Or a new week, at least. Here's what we're talking about in the office today as everyone else wraps up their three-day weekend...

Airborne maker acquired by private equity firm...

Wealthy Americans rank skin care, makeup "best of the best" in online survey...

EBI's Silverman returns to Pharmalot...

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Airborne maker acquired by private equity firm:

GF Capital Management & Advisors takes a chance on the immune system-supporting supplement line -- a strong consumer brand that has had issues with regulators.

New York-based GF Capital announced today it acquired Airborne Inc., for an undisclosed amount. "Airborne occupies a unique place in the nutritional supplement market," GF Capital's managing director said, adding his firm fully believes in the product line.

Taking the helm at Minneapolis-based Airborne is Marti Morfitt, who led CNS for nine years. The maker of Breathe Right nasal strips and FiberChoice supplements was itself purchased by GlaxoSmithKline, as "The Tan Sheet" reported here in 2006.

Based on its Web site, Airborne has altered its claims since pitching its product in 2002 as a "miracle cold buster," which the National Advertising Division took exception to and "The Tan Sheet" noted here. A 2008 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission cost Airborne up to $30 million over its germ-fighting and immune-boosting claims language, as we reported here. 

The company now focuses its product claims on general immune system support and highlights the proven benefits of its ingredients, which "have been shown to support the immune system, as shown in scientific studies and medical journals," the site says.

Wealthy Americans rank skin care, makeup "best of the best" in online survey:

La Mer and La Prairie represent the cream of the premium skin-care and makeup crop, based on wealthy consumers' perceptions of brand quality, exclusivity, customer experience and peer prestige, the Luxury Institute recently announced.

Using an online survey, the independent ratings and research institute obtained feedback from 652 women across the U.S. with an average weighted household income of $403,000 and an average household net worth of $2.2 million.

Participants were asked to rank 27 premium skin-care names and 22 premium makeup brands with respect to four equally weighted considerations: "consistently superior quality," "uniqueness and exclusivity," "making the customer feel special across the entire experience," and "being consumed by people who are admired and respected." 

Estee Lauder's La Mer line was rated a 7.58 out of 10 in the skin-care category, followed by Beiersdorf's La Prairie (7.25) and Perricone MD (7.23). La Prairie makeup edged out La Mer with a 7.69 out of 10, compared with 7.59 for the latter, while Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics claimed the No. 3 spot with a 7.47 score.

"Skin-care and makeup brands must be able to deliver the highest-quality products in order to reassure consumers that they're purchasing value for the associated price. In the current economy, buyers are unforgiving of luxury brands that are not living up to the standard of their brand name," said Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza.

"The Rose Sheet" reported here that high-end personal-care brands would likely take a hit in the downed economy, according to market research firm Kline.

EBI's Silverman returns to Pharmalot:

As BNET highlighted late last week, our very own Ed Silverman is rebooting his Pharmalot blog after nearly a year-long hiatus.

Ed is fairly new at Elsevier Business Intelligence, where he serves as a bureau chief for "The Pink Sheet." For 13 years, Ed covered the pharmaceutical industry for the Star-Ledger of New Jersey.

Pharmalot is not an official EBI blog and Ed will be working on it part-time. Still, we are thrilled to have such a great resource back online and delivering fresh industry insight!

Ed has contributed a bit to "The Tan Sheet" recently, including our story on Merck's consumer health care division and our report on the possibility of Merck applying to switch its Singulair drug for allergic rhinitis to OTC status.

(Discover a world of insight and analysis on the consumer health and personal care product industries with Elsevier Business Intelligence. To set sail with a free trial of "The Tan Sheet" click here, and for "The Rose Sheet" click here.)

- Dan Schiff (d.schiff@elsevier.com) and Ryan Nelson (r.nelson@elsevier.com)