In-cosmetics Global 2026: Well-being demands fuel neurocosmetics emergence

In a society increasingly defined by technology and fast-paced lifestyles, consumers are searching for moments to unwind and connect, and the beauty industry is offering a solution. At In-cosmetics Global 2026 last week, exhibitors tapped into neurocosmetics, which is shaping up to be the next buzzword in beauty. 

Luciana Mangerona, global marketing manager, Personal Care at Eurofragance, told Personal Care Insights on the show floor that cosmetics that promote mental well-being are taking off due to the ever-evolving digital world. 

“Today’s consumers are constantly online, multitasking, and barely catching up with technologies — AI, different AIs that come up every day. They are lacking a lot of emotional connection and meaningful experiences,” said Mangerona.

“The search for well-being, for positivity, for feeling good, is something that consumers are looking for nowadays. It’s almost like a daily little escape from the world at the moment, a world that’s very uncertain and very quick.”

Beauty innovators are creating moments of escapism through ingredient technologies, and In-cosmetics boasted a robust showcase of such solutions. 

Mood-based personal care

Neurocosmetics take center stage at In-Cosmetics 2026.

Neurocosmetics, beauty products that connect the skin–brain axis, may be the next big thing in beauty, as demonstrated at In-cosmetics Global 2026. 

Mangerona said that the well-being category as a whole is growing and merging with other categories like makeup, skin care, and fragrance. She said the demand for holistic beauty solutions that connect to the skin and mind comes from consumer behavior.

Eurofragance launched its immersive “Get in the Mood” concept at In‑cosmetics, which “combined the latest olfactory trends with EuroMotion technology to enhance the positive emotional impact of fragrances and elevate mood.”

The EuroMotion technology is a fragrance innovation developed by Eurofragance, designed to reinforce positive emotional responses through scent. It combines a scientifically studied fragrance ingredient with proven physiological effects to trigger positive feelings such as elation, exhilaration, and enhanced confidence.

“[The technology] is triggering the trigeminal nerve, which is basically responsible for bridging emotion and olfaction.”

Mangerona explained that what sets EuroMotion apart from other technology scent solutions on the market is its mechanism of action. 

“The second thing is this deep dive that we do together with clients, the brands, to understand what the consumers are looking for and then create a connection between how they want to feel when they use the product at a specific moment of the day and the emotion we are triggering with the technology.”

The multinational fragrance house explored how fragrance can generate well-being, optimism, and small moments of happiness and joy through creativity and scientifically-backed fragrance technology. According to Eurofragance, the concept has been designed to respond to the growing demand for positive sensations and authentic experiences in everyday life. 

International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) also revealed a mood-themed concept centered on well-being. “We’re showcasing different solution avenues toward wellness and a holistic approach of what wellness is about for consumers,” Caroline Rossignol, global category marketing director for Body Care, Scent at IFF, told Personal Care Insights. 

“Consumers want new wellness-oriented experiences in their beauty routines. So we’re showcasing MetaMood, which is really designed toward enhancing mood all along the consumer journey, whether it’s happiness, relaxation, or energy.”

The scent manufacturer also revealed MetaSleep, another holistic approach to wellness, and tapping into the beauty–brain connection. The scent solutions are designed to enhance relaxation and support a restful sleep experience. 

“We have different solutions that we’re showcasing with different illustrations of what you can do with scent to address this sleep enhancement, a rising and important benefit space in beauty,” said Rossignol. 

LMR Naturals, part of IFF, specifically developed a capsule collection for the tradeshow of natural ingredients with skin and mind benefits. “It is a very holistic approach with new natural storage and natural ingredients.”

Emotional connection through cosmetics

Beauty meets well-being through sensory innovation.

Givaudan Active Beauty also tapped into the trend of neurocosmetics with the unveiling of PrimalHyal NeuroYouth, an active targeting skin rejuvenation and sensory perception. The company says it does so through “Neuro Skin Aging,” which it calls a newly defined skin aging pathway. 

“If I have to summarize the ingredients in one sentence, I would say that this ingredient allows consumers to leave everything more intensely,” Catherine Zanchetta, innovation and strategy manager for Givaudan Active Beauty, told us on the show floor. 

PrimalHyal NeuroYouth focuses on sensory perception as an actor of skin health. The company highlights that the skin is a sensory network and, as time goes on, there is a decrease in quantity, function, and length in nerve fibers in the skin. The decrease leads to impairments in sensory perception and stunted cellular communication and quickens skin aging. 

“The ingredient will help to recover the sense of touch, but also to reverse aging,” said Zanchetta.

She emphasized the rising demand for reconnection, now a key driver of beauty innovation, with Givaudan placing the theme at the heart of its showcase at In-cosmetics Global. 

“Everything we do this year is about the science of reconnection, and how we can bring solutions to consumers to reconnect with the world, but also with their inner selves.”

Eurofragance’s Mangerona echoed that consumers’ emotional states are increasingly shaping product development strategies. 

Drawing on social listening insights, she explained that the team set out to understand “what are the feelings or emotions that consumers link” with specific products and moments of the day. Their review included exploring how people want to feel “when they are in a specific moment,” such as during a morning or evening shower.

From the analysis, Eurofragance identified six core “emotion platforms,” built around “the feelings and emotions that consumers link to the different moments of the day and the different products.” Each platform groups a wider set of related emotional cues, giving brands a clearer framework for development.

The objective, Mangerona noted, is to help brands create products that resonate instantly with consumers by aligning sensorial experiences, such as fragrance, with desired emotional outcomes. 

“The idea is to help a client to develop a product that the consumer can relate to super quickly. It is s also connected to the way they want to feel in that specific moment of the day. And the brands can claim the product delivers a mood,” said Mangerona.

“For example, if they take a morning shower, they want to feel energized, then maybe I can develop a fragrance that will, of course, trigger this emotion. A morning shower product can be formulated to evoke energy and vitality, directly matching the consumer’s mindset and reinforcing a clear, relatable product claim.”

Climate and mental stress skin care

Fragrance technology enhances mood and emotion.

dsm-firmenich presented Alplafloor Neurosooth, a climate-adaptive skin care ingredient designed for holistic well-being. The president of the company’s Beauty & Care division, Parand Salmassinia, told us that the ingredient is particularly tailored to today’s cosmetics consumers, whose skin experiences climate stress and minds experience mental stress.

She attributes part of the ingredient’s relevance now to its roots in neurocosmetics. 

“This is the first ingredient that is bringing a climate adaptive care and marrying it with a neurocosmetic concept. And so it’s really elevating the science of stressed skin to a whole new level and bringing a real solution that you can feel and see at the same time.”

In a similar innovation move, French ingredient supplier Gattefossé unveiled Silkaress at In-cosmetics Global, a silk-inspired active designed to help skin adapt to increasingly changing environmental conditions.

The ingredient is positioned as a “climate-adaptive” solution and aims to actively support skin resilience amid fluctuating temperatures, humidity shifts, pollution, and indoor climate transitions.

Personal Care Insights spoke with Laurie Canel, product marketing leader of Active Ingredients at Gattefossé, about the inspiration behind the ingredient. She told us that Silkaress is based on the idea of mimicking the softness and protective properties of the silk cocoon.

“Going deeper into AI analysis, we could identify that the ingredient was able to modulate phosphorylation events through signaling pathways that are essential for the epidermis’ adjustment to external conditions,” explained Canel.