In the meantime Japanese cosmetic giant Shiseido has introduced a skin treat ment that contains the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid (figure 1), a natural polysaccharide obtained form rooster combs. Shiseido claims that treating one’s skin with this product for two minutes a day will give radiant healthy younger looking skin –at a cost of fifty dollars an ounce. Liposomes which resemble natural cells are another potential cosmetic chemists are exploring. They claim that liposomes can blend with natural cell