Ashland promotional graphic showing a woman stretching an effisin em natural band with “who is empowered by nature?”
A woman with beakers and plants in front of her.

Kensing on how “responsible beauty” will take over clean beauty

Clean beauty has historically been defined by an absence of chemical ingredients, restricting the sector to what a product isn’t, rather than what it is. That foundation is phasing into a new trajectory: communicating the total environmental impact across a product’s lifecycle. Denis Bendejacq, SVP of Research & Innovation at Kensing, tells Personal Care Insights that the next phase of clean beauty is “responsible beauty.” This narrative furthers the category to depict how feedstocks are sourced, how ingredients are manufactured, and what carbon and resource costs they carry. These shifts, in combination with regulatory adjustments, leads Bendejacq to call greenwashing “clearly a thing of the past.”
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Carrageenans re-emerge as multifunctional cosmetic formulation tools
The personal care industry is seeing a surge in interest for naturally-sourced, biorenewable ingredients that support multifunctional applications while not compromising efficacy. This shift is creating space for carrageenans — natural polysaccharides extracted from seaweeds — to experience a renaissance for beauty formulators due to their versatility and eco-friendly characteristics.The renewable ingredient, tapped as a thickener, emulsifier, and stabilizer in cosmetics formulations, is readily biodegradable and boasts a versatile application profile, making it an attractive ingredient in the sustainability space.
Face mapping
dsm-firmenich 3D facial microbiome mapping poised to transform common skin conditions
dsm-firmenich’s latest 3D facial skin microbiome analysis tackles some of the longest-standing limitations in microbiome research. While traditional approaches rely on relative abundance data from a limited number of sampling points, dsm-firmenich’s concept introduces absolute quantification of 26 bacterial and fungal species across 24 facial sites with AI models.
Foaming antibacterial hand wash with aloe beside a blank pump bottle on a counter, with CAMA PHHC logo.
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.
 Paulo Teixeira, Melt&Marble
Melt&Marble: Accelerating commercial readiness for personal care products with INCI milestone

Melt&Marble is a Swedish biotech company that uses precision fermentation to produce designer lipids in food and personal care products. The company has secured its first personal care ingredient INCI.  Paulo Teixeira, head of product at Melt&Marble, tells Personal Care Insights more about this regulatory milestone.

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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026 review: Multifunctional actives and sustainable beauty shine
At NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026 in New York, US, personal care innovation focused on sustainability, multifunctionality, and biotech-driven actives. Companies highlighted natural, upcycled, and bio-based ingredients. AI-assisted formulation tools and high-performance solutions for skin, hair, and scalp health also took center stage. Key trends included protective and reparative actives, multifunctional polymers, RNA- and peptide-based technologies, and sensory-focused formulations. The presentations reflected the industry’s push toward eco-conscious, consumer-focused innovation. We round up the event’s key innovators and what they showcased.

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Gattefossé validates cosmetic ingredient production to strengthen US supply...
Woman applying cosmetics to face with serum pipette
Gattefossé has validated five cosmetic ingredients at its manufacturing facility in Lufkin, Texas. The company says it is strengthening its manufacturing presence in North America, directly responding to its customers’ needs for more reliable supply chains and domestic sourcing options in what it calls an “unpredictable global market.” 
Kao targets Asia hair dyeing boom with repair ingredient after discovering...
Kao Liese promo picture of woman with shiny hair
Kao Corporation’s Hair Beauty Research division has confirmed for “the first time” that structural protein damage inside hair can continue to progress for seven days after coloring. The effects are especially felt by people with melanin-rich hair, common across Asia.Leveraging the finding, Kao has developed H-Linx Tech, a technology incorporated into its hair color brand Liese to enable coloring while repairing damage. H-Linx Tech, featured in Liese formulations, helps repair damage caused by hair coloring, such as preventing split ends, breakage, and frizz.
Estée Lauder restructuring costs reach US$1.75B as job cuts deepen
ELC logo against a building facade
Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has announced that it expects to spend up to US$1.75 billion on its restructuring plan. The scheme was first announced in November 2023, when the company originally estimated it would cost between US$500 and 700 million. The beauty giant attributes the higher spending to job cuts, asset-related costs, and terminated contracts, among other changes.
Beauty retailers pressured to drop badger hair brushes after PETA exposé
A badger in a cage.
A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) exposé depicting the brutalization of badgers in Chinese farms has spurred some retailers supplying makeup and shaving brushes with badger hair to remove the products. In June 2026, an eyewitness reported attending eight farms in China, the world’s leading exporter of badger fur. 
Coty pivots CoverGirl back to Gen X as beauty brands weigh Gen Z strategies
Older woman using her phone to apply lipstick
Coty is repositioning its CoverGirl brand to target Gen X consumers, shifting away from its previous efforts of appealing to Gen Z. The move is part of the company’s wider turnaround plan for its Consumer Beauty division, which has seen slowing momentum in the past few years. 
Experts urge longer EU funding horizons to boost food and nutrition innovation
Business analysists discussing funding

