Exhibit aisles were jam-packed with cosmetics and personal care innovators at in-cosmetics Global 2023. Some 11,000 attendees were pre-registered to attend and in Cosmetics & Toiletries' view, they were all there — and then some.
Exhibitors were consistently busy and out in full force with a multitude innovative solutions. Here's a brief recap of 15+ trends/terms in innovations we spotted there. (Note: This is by no means comprehensive.)
Check out all our photos in Cosmetics & Toiletries' LinkedIn and Facebook posts, and Global Cosmetic Industry's LinkedIn post!
1. Sustainability, Greener Processes, Circularity
- Sustainable, eco-friendly and biodegradable, natural
- Claims for vegan, nature-derived, COSMOS certified, ISO approved
- Refillable (even product samples)
- Upcycled ingredients
- Greener production processes and platforms (e.g., fermentation), especially to produce purer molecules
- Circular beauty and collaborative efforts to achieve such = future direction for this space
- CSR efforts/focus of companies
- Eco responsibility
- Local sourcing and traceability, blockchain tracing
- Plant stem cells as ingredient source
- "White biotech"
- Teaching consumers about renewability
- Designed enzyme biopolymer technology
- Carbon footprint
2. Senescence
- Autophagy to remove senescent cells
- Intercepting the signaling of harmful chemicals
- Preventing senescence/"dermohacking" senescence
See related: Activating Autophagy to Energize Hair and Eyelash Growth
3. Fermented Beauty
- Plant sugar-derived natural retinol alternative
- Fermented soy milk for anti-aging effects
- Fermented biotin as skin and hair "beauty vitamin"
- Fermented honey for gentle skin peel
- Fermented oils for antioxidant and moisturizing effects and as emulsifiers
- Fermented enzymes for odor control
- Fungus ferment to stimulate autophagy, reduce signs of aging
4. Skin Immunity/Immunology, Anti-inflammation
- Regulating skin's defenses
- Circumventing immuno-evasion to restart senolysis
- Fermented flavonoid anti-inflammation
- Addressing inflammaging
- Addressing TEWL and redness
5. Beauty as Therapy, Wellness
- Reducing stress in skin to improve mood
- Acupuncture-inspired effects, mood lift
- Novel approach to measure user emotional response (based on abstract imagery - A.I. is involved)
- Emotion boost
- Feel-good molecules and pleasure
- "Positive beauty," taking care of oneself without guilt
- Merging of beauty and therapy
6. Hidden Damage
- Repairing damage in hair and skin before it becomes more visible
7. Sebum and Pore Minimization
- Sebum control through new receptor
- Reducing pore size
- Diminishing pore color
8. Neurocosmetics and Sensitive Skin
- Soothing skin
- Reducing stress
- Dermocosmetics to reduce sensitive skin symptoms (e.g., improve TEWL)
9. Anti-aging, 'Baby Botox' and Protein Folding
- HA boost or supplement to revive skin
- Senescence approaches
- Retinol alternatives; e.g., algae-derived ingredient that works on all the same receptors except those that cause irritation
- Alternatives to "baby Botox" (Millennial trend of getting Botox treatments to stave off wrinkles, not "look like your mom"
- Peptides/cyclic peptide
- Measuring smile lines dynamically as subjects smile to assess product efficacy
- Protein folding to organize "skintropy" (i.e., sagging that occurs throughout the day making fine lines and wrinkles more pronounced late in the day)
- Collagen boost/plumping of skin
- Facial sculpting
- Addressing "tech neck" (wrinkles on the front of the neck caused by looking down at our devices)
- Preventing breakdown of native retinoic acid
- Imparting blurring effects
- Acting on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
- Cellular beauty (acting on ATP)
- Timeless beauty
- Addressing age spots
- Pairing repair with prevention
- Phytosqualane
10. Sleep for Beauty and Skin Health
- Boosting night time skin recovery through olfactory molecules
- Boosting melatonin production to help sleep and, in turn, skin recovery
- Sleep is viewed as a "luxury" today
11. Microbiome and Holobiont
- Microbiome friendly certifications
- Microbes to address acne and pock marks
- Controlling UV-induced microbe byproducts to reduce negative effects in skin
12. Hair and Scalp Care
- Absorbing metals from water to prevent hair/scalp damage (anti-pollution)
- UV protection for hair
- Natural dandruff care
- Scalp ais the new skin care
13. Natural Thickening, Viscosity Modifying
14. Marine Sourcing
15. Optimizing Delivery for Greater Efficacy
- Pharma-grade liposomes to deliver actives
16. Honorable Mentions
- Inclusion (e.g., non-whitening products for pigmented skin), genderless products, disability-tailored solutions (formulas too, not just packaging)
- Metaverse/digital tech and research platforms/apps
- Customization
- Sensory pairing (scent and taste, music and texture), powders in sunscreen to sequester (not absorb) oil and boost efficacy, novel and unexpected textures, phase-change formulas, uniform texture and sensory performance across climates
- Promoting concepts not ingredients
- Silicones still relevant, natural/synthetic hybrids, making them more eco-friendly
- Efficacy before naturality (accept some synthetic-ness)
- Multifunctionality
- Product protection, multifunctional "preservatives," replacing phenoxyethanol
- Regulations shaping the industry, Green Deal/European standards, sunscreen limits in U.S.
- Silicone-like ingredients
- Mineral/chemical sunscreen hybrid
- Reformatted products removing PEGs and other unwanted materials
