Cosmet’Agora 2026: Brenntag channels 1950s beauty into modern cosmetic formulations

Brenntag Specialties Beauty & Personal Care is taking inspiration from the 1950s for its cosmetic offerings at Cosmet’Agora 2026.

The trade show is currently taking place in Paris, France, and the ingredients company has chosen the theme “Beauty reinvented – from the 1950s to the future” for its showcases. 

Brenntag says the motif brings the charm of retro beauty into today’s world of innovation. The Innovation & Application team has reinterpreted the 50s and turned it into modern concepts that aim to answer today’s expectations in performance, sensoriality, and simplicity. 

The company plans to demonstrate how iconic looks can be translated into formulas that support skin comfort and contemporary aesthetics. It focuses on smooth textures and luminous finishes, 

Brenntag is highlighting one feature formula at the show, its sun care oil gel, Golden Era 50. The company states that the sun care oil gel demonstrates how minimalist design can deliver a pleasurable skin feel while meeting today’s UV protection standards.

Personal Care Insights speaks to a Riham Alkhamisi, director of market categories of Beauty and Care at Brenntag about how the company is reinterpreting 1950s beauty through modern science, combining minimal ingredient philosophies with smart biopolymers and refined textures to redefine high-performance, sensorial formulations.

What inspired Brenntag Specialties Beauty & Personal Care to revisit the 1950s, and why does this era still resonate today?

Alkhamisi: The 1950s were a defining moment for modern beauty. It was a time when textures, rituals, and sensorial pleasure truly became part of product identity, not just function. We were inspired by this balance between elegance and performance, which is surprisingly relevant today.

Modern consumers are asking for fewer ingredients, clearer benefits, and emotionally engaging textures. When we looked back at iconic beauty products from that era, we saw parallels with today’s trends: minimalism, trust in formulation science, and products designed to feel good as well as perform. Our approach was not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, but rather a reinterpretation of timeless formulation principles using today’s technologies, materials, and sustainability standards. Brenntag presents modern formulations inspired by 1950s beauty. 

What makes the sun care oil gel formula stand out and demonstrate a minimalistic formulation design?

Alkhamisi: Golden Era 50 is a clear example of how simplicity and performance can coexist. The formulation is built around a very limited number of carefully selected ingredients, each with a clear functional role. The result is a sunscreen oil gel with SPF 50 that delivers high protection while offering an elegant, non-greasy sensory profile.

Regarding its texture, the oil gel melts instantly on the skin, spreads effortlessly, and leaves a refined, silky finish that feels more like a skin care product than a traditional sunscreen. This is made possible through the use of CalyCare Gel 100, which structures the oil phase while enhancing slip and cushion. This is combined with a well-balanced selection of Sarex UV filters known for their photostability and compatibility in oil-based systems.

It demonstrates that minimalistic formulation design is not about removing performance but about designing smarter systems where each ingredient works harder.

How are Smart biopolymers and new texture enhancers reshaping what formulators can achieve?

Alkhamisi: Smart polymers and texture enhancers are fundamentally changing how formulators think about sensoriality and structure. Ingredients such as CalyCare Gel 100 and CalyCare Film 110 allow formulators to decouple texture from heavy oil loading, opening the door to lighter, more elegant products without sacrificing stability or performance.

These materials enable new formats — oil gels, hybrid textures, and film-forming systems — while supporting improved spreadability, cushion, and skin affinity. From a technical standpoint, they give formulators more control over rheology and sensory perception. From a consumer standpoint, they deliver products that feel more intuitive, refined, and pleasurable to use.

This shift is particularly relevant in sun care and skin care, where sensory acceptance is often the deciding factor for daily use and compliance. Minimal ingredients can deliver refined sensorial performance. 

How is collaboration central to your innovation strategy, and is this approach featured at Cosmet’Agora?

Alkhamisi: Collaboration plays a key role in Brenntag Beauty & Personal Care’s innovation strategy. Alongside Calyxia, we are proud to showcase partnerships with companies such as Cambrium, bringing biotech-driven solutions like vegan collagen for skin and hair, as well as long-standing partners including United Guardians, Elkem, Stephenson, and Stepan.

The formulations presented at Cosmet’Agora reflect this ecosystem approach. They are not just concept formulas, but practical, scalable solutions developed by our Innovation & Application Centers, designed to support customers from idea to finished product. Our goal is to help brands translate trends into tangible, high-performing formulations that resonate both technically and emotionally with today’s consumers.