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How waste feedstocks and biotech create circular cosmetic ingredients

AmphiStar is coupling waste feedstocks and biotechnological capabilities to enable a more circular innovation cycle in cosmetic products. The company produces its ingredients entirely from bio-based waste and side streams, reducing reliance on first-generation agricultural feedstocks.Personal Care Insights sits down with Sophie Roelants, chief operating officer, and Sofie Lodens, product and project manager at AmphiStar, to discuss how eco-friendliness can be rethought, starting from the most fundamental level — the feedstocks.
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Eco-conscious beauty moves upstream as biotech and fermentation drive green formulation
Consumers are demanding products that promise sustainable beauty, causing “eco-consciousness” to become a prerequisite in the industry. The term has evolved from end-of-life demands, such as recyclable packaging, to a more holistic approach for ensuring environmental ethics.Eco-conscious thinking is increasingly embedded across the supply chain and manufacturing capabilities in the beauty sector as it works to meet market demands. For industry players, this means environmentally mindful ingredient selections, resource-efficient manufacturing processes, and low-impact packaging choices.
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Yoni CEO: Organic cotton and transparency advance menstrual care market
In an expanding menstrual care industry driven by consumers gaining awareness about product provenance and ingredient safety, brands that differentiate through eco-conscious and well-being-focused principles are gaining traction.The intimate care segment has been experiencing growth as from consumers increasingly scrutinizing products for potentially harmful inclusions. In parallel, the personal care industry is balancing sustainability, efficacy, and affordability in a climate of volatile economies and fluctuating raw material availability.
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Mushroom-derived ingredients
Innova Market Insights data shows growth in the use of mushroom ingredients in personal care launches, with a 14% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. Skin and hair care products featured the highest use of mushroom ingredients, while body care experienced the fastest growth in innovation. These ingredients are most commonly found in hydrating products, where they provide softening and smoothing benefits.
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Automating sleeved bottle packaging without compromising pack design
This article highlights the automation of sleeved bottle packaging, transforming a manual process into a high-speed solution while preserving brand identity and ensuring compatibility with both automated and manual operations.

This Technical Paper is brought to you by Cama Group.
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Consumer Reports: States urged to regulate braiding hair amid federal silence

Consumer Reports found heavy metals in nearly all braiding hair it tested, and volatile organic compounds in every sample. James Rogers, director and head of product safety testing at Consumer Reports, tells Personal Care Insights that no US federal agency clearly regulates the category, leaving labeling claims unchecked. He urges manufacturers to test ingredients and final products. Rogers also expects state rules and consumer spending to eventually drive change.

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Mimitime debuts in US with collagen jelly snack fusing K-beauty and K-food
A woman holding Mimitime pouches.
A collagen-infused konjac jelly brand, Mimitime, has debuted to bring the Korean beauty snack format to the US. The functional snack launch represents the increasing category convergence of beauty and food and the growing influence of K-beauty practices. The new solution is made from the konjac plant, a tuberous root vegetable native to Asia. The jelly is a low-calorie, fiber-based snack that touts a soft, gel-like texture. Mimitime also features 1,500 mg of marine collagen per pouch. It was developed over two years with Korean suppliers.
WellSpring takes hypochlorous acid mass market with seven launches
A hand getting sprayed by another.
WellSpring Consumer Healthcare is taking hypochlorous acid (HOCl) out of the prestige facial mist aisle and into mass retail, launching seven products across its A+D, Bactine, VH Essentials, and Solarcaine brands. The range covers baby, sun, and intimate care, and first aid.Hypochlorous acid built consumer interest on social media and dermatologist recommendations rather than through the drug channel. WellSpring is now applying it across seven SKUs in four established over-the-counter (OTC) brands rather than building a standalone HOCl line. 
Estée Lauder research decodes skin tone perception to improve shade matching
Women with diverse skin tones and eyes closed
The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) and the University of Leeds, UK, are researching how people perceive their skin tone to improve shade matching of complexion products, and how they are developed. The duo says that, despite significant advances in beauty innovation, one of the most common consumer frustrations is matching makeup to their skin tone.
CJ Olive Young targets US K-beauty growth with ₩12 trillion sales goal
Olive Young company logo on the outside of a store
CJ Olive Young is reinforcing its North American investments, with its targets set to ₩12 trillion (US$8.5 billion) by 2028. The plan focuses on the beauty business, positioning it as a new growth pillar as K-beauty sustains its booming global momentum. The South Korean beauty retail chain, owned by CJ Group, opened its first brick-and-mortar store in the US in Pasadena, California, this May. Three months after the store’s inauguration, the group has announced its North American investment plan at Olive Young Fest, Los Angeles, California, US (August 14–16).
Gattefossé launches preservative-free eye contour active
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Gattefossé has released a preservative-free (PF) version of Gatuline Link n Lift, its flagship lifting bioactive designed for the eye contour area. The ingredient is touted to supply visible lifting and smoothing benefits after two weeks of use. The launch taps growing demand for clean label personal care products that provide competitive efficacy. Procured from organically farmed horse chestnut flowers and hand-harvested in France, the active utilizes the cosmetic chemical manufacturer’s Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents extraction technology.
Vitafoods Asia 2026: APAC beauty-from-within markets turn to gut-skin axis and...
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Nutrition Insight

