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The project is thought to be part of BHI's plans to invest £50m over four years to revamp the brand following its acquisition from Procter & Gamble in October 2000. The brief is understood to focus on extending the Clearasil brand into new product areas.

Clearasil, best known for its core cleansing product for treating spots, has a strong medicinal image. However, industry sources say that BHI is considering launching brand extensions such as shampoo and body lotion in a bid to distance Clearasil from its traditional image as purely a treatment for spots.

The brand extensions would be the latest in a series of efforts by Boots to position Clearasil as a teen brand. Earlier this month it launched pore purifying wipes, instant effects sticks and overnight defence gel, to increase its appeal to the teen market. The launches follow a global advertising campaign through Grey Worldwide that showed a teenage boy falling off his skateboard in front of a group of teenage girls, with the strapline, 'Clearasil can't help you with some embarrassments, but it can help tackle the three main causes of spots'.

In the UK, Clearasil teamed up with Emap to sponsor the Smash Hits Poll Winners' Party and tour in October last year. Clearasil backed the awards for the most fanciable male and female.

BHI predicts the brand will grow in the UK by 15% to 20%, driven by new product development.

BHI's other global brands, throat lozenges Strepsils and painkiller Nurofen, like Clearasil have a strong medicinal positioning.