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Beauty market resilience: How Middle Eastern brands thrive amid volatility

The Middle Eastern beauty market is emerging as an endurance test for brands, as global cosmetics players navigate the 2026 socio-economic climate. Innovation, trust, and reliable product performance are vital to ensuring brand resilience in the Middle East. Personal Care Insights talks to Schwan Cosmetics about how the region’s volatile economy, varying regulatory frameworks, and climate-related constraints are a litmus test for brands entering the market. We also discuss how the area’s distinct challenges and characteristics can provide a learning experience for international brand resilience across the industry.
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Men’s grooming shifts toward science-driven solutions
Men are no longer satisfied with the multifunctional products that satisfy three care problems with one item — they want effective, credible solutions tailored to their needs. What used to be a market with muted packaging is entering an era of gender-neutral, science-focused personal care. Personal Care Insights speaks with Sequential, Moi Aussi, Cosmogen, Pure Trade, and TNT Group about the significant rise in men’s interest in personal care as gender stereotypes fade, and how industry members should change their tactics to cater to this evolving demographic. 
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TopGum targets “trailblazing” beauty enthusiasts with inside-out wellness gummies
TopGum Industries has released a line of beauty-from-within gummies to address consumers’ growing desire for holistic solutions that maintain skin health and appearance. The range of functional gummies is infused with natural ingredients that address specific hair, skin, and nail (HSN) benefits. The functional gummy supplements company says the line came from a deep dive into the demographics of gummy consumers. It was observed that young adults were the dominant consumers, and that newcomers to the beauty and self-care space were entering at much younger ages than previous generations. 
Mane Kancor Technical Paper
A Patented Breakthrough in Scalp Health — Learn more from the clinical study results
Purakan™ is a patented breakthrough in natural scalp care, proven to outperform market leaders on pruritus, dandruff, itching, and flaking. It replaces synthetic options like ZPT and piroctone olamine. Clinical studies show 89.7% of participants experienced reduced dandruff and itching within just seven days.This technical paper is brought to you by Mane Kancor.
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Formulating texture in skincare: a data-driven approach to replacing synthetic thickeners
Consumers are actively seeking natural ingredients in their skincare products, and the pressure is on formulators to deliver clean-label solutions without compromising product look and feel. In this webinar, Tate & Lyle and Innova Market Insights experts discuss how this trend is shaping innovation and how brands can tackle formulation challenges. We explore how nature-based, readily biodegradable ingredients combined with a proprietary methodology can replace synthetics, while maintaining the desired physical and sensorial properties. Through individual product variables mapped against our ingredient data repository, we can reduce reformulation complexity and minimize the need for panel testing. Our model simplifies multivariable measurements into easy-to-interpret results — accelerating development and enabling brands to meet consumer demand for naturally derived skincare products.  Join us to say goodbye to synthetics, fast!
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IFF: Tapping robotics for faster fragrance development
Beauty companies are under growing pressure to shorten cosmetics development cycles. To keep pace, fragrance houses are investing in automation that can cut sampling and formulation timelines while also improving precision. International Flavors and Fragrances’ (IFF) installation of its Colibri smart-dosing robot in Singapore reflects the wider industry shift toward modernized operations. The company tells us how its high-tech intervention can accelerate time-to-market in Asia’s fast-moving beauty landscape.