An awareness of healthy aging and the gut-skin axis is shaping a new wave of nutricosmetic innovations in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Ahead of Vitafoods Asia 2026, we explore opportunities in the region for brands that can combine convenient delivery formats with science-backed ingredients based on botanicals. Nutrition Insight speaks with Gareth Baguley, Vitafoods brand director, who says the APAC region has embraced beauty-from-within for many years, creating one of the world’s most established nutricosmetic markets. 
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Research & Science news
L’Oréal and NUS partner to test skin’s role in whole-body...
L’Oréal and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Medicine have launched a multi-year strategic research partnership to investigate the skin’s role in overall longevity. The collaboration aims to close a gap in skin aging science by exploring its role in how the rest of the body ages over time, potentially leading to more preventive approaches.In the personal care industry, longevity science has moved beyond addressing visible signs of aging toward understanding the biological mechanisms that drive aging at a cellular level.  The partnership takes the ethos behind longevity thinking further by asking whether the skin can act as a reliable indicator of systemic biological aging.
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Policy & regulation news
South Korea targets fake K-beauty surge as China spreads...
South Korea is launching a defense against counterfeit Korean beauty products as reports surface that Chinese-made fakes are reaching European markets. The move comes as Korea’s Customs Service found that 97.7% of counterfeit Korean-brand goods seized last year came from China, with cosmetics making up the largest category.According to Korean customs, South Korean cosmetics exports reached US$7 billion in the first half of this year, with the US becoming the largest export market and European sales climbing sharply. 
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Business News
Ashland explores sale as private equity giants circle
Specialty cosmetic ingredient manufacturer Ashland is exploring a possible sale as other beauty companies and private equity firms are prospecting its specialty cosmetic ingredients portfolio. Following the news, the company’s stock jumped 6%. The move comes after months of pressure from activist investors, who have been pushing the chemical maker to put itself up for sale.

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Eco-conscious cosmeticsAug2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that environmental aspects are important to consumers when purchasing beauty & personal care products. New product launches show 15% CAGR for products with et...

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Next-gen holistic beauty Aug 2026

According to Innova Market Insights data, 28% of consumers globally say that a more holistic or multi-dimensional approach allows them to adopt a more self-sufficient approach to their health. As this mindset extends into beauty, brands are taking a broader approach to personal care, combining appearance, wellness, and long-term health in increasingly multifunctional products.

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Mushroom-derived ingredients Aug 2026

Innova Market Insights data shows growth in the use of mushroom ingredients in personal care launches, with a 14% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. Skin and hair care products featured the highest use of mushroom ingredients, while body care experienced the fastest growth in innovation. These ingredients are most commonly found in hydrating products, where they provide softening and smoothing benefits.

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Consumer Reports video thumbnail: Stylist braiding purple extensions into a client’s long black hair, with a circular professional headshot inset
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Consumer Reports: States urged to regulate braiding hair amid federal silence

Consumer Reports found heavy metals in nearly all braiding hair it tested, and volatile organic compounds in every sample. James Rogers, director and head of product safety testing at Consumer Reports, tells Personal Care Insights that no US federal agency clearly...

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