As beauty consumers increasingly expect products to deliver on performance, comfort, sensoriality and ease of use at the same time, innovation can no longer be driven by efficacy alone. IL Cosmetics’ latest developments reflect this evolution, combining advanced formulation expertise with new textures, application experiences and formats designed to rethink established beauty routines.

GENTLEGEL: rethinking long-wear gel polish

Among the latest innovations, GENTLEGEL introduces a new generation of gel polish technology designed to deliver the look, shine and up to 21-day wear associated with soak-off gel polish, while relying on a completely different removal approach.

The major innovation lies precisely in what happens at the end of the manicure.
Instead of the traditional soak-off process, GENTLEGEL is designed to be removed using water, a dedicated oil remover and a wooden stick, allowing the product to lift gently and easily while preserving the natural nail.

The concept addresses a growing expectation in nail care: consumers want long-lasting results, but also greater flexibility. GENTLEGEL makes it possible to keep the color for up to 21 days or change it whenever desired.

The soak-off look, without the traditional soak-off removal. Zero Damage.

KERAShield: bringing a care-first approach to nail strengthening

Beyond color and long-wear performance, IL Cosmetics is also expanding its nail care expertise with KERAShield Nail Base, a keratin-based strengthener developed to protect and improve the appearance of fragile nails. The formula combines plant-derived keratin with nourishing apricot oil, creating a protective shield designed to help defend nails against breakage and splitting while instantly smoothing imperfections and enhancing the appearance of nail thickness.

The concept combines instant benefits with progressive strengthening benefits. In consumer perception test, 100% of testers reported thicker, fuller, harder and smoother-looking nails immediately after application. After one week, 100% agreed that their nails felt harder and reinforced, while 95% reported smoother nails. This dual action reflects IL Cosmetics’ vision of a new generation of nail care, where treatment and instant beautification come together in a single product, helping nails look better immediately while supporting a stronger, more resilient appearance over time.

Powder Cloud Matte: a new sensorial approach to matte lips

On lips, IL Cosmetics explores a softer, lighter interpretation of matte with Powder Cloud Matte.

The formula features an airy, mousse-like texture that glides onto the lips and transforms into a soft-focus veil, creating a diffused velvet finish and a lightweight, second-skin sensation. A hybrid system combining volatile and non-volatile silicones balances silky glide with a soft powdery finish, while a soft-focus crosspolymer helps blur the appearance of lip lines. A film-forming polymer reinforces adhesion for improved wear.

Color is also designed to be buildable, allowing consumers to move from a subtle veil to a more intense lip look. According to consumer testing, the formula delivers up to eight hours of wear, while 93% of testers agreed that it was non-sticky and non-drying.

The result is a new vision of matte: soft, smooth, blurred and comfortable rather than rigid or heavy.

Super Lashes: buildable mascara performance

Eye makeup remains another major field of innovation. With Super Lashes Mascara, IL Cosmetics focuses on the combination consumers continue to seek from mascara: length, curl and buildable volume.

Its creamy, rich formula coats lashes from root to tip and incorporates a blend of berry, myrtle, rice and carnauba waxes, designed to create thicker-looking lashes without weighing them down.

Consumer panel results reinforce the performance story: 96% of testers agreed on buildable volume, 96% on lengthened lashes, 92% on thicker-looking lashes and 92% on a curled effect.

The formula is paired with a precision-multi-dimensioned brush, demonstrating how the interaction between formula and applicator can be engineered to create a progressively more dramatic lash look.

Waterproof performance

IL Cosmetics is also extending its mascara expertise with an improvement of its best-selling waterproof mascara, combining lengthening performance with resistance to water and smudging.

Consumer testing showed 88% agreement on lengthened lashes, 84% on waterproof resistance and 84% on smudge-proof performance, illustrating the continuing opportunity for highly resistant eye formulas that remain focused on lash definition and wear.

At the same time, the company is bringing its formulation expertise into complexion and face products with talc-free powder solutions, responding to the industry’s search for new powder architectures and sensorial alternatives.

Looking ahead, IL Cosmetics is also exploring new possibilities around one of the category’s most promising technologies: tubing. Beyond the traditional black mascara, upcoming developments will look at new applications and a more care-driven approach, opening the door to a broader interpretation of tubing technology. More to come.

The “cookie” format: reinventing baked powders

Beyond formula, IL Cosmetics is also exploring innovation through shape and format.

Its coming-soon cookie-shaped baked powder concept offers brands an unexpected way to reinterpret a familiar category. Instead of considering the baked powder simply as a pressed surface inside a compact, the concept turns the powder itself into a distinctive object with a recognizable, playful silhouette.

This approach opens new opportunities for differentiation, storytelling and customization while retaining the sensorial and visual appeal associated with baked powder technology.

It reflects a wider transformation of beauty packaging and product design: the formula itself can become part of the consumer experience and brand identity.

Performance meets experience

From a gel-polish technology designed around gentler removal to cloud-like matte lips, high-performance mascaras and a new take on baked powder formats, IL Cosmetics’ latest developments share a common philosophy: innovation should not force consumers to choose between performance and experience.

Long wear can become easier to remove. Matte can feel airy and comfortable. Waterproof performance can evolve alongside new formulation expectations. And even an established category such as baked powder can acquire an entirely new identity through format.

For IL Cosmetics, the next generation of color cosmetics is therefore not simply about doing more. It is about delivering performance differently.