Weekly Roundup: L’occitane’s Elemis, Firmenich, Kao and L’Oréal bag awards

03 Feb 2023 --- This week in personal care news, L’occitane Group’s Elemis, Firmenich, Kao and L’Oréal received recognition for sustainability, innovation and gender equality in business. Meanwhile, Coty launched a campaign to “undefine beauty” by sending an open letter to major dictionary houses to remove the “ageist and sexist connotations” tied to current definitions. E.l.f. Cosmetics also launched O FACE, a line of 20 hydrating lipsticks in magnetic closures.

Business news
Sensegen became a member of the US Fragrance Creators Association, joining over 60 member companies, ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations representing most of North Americas fragrance manufacturing. Fragrance Creators members aim to advance responsible stewardship of the fragrance industry.

Brenntag collaborated with project44 to create end-to-end visibility on Brenntag’s global supply chain. Project44 will enable the company to streamline internal tracking data across the entire supply chain, improving end-to-end inventory management and reliability for customers and supply partners. This will connect chemical manufacturers and users with a full-line portfolio of more than 10,000 products and a global supplier base.

FAME, a new feminine fragrance by Paco Rabanne, debuted in partnership with actress Elle Fanning, ambassador of the scent. Rabanne tried to capture the Parisian spirit of the Rabanne woman with a touch of avant-garde luxury. The perfume is a blend of pure jasmine, succulent mango and an “addictively sensual” creamy incense.Clariant highlights the small family farms in the Amazon that supply the company with ingredients for cosmetics.

eCargo Holdings and McPherson united in a distribution partnership that will see eCargo become the exclusive distributor for McPherson’s A’kin skincare and haircare line in China. This will enable McPherson to grow and expand in Asia. eCargo will be responsible for end-to-end supply chain services, distribution, marketing, sales and eCommerce operations to accelerate the growth of A’kin in China.

Holland & Barrett partnered with WHSmith to offer a curated range of health, wellness and beauty products to customers traveling across the UK or jetting off on holiday. This will result in Holland & Barrett concessions added to three WHSmith Travel stores in Heathrow Terminal 2 airside, Gatwick North Terminal airside and London’s Euston Rail Station.

Launches and releases
Evonik’s biobased polyamide Vestamid Terra was used to design toothbrushes by industrial designers Benjamin Beck and Fabian, co-founders at Tio. The filaments of the toothbrushes are made of Vestamid Terra and are very abrasion-resistant. The bristles made from it are flexible and elastic and are noted to retain their shape and not break.

Oxyceutics debuted Gut to Glow, a novel microbiome beauty complex to support gut balance, skin hydration and elasticity from within. It is a four-in-one supplement that contains proprietary Lactobacillus reuteri (LRDR) and skin enhancers – hyaluronic acid, marine collagen and astaxanthin. The comapny believes that skin health reflects overall health. In a three-month-long pre-market study, the company found that 88% reported a smoother skin texture, 81% said they had a brighter and more luminous skin tone and 75% reported a younger appearance. Two clinical trials are ongoing, with estimated completion dates of early 2023.Elle Fanning with FAME fragrance.

Sally Beauty expanded its famous bondbar line of hair care bonding solutions. It has added Bonding Primer, Bonding Booster, Bonding Recovery, Bonding Purple Shampoo, Bonding Concentrate and the Bonding Hydration Mask. Its initial launch exceeded consumer expectations with the core four products (Bonding Pre-Shampoo, Bonding Shampoo, Bonding Conditioner and Bonding Styling Cream).

E.l.f. Cosmetics launched O FACE, dubbed as a long-wearing and super comfortable lipstick line, infused with “lip-loving” ingredients like marula oil, squalane and jojoba esters to prevent drying. O FACE is an expression of empowerment, fearlessness and fun – with names like Hustle, Dirty Talk and Shameless, and 20 shades that range from peaches to fierce reds and bold black. Each O FACE shade comes in a magnetic closure, generally seen in brands that cost three times as much.

Social outreach
Clariant highlights the personal care potential of cupuaçu, an indigenous fruit found throughout the Amazon basin. The plant is closely related to cacao and is cultivated in Brazil for sweets and drinks. For cosmetic applications, cupuaçu butter helps strengthen the natural skin barrier, helps to improve elasticity, provides long-lasting moisturization and reduces trans-epidermal water loss. The cupuaçu seeds tend to be little in value. So up until the mid-2000s, most farmers in Tomé Açu discarded them.

Edgewell Personal Care launched “Together We Care,” a community impact program that includes teammate-matching gifts and volunteering powered by Benevity. Edgewell aims to match monetary teammate donations within the US, Canada and Puerto Rico for up to US$5,000, per calendar year, per employee to non-profit causes of their choosing that align with Edgewell’s giving guidelines. The platform will also provide volunteer opportunities and serve as a platform for cultural and environmental education and awareness.

Mibelle Biochemistry collaborated with the teams of teachers and students at the Ecole de Biologie Industrielle (EBI) France. They asked the students to propose formulations – using the company’s actives – based on a benchmark of an existing product in pharmacies for fragile and sensitive skincare. The requested finished product had to contain as few ingredients as possible and present the highest degree of naturalness. For three months, the students and teachers had regular communication on this project's progress with the Mibelle Biochemistry teams.Mibelle Biochemistry at Ecole de Biologie Industrielle.

Coty launched a campaign to change the dictionary definitions of beauty. The #UndefineBeauty underscores that the current English language definition of beauty is outdated, does not reflect the value of today’s society and is limited. “She was a great beauty in her youth” is often cited in major dictionaries to illustrate the concept of beauty and whose effects the company witnessed in a social experiment with 100 people worldwide. Coty calls on publishers to review the examples and remove ageism and sexism from the definition. Sue Y. Nabi, Coty’s CEO, wrote an open letter to the major dictionary houses, co-signed by the company’s Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team. 

Awards and recognitions
L’occitane Group’s Elemis achieved a new status as a Certified B Corp after almost two years of implementing changes to its processes, practices and launching new initiatives. It earned 93 points – significantly above the required score of 80 – showing that largescale businesses can still show sustainable responsibility. 

For the second consecutive year, Firmenich was recognized by the “Innovation Momentum 2023: Global Top 100 report” by LexisNexis. The report lists the top 100 companies advancing innovative solutions to today’s challenges and laying the intellectual property foundations for further breakthroughs. Firmenich is recognized for the second consecutive year and is the only fragrance and taste company to feature in the LexisNexis Global Top 100 report.

Kao was selected for inclusion in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index 2023, marking the fifth consecutive year it has been included. Similarly, L’Oréal Group was recognized by GEI 2023 for having created an inclusive and equal work environment. The GEI identifies companies that have demonstrated outstanding performance in gender reporting and measures to advance gender equality. This reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies and external brand.

Laura Geller Beauty’s signature Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation is the first makeup product to receive the National Psoriasis Foundation Seal of Recognition and is also partnering with the National Rosacea Society.

By Venya Patel