Nutrition Insight

A Finnish longitudinal study has found that public research, development, and innovation (RDI) subsidies have a significant impact on companies’ innovations. It underscores that the results are seen in the long term. Nutrition Insight speaks to the study lead from the University of Oulu to discuss how the findings are relevant for food and nutrition innovation, especially since governments in Europe find it challenging to justify long-term public funding due to expectations of fast results. 
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Health and Beauty
Walmart mercury skin cream settlement pressures e-commerce...
A legal settlement between Walmart and the Mercury Policy Project (MPP) is reigniting debates over the responsibility of online retailers in selling unsafe cosmetics. Under the terms of Proposition 65 in California, US, Walmart has agreed to remove mercury-laced skin-lightening creams from its online store. The retailer has now committed to proactively requiring certain third-party sellers to test their merchandise for mercury before it is offered for sale. 
A girl holding a magazine with a Gucci advertisement.
Business News
L’Oréal lands Gucci Beauty early as Coty cashes out for...
One year ahead of schedule, L’Oréal has secured the 50-year exclusive global license agreement for Gucci Beauty. Gucci and Coty have decided to bring forward the redemption date of their existing beauty license agreement, previously due to expire on June 30, 2028. Consequently, the Gucci Beauty license will return to Kering — its beauty unit recently acquired by L’Oréal — for a consideration of approximately US$400 million. 
Woman in a swimsuit standing by the beach
Tech & Innovation
Haut.AI unveils Body Analysis to tackle summer skin anxiety
Haut.AI has launched an AI-powered tool that analyzes the whole body’s skin and suggests personalized body care products accordingly, expanding traditional skin analysis tech beyond the face. The launch coincides with new research that found many women feel anxious about their body skin in the summertime. According to a survey the beauty tech company conducted with women in the US, 80% of respondents experience heightened pressure to have “flawless” or “healthy-looking” skin when warmer weather calls for more exposed skin.

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Clean beauty boostersJun2026

According to Innova Market Insights, clean beauty is redefining itself. Clean beauty realigns to modern-day needs, with ethical expectations driving new regulatory norms for toxin and microplastic-fre...

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Carrageenans uncovered Jul 2026

Carrageenans are gaining momentum in personal care launches as brands seek naturally derived multifunctional ingredients that enhance texture, stability, and sensory performance. The ingredient is most featured in skin care and hair care products, where it serves as a natural thickener, gelling agent, and moisturizer aligned with clean beauty and plant-based formulation trends.

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Natural claims for personal careJul 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates growth in natural claims, with 32% CAGR from April 2021 to March 2026 in product launches. This is underpinned by consumers increasingly seeking more natural ingredients when shopping for their beauty products. Skin care and hair care had the largest share of natural launches, while body care grew the fastest.

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 Paulo Teixeira, Melt&Marble
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Melt&Marble: Accelerating commercial readiness for personal care products with INCI milestone

Melt&Marble is a Swedish biotech company that uses precision fermentation to produce designer lipids in food and personal care products. The company has secured its first personal care ingredient INCI.  Paulo Teixeira, head of product at Melt&Marble, tells Personal Care...

Kacey Brides, Givaudan, Primalhyal 300, NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026, Skin Care, Active Ingredients, Healthy Aging, Cosmeceuticals, Hyaluronic Acid, Skin Repair, Hydration, Sensitive Skin, Aging Skin, Po
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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Givaudan highlights PrimalHyal 300 for skin repair
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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Nouryon explores AI and biobased chemistry
Karen Chun, Symrise
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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Symrise talks skin barrier, sensoriality and sustainability
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