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Record beauty profits power Cosmax’s European debut with Italian production base
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South Korean cosmetics manufacturer Cosmax posted record revenue and profit for 2025 and, on the same day, announced establishing a European foothold with its first production base in Italy. The timing links strong financial momentum with geographic expansion. The original design manufacturer (ODM) reported ₩2.3988 trillion (US$1.66 billion) in revenue and ₩195.8 billion (US$135.65 million) in operating profit for 2025. Both figures mark all-time highs for the company, which it attributes to steady growth in South Korea, a rebound in China, and renewed strength in the US.
MAC to enter Sephora US with versatile makeup focus
Chappel Roan in MAC Cosmetics' campaign with versatile makeup
MAC Cosmetics will launch in Sephora and Sephora at Kohl’s at the beginning of March. The makeup brand’s US retail expansion will see Sephora initially carrying MAC in over 100 brick-and-mortar stores and online, before expanding to more locations nationwide throughout the year. 
Canadian institution develops biodegradable plastics for cleaning products
A close-up of a couple of blue liquid bottles
Saskatchewan Polytechnic and EnviroWay Detergent Manufacturing are turning fiber waste from flax and hemp crops into biodegradable, bottle-grade plastics for cleaning products. The Canadian researchers aim to turn local agricultural materials into commercial‑ready packaging that can be applied to sanitizers, pet care, and home cleaning products.The research project has received US$250,000 in funding from the Agriculture Development Fund through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, and US$7,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program.
K-beauty growth without guardrails? Rising recalls trigger tighter oversight
Woman with light shinining on her face
South Korean beauty exports are growing at record speed, but the country has announced that cosmetic recalls have tripled over the last year, and the government has consequently pledged to implement stricter testing. The spike in recalls and tougher testing regime raises the question of whether K-beauty is expanding too fast.South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) recorded 16 K-beauty recalls and disposals in 2025, marking a 3.2-fold increase from five cases the year before.
Univar deepens EMEA footprint with beauty and home care deals
various cosmetic products in unmarked packaging
Univar Solutions has expanded its ingredient offerings with three suppliers in European, Middle Eastern, and African (EMEA) markets. The global distributor has partnered with fine chemicals provider CABB Group, SPF-specialized Vizor, and sustainability-focused chemical company Lygos.Univar Solutions unpacks how the three partnerships will impact the business and its ingredient offerings with Personal Care Insights
Food additives do not disrupt gut microbiome at real doses, lab study finds
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Nutrition Insight

Researchers are challenging the notion that food additives may harm the human gut microbiome, as people have commonly believed. None of the eight common food additives studied induced short-term gut dysbiosis nor impacted short-chain fatty acid production. Nutrition Insight speaks with paper co-author, professor Rajaraman Eri, who explains what has driven this misconception in earlier research: “In our published study, we used the so-called normal doses, reflecting real-world consumption levels. At that level, the responses are not that disruptive.”
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Personal Care Insights News
Modern man’s makeup: Male grooming evolves beyond the basics
Men are exploring the world of beautification. What used to be a toe in the water has expanded into men wading about knee deep in personal care. Men grooming themselves is not news, but the manner in which they are doing so is shifting. Men have always cared about their appearance, from clean-shaven aesthetics of the 1920s to rocker mullets of the 1980s. The change now is the permission given. 
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Health and Beauty
Longevity’s golden thread: Cellular wellness steers...
Personal care products that focus on cellular-level wellness are growing so quickly that the category is earning its own name: “cellness.”  A considerable number of recent product launches are making claims of inside-out efficacy, epigenetic beauty, or cellular vitality. Thus, holistic wellness products that promise cellular repair rather than surface-level cosmetic intervention are appearing to become an industry standard.The beauty offerings that make “cellness” claims are permeating the personal care industry. Products with epigenetic postulations range from hair care and skin care to supplements and neurological care. Commonly, the products target biological aging and the genetic components that contribute to it. 
Face scanning using AI technology.
Tech & Innovation
Revieve launches LiveAR to revolutionize skin analysis with...
Beauty and wellness technology company Revieve has unveiled LiveAR, a real-time skin visualization technology that transforms digital skin analysis from static diagnostics into an interactive experience. Elevating traditional digital skin analysis by bringing clinical results to life, LiveAR allows consumers to see their skin benefits in real time through a virtual try-on.

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Biodegradable beauty boostersFeb2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 14% compound annual growth in beauty product launches with biodegradable ingredients between October 2020 and September 2025. Mascara was the top category in th...

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Ocean-derived beauty Feb 2026

According to Innova Market Insights’ Personal Care Trends 2026, marine algae extracts are emerging as a standout botanical active in personal care innovation. The report highlights growing interest in ocean-derived ingredients, reflecting a broader shift toward sustainable, nature-inspired formulations in the industry. 

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Men’s personal care trendsFeb 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that men globally pay attention to their skin and personal care needs. Over the years, product launches in this segment have increased, with new and exciting innovations appearing in the fragrance sector. Meanwhile, there is also growth in male-targeted body care and conditioners.

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IFF: Tapping robotics for faster fragrance development

Beauty companies are under growing pressure to shorten cosmetics development cycles. To keep pace, fragrance houses are investing in automation that can cut sampling and formulation timelines while also improving precision. International Flavors and Fragrances’ (IFF) installation of its Colibri...

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Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions: Clean home care and personal care converge
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Webinars40:12
Formulating texture in skincare: a data-driven approach to replacing synthetic thickeners
IFF & Chemist Confessions
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IFF and Chemist Confessions: Bringing osmolytes to the forefront
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