In-cosmetics Global 2025: Brenntag shines light on safe sun care

Brenntag showcased its sun care portfolio at In-cosmetics Global 2025 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 8–10 April. Personal Care Insights reported on the company’s offerings live from the show floor, speaking with Riham Alkhamisi, director of market categories of Beauty and Care at the German company.

“We are showcasing a lot, but focusing on sun care, with formulations available at the Innovation Zone. We are showing many formulations with a lot of possibilities for our customers to develop interesting products that can make it to the retail market,” Alkhamisi says.

Alkhamisi highlights that Brenntag is working with Sarex to include “high-performance” UV filters in its new sun care formulations. Sarex’s ingredients, such as Sarasorb BEMT, EHT, and DHHBv, are used in the launches.

Among these is the Ultra-Protect SPF 50 sunscreen stick, which has a matte finish and is for on-the-go use. It is made from a base of shea butter, beeswax, and “high-performance” UV filters like bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine.

Also on display was the Sun and Sea Mist SPF 30 hair spray — a biphasic emulsion. Its dual-phase structure offers scalp protection and hair conditioning in a “lightweight, refreshing” mist.

Alkhamisi adds that the on-site formulation lab at the trade show enabled visitors to participate and experience formulations. He says Brenntag collaborates extensively with suppliers and their suggestions and raw materials were included in the new formulations.

Alkhamisi cites safety as a key reason consumers are getting more interested in sun care.

Safety that inspires

Alkhamisi cites the industry’s increasing focus on sustainability as a key reason for the company’s drive to innovate its raw material portfolio. “We have a huge focus on different types of raw materials,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of interesting trends in the sustainability space. We’re bringing new-generation raw materials to the market — where safety is in the focus.”

Alkhamisi explains that more personal care products are incorporating safety, and thereby sun protection, into their formulations, which has not been seen in the industry previously. Solutions such as makeup, hair products, and serums now also add SPF as an added benefit, highlighting the surge in multifunctional products.

“In sun care you have a lot of different types of applications — or different types of products with protecting properties.”

Tapping into that demand, he explains: “We’re displaying a formulation here that is practically a stick, so it looks almost like a deodorant stick or a lip balm [that can be] used in various applications.”

Hands-on hub

At Brenntag’s formulation lab, promoting technical exchange, Alkhamisi shares that the company invited its customers to interact and make formulations together. “One of those being a tri-phasic formulation — very trendy and very easy to do, even though it is quite complex and looks very sophisticated.”

“We have a lot of facilities where we can do blending and mixing, with many possibilities to collaborate with the customers — bringing our experts from the field to them, speaking directly to create different solutions,” Alkhamisi says.

The company also showcased a formulation booklet that included concepts like Glow and Go BB Cream, Hydra Jelly Blush, and a Gentle Play-Doh Cleanser — a moldable, solid-format cleanser for skin-friendly use.Riham Alkhamisi, director Market Categories of Beauty and Care at Brenntag.

These products tap into sensorial richness and multi-functionality, appealing to current consumer demands for products that create a feeling of self-care and target multiple pain points simultaneously. The company says the products’ “stability across diverse conditions” appeals to formulators.

Alkhamisi points out: “We are here with 60 people coming in from all over the world. People from the Nordics, the Netherlands, Singapore, the US, Mexico, and Brazil are joining each other to showcase what we have in front of our customers and suppliers.” 

“We have an internal competition between our laboratories around the world — in France, Turkey, in the UK — and of course also in countries in Asia and in the US. Between them, they also have an internal competition on the best formulation within sun care, which will be evaluated in a couple of minutes here,” he shares.

“We are a globally organized company and we do have a huge focus on different types of raw materials: we are the largest distributor of chemicals in the world.”

With live reporting from Sabine Waldeck at In-cosmetics Global 2025 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.