Innovation was at the top of the agenda throughout the three-day event held on April 05-07 in Paris, where natural and sustainable cosmetic and personal care had hardly any rivals. The trends associated with holistic beauty were also a key feature of the event.

Among the exhibitors announcing their latest launches, Gattefossé, for instance, revealed its new plant-derived active ingredient, Solastemis. Designed to offer brands, particularly dermo-cosmetics, a powerful active ingredient to protect the skin against UV rays, it responds to the growing needs of consumers concerned about the health of their skin. Meanwhile, Symrise debuted its latest innovation in modern product protection in the form of its Hydrolite 8 green - the first high quality 100% bio-based, neat caprylyl glycol launched in the cosmetics market.

Elsewhere on the show floor, Clariant Natural Ingredients introduced Prunizen - a new natural, ‘feel good’ active that helps to fight stress-induced hair loss, improve hair vitality and density, and restore hair and scalp wellbeing. While Vantage Personal Care introduced a brand-new formulation platform focused on providing formulators with a broad combination of highly traceable, sustainable, and deeply impactful ingredients – highly relevant for conscious consumers.

Dow also unveiled five new technologies alongside its ECOllaboration Concepts Collection to address growing consumer demand for sustainable and inclusive solutions. Of the new product announcements, four covered skin and hair applications. The group also showcased a series of six new products including MaizeCare Clarity Polymer – a unique corn-based ingredient that enables the formulation of crystal-clear hair styling formulations; Dowsil 979 Emulsion for use in conditioners, leave-in and shampoo formats; and EcoSmooth Rice Husk Cometic Powder, an upcycled white silica powder designed to be added in a wide range of common skin care, colour cosmetics, and hair care formulation types.

Sustainable future leads the next beauty revolution

With an overarching focus on sustainability, this year’s in-cosmetics Global demonstrated the steps being taken by the beauty and personal care industry to reduce its environmental impact through ingredient choices and formulation methods. The event’s Sustainability Corner, sponsored by AAK, returned to offer attendees a snapshot of the latest advancements and accomplishments in sustainable personal care.

Visiting the Sustainability Corner at in-cosmetics Global, Hélène Villecroze, Eco Design Manager, Chanel Parfums Beauté, said: “As environmental concerns increase, it’s better for consumers to have another perspective on sustainability and a point of view for ingredients. The Sustainability Corner offers a summary of the best products that exhibitors are presenting, giving examples, and proposing more sustainable ideas.

Fellow attendee, Agatha Bernedot, Product Development Manager, Fresh added: “The Sustainability Corner has made me realise there are some good solutions to sustainability which I plan to use to challenge our formulation development team. This is a tricky area, and it is hard to keep the consumer happy whilst being natural and sustainable.

Other interactive product features pulled in crowds throughout the duration of the three-day event, included the newest raw ingredients to hit the market in the Innovation Zone, sponsored by Ashland; new and invigorating sensations in the Sensory Bar, sponsored by IMCD; and innovative pigments and technologies in the Make-up Bar, sponsored by Lubrizol Life Science.

Speaking about the product areas, Florence L’Alloret, Innovation Project Leader, L’Oréal said: “The interactive features at in-cosmetics Global are a great way to get a global overview of the latest innovations across a wide range of topics. I’m particularly interested in finding ingredients sourced from nature and I’ve been able to find lots of interest.

Next year, in-cosmetics Global will take place in Barcelona from 28-30 March 2023.