The value of the name of Johns Hopkins, the 19th century Quaker philanthropist who endowed one of the great medical institutions of the United States, is at the centre of a public debate that is forcing US academic medicine to think hard about what happens when science meets branding.

In late February a New York cosmetics company, Klinger Advanced Aesthetics, announced the release of a line of products called “Cosmedicine.” The 15 skin products, whose prices range from $28 (£16; €23) to $85, included hydrators, exfoliators, pore shrinkers, sun blockers, and shine suppressors.

The marketing pitch of the new products was that their biological performance was scientifically verified, unlike that of nearly all their competitors. The …