FEATURE ARTICLES

Pressure from regulatory bodies around the world, especially in Europe, is forcing formulators of personal care and cosmetics products to select from a diminishing list of acceptable preservative chemistries.

Over the past 10 years, scientists have made enormous progress in the understanding of the role of the microbial flora on health

Microbial populations living on the skin surface play an important role in skin barrier function, and perturbation of the skin microbiota, or “dysbiosis”, is responsible for many skin conditions.

Given the scale of the cosmetics industry, it is incredible that it has become this size with large sections really only marketed towards 50% of the population. Male grooming was valued at $57.7billion (£44.6billion) in 2017 and is steadily growing according to Research and Markets.

Governed by a rising demand for personal care products tailored to men’s needs, the male grooming market continues on a growth trajectory, albeit at a slower pace. New product launches, continued subscription box services, aggressive marketing, and rising indies contribute to the growing yet slowing category.

in-cosmetics Global returns to Barcelona for its 30th birthday. Growth in the beauty and personal care industry reached a decade high last year and is set to continue unabated, according to Euromonitor

The SCC’s 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Technology Showcase took place on December 17-18 at the Sheraton New York Times Square. This time of year sees the city at its best and most theatrical; a welcome opportunity for the cosmetics industry to get inspiration for glittering new concepts.

It is no secret that the personal care industry is one of frequent change, largely due to shifts in consumer behaviour and trends; specifically, the hair styling market has evolved significantly in recent years. Gone are the days of elaborate styles, requiring hard holding products to lock in the look that took several hours to create. There is now a rise in taking a much more minimalistic approach to hair styling.

While sustainability in general has been a big focus for the personal care industry of late, perhaps the greatest surge has been with marine sustainability. We have become more aware of the extremely fragile ecosystems present in this environment and the impact industry has on them.

For more than 100 years, science has used various measures to classify humans into skin types, based on colour. History of these classifications is discussed - how they have been used and relied upon for not only placing humans in colour boxes, but also for decision making in clinical studies.

Sunlight, artificial UV, pollution and stresses are all important factors that contribute to the inducement of skin pigmentation and skin dryness. Keratinocytes stressed by various stimuli send warning signals to melanocytes to protect skin cells, and despite protective mechanisms, this triggers melanogenesis and damages the skin’s natural barrier.

Regulation of skin function and preservation of skin health are major targets in cosmetics. To achieve these goals, several strategies have been used i.e. activating cell signalling pathways, acting on epigenetic regulations, physically blocking external stresses... Among them, regulating autophagy appears a promising one.

Science and new technology have made molecular data accessible and it is thanks to this informational context that we are able to identify the main players involved in the skin pigmentation process.

Personal Care and Homecare Ingredients (PCHi), one of China’s leading sourcing platforms for the global personal care industry, has revealed key highlights that will feature prominently at the next edition of the event, which will be held at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC) in China from 26-28 February 2020.

The 2019 in-cosmetics Asia came to a conclusion on 7 November after three days of discovery, innovation and networking at the BITEC in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a saturated global hair care market, companies and brands are striving to stand out by continually innovating—from overnight treatments, UV protection formulas, sensorial concepts using colour or sound, to products that bring greater convenience and those catering to the eco/natural movement.

Air pollution undoubtedly harms the environment and human health. Pollution induced skin damage has only recently been addressed as reports have associated urban living with accelerated skin ageing.1

Consumers are intentional and personally invested in their hair care products. They expect outstanding sensorial results with reliable, long-lasting performance, and still demand affordability, convenience and multi-functionality for their daily routine.

A healthy lifestyle paired with an increasing awareness of the need for sustainable and responsible consumption of resources form part of the outlook of today’s consumers. They are in the know about health and ecological aspects of their nutrition and they place their trust in cosmetics that recalibrate skin processes in a way that the skin can help itself

Rising consumer awareness about the origin and purity of health and beauty care products has given way to the ‘clean beauty’ movement, one that prioritises natural, organic and plant-based ingredients and places a new emphasis on transparency in ingredient sourcing.