Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2026: Schwan Cosmetics reveals eyeliner platform for rapid color creation

Schwan Cosmetics, a global manufacturer of white-label color cosmetics, has launched Meta-Ink in PrimeLiner at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, Italy (March 26–28). The move is slated as a response to accelerating color cycles in the cosmetics and beauty arena, and the rapidly growing demand for expressive and bold eye looks. 

Marieke Waldmann, global product manager for Eye Products at Schwan Cosmetics, tells Personal Care Insights that the solution is designed to help beauty brands respond to evolving color trends without compromising on quality.

The liquid eyeliner platform is touted to enable customized shades within days while maintaining consistent high-performance standards across the entire range.

As consumers move away from uniform minimalism toward bold, individual self-expression, Schwan believes that demand is rising for multi-colored, graphic, and high-impact eye looks. 

Schwan’s Meta-Ink formula in PrimeLiner addresses this shift by giving brands the technical capability to react quickly to trend signals while ensuring stability, safety, and premium wear performance.

How does your Meta-Ink platform help brands better respond to viral color trends?

Waldmann: Meta-Ink empowers brands to respond to viral color trends with unmatched speed and flexibility. By leveraging INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) across all shades, brands can develop customized colors within days. This unified formula ensures regulatory consistency and uncompromised stability, so every new shade performs at the highest level and meets global compliance standards. Our agile development processes and technical expertise allow brands to capture the zeitgeist of social media-driven trends without sacrificing product integrity or safety. Speed and performance coexist, enabling true creative freedom for our partners.The new liquid liner platform combines near-unlimited shade flexibility with high-performance wear. 

What were the biggest challenges in maintaining consistent performance across the wide color spectrum?

Waldmann: The main challenge was ensuring that every shade — whether vibrant, deep, or metallic — delivers consistent wear, brilliance, and stability. Our R&D team focused on pigment compatibility, texture uniformity, and regulatory simplicity. By perfecting the base formula, we achieved fade-resistant vibrancy and long-lasting performance across the spectrum, while maintaining clean beauty standards and vegan, cruelty-free claims. This approach required decades of formulation expertise and rigorous and methodological testing to guarantee that each color meets our premium quality standards.

What consumer or market signals influenced the development of Meta-Ink and its focus on shade flexibility?

Waldmann: We observed a shift from minimalism to bold self-expression, especially in the liquid liner category. Social platforms are shortening product lifecycles, with viral trends driving demand for multi-colored, graphic, high-impact eye looks. We took a deep-dive into consumer insights to discover a clear wish for a wider color variety within liquid pens. Consumers were looking for the perfect, easy-to-use tool to express their creativity and individuality. Meta-Ink was developed in response to this dynamic, giving brands the technical capability to react quickly to trend signals and offer nearly unlimited vibrant shades. The platform is designed for consumers who expect products reflecting their individuality and creativity.

How do components such as hyaluronic acid and L-arginine contribute to product performance and the growing demand for skin-conscious color cosmetics?

Waldmann: Hyaluronic acid and L-arginine are known for supporting skin hydration and strengthening the lashline skin barrier. By integrating these skin-loving ingredients, Meta-Ink not only delivers high-impact color but also meets the rising demand for skin-conscious, clean beauty. The formula is free from controversial ingredients, vegan, cruelty-free, and composed of up to 78% natural origin ingredients according to ISO 16128, aligning with consumer expectations for safe, effective, and responsible cosmetics.

Could you describe how Schwan Cosmetics’ development and manufacturing processes have evolved to enable speed and scalability?

Waldmann: To support Meta-Ink’s requirements, we installed a dedicated production machine at our headquarters in Germany. This system enables precise, high-speed, and flexible filling of the innovative formula, ensuring consistent quality and rapid color creation. At the same time, our very experienced color lab colleagues can elaborate Meta-Ink shades either according to a benchmark or with the customer on side, elaborating in real time. Our agile manufacturing processes allow scalable global supply, so brands can launch new shades quickly and confidently, keeping pace with fast-moving market demands. Meta-Ink is designed to deliver vibrant, high-impact color strokes in an intuitive pen format. 

Looking ahead, how do you see liquid eyeliner evolving as a category?

Waldmann: Liquid eyeliner will continue to evolve toward greater color experimentation, expressive looks, and clean beauty standards. Consumers will demand products that combine creativity, performance, and skin-conscious ingredients. Formats will become more intuitive, precise, and customizable, with packaging innovations supporting both formula stability and brand identity. At Schwan Cosmetics, we want to enable this evolution — empowering brands to meet future expectations with agility, responsibility, and technical excellence.