Beauty trends: Biotech innovations, active ingredients and emotional well-being

05 Feb 2024 --- Active ingredients continue to shine for the personal care and beauty sector as companies innovate with an eye on sustainability while tried-and-true formulations remain relevant amid consumer demand for efficacy. 

In this special report, Lu Ann Williams, co-founder and global insights director of innovation at Innova Market Insights, talks to Personal Care Insights about the heightened demand for skin care products that contain “it” ingredients to deliver long-lasting results.

We also connect with Caroline de Roaldès, Givaudan’s senior marketing manager of Active Beauty Europe, to learn more about biotechnology’s impact on innovation and the company’s broader focus on holistic solutions.

Julie Carnes, director of supplier management for Beauty and Personal Care at Univar Solutions, also addresses the biotech boom — and explains why product performance is still paramount for personal care products.

Presenting “it” ingredients
Williams at Innova Market Insights says this year will see more trend parallels in food and personal care, with “it” ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid (HA) and niacinamide still getting enormous attention. She points to their expanded use across more categories like hair and skin care, targeting specific conditions like skin and scalp barrier protection.

“Consumers are looking for ingredients that deliver in their food and their personal care products (across ten countries surveyed globally).”

Thirty three percent of consumers say: “Anti-aging/pro-aging/healthy aging is the most important functional skin care feature to me.”

Twenty nine percent say: “Fine lines/wrinkles are my main concern when it comes to the skin.”

Innova Market Insights says a product’s “functionality is an important purchase driver.”Twenty nine percent say: “Repair claims (skin repair, natural barrier, renewing) most influence my purchasing decision.”

Biotech boom
More companies, including Givaudan, are prioritizing sustainable consumption. Caroline de Roaldès talks about the company’s innovation program and biotech business: 

“We see consumers increasingly interested in alternative ways to create their products. One process that is more and more talked about in the beauty and personal care industry is biotechnology, which combines the power of nature and science and limits excessive use of natural beauty ingredients. This is a solution that we strongly believe in at Givaudan Active Beauty, and that is embodied in our most recent launch.”

De Roaldès refers to PrimalHyal 50 Life, touted as “the most” sustainable low molecular weight HA in Givaudan’s portfolio.

“Years of research have culminated in [the ingredient], a cornerstone in the sustainable development of the hyaluronic acid molecule. Leveraging strain engineering and precision fermentation, Givaudan Active Beauty production methods have been revolutionized to become more environmentally friendly, achieving an outstanding –91% reduction in environmental impact (based on LCA analysis, compared to the conventional process),” adds de Roaldès.

Farida Tir Teerlinck, communication and