Hand sanitisers for COVID protection and more

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a complete disruption of the supply chain, characterised by increasing raw material lead times and costs. The personal care sector was as vulnerable as any other. Traditional ways of working had to be adapted rapidly to meet the situation, including design work being done remotely and laboratory workers only going into the lab when absolutely necessary. 

In many respects, consumers changed their priorities, according to Mary Lord, former president of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists (SCS), while giving the opening presentation at the In-Cosmetics Formulation Summit, which returned as an in-person event in London in November 2021. The kind of products and what they wanted from them reflected the changed circumstances, with a big culture shift from emotional connections with products to more transactional ones, Lord said.

Demand overall, however, has been buoyant throughout the pandemic, with certain exceptions, like colour cosmetics. And the situation created unprecedented demand for hand sanitisers, which in turn has raised multiple issues and challenges in terms of regulation, supply chain and formulation, among many other things. Not surprisingly, hand sanitisers were among the key themes at the summit.