate existing brands will continue to be successful as one component of our R&D strategy going forward.”

Refusing to Rest

The sharing of long-forgotten data serves to reinforce Obagi's emphasis on strong science while answering demand from aesthetic providers for more robust education and training. According to a recently completed market analysis, physicians rate training and education as the most important attribute when choosing a skin care brand, which is one reason why Obagi is developing diverse new training offerings on top of its existing programs.

That education will take various forms, as Obagi seeks to honor the heritage it has established and while continuing to break the mold with new offerings. One specific goal, that follows from a recognition that patients use more than just skin care to combat the signs of aging and sun damage, is to design clinical studies that demonstrate the outcomes of Obagi products as part of a multi-pronged, anti-aging protocol that also includes toxins, fillers, radio frequency, lipolysis, lasers, and surgeries.

Overall, though, the renewed interests in R&D and educating physicians and patients reflect a refusal to rest on laurels. By returning to its roots as a leader in innovation within the cosmeceutical space, Obagi stands poised to continue its proud legacy while serving a wider range of patient needs.

“That's always been one of our challenges,” Dr. Dryer says. “What do you do when you are the gold standard in your field? How do you surpass the gold standard? By definition the gold standard cannot be surpassed. But one way we hope to do that is by broadening our portfolio so that no matter what age the patient is, and regardless of where they are on their journey to skin health, we're going to be there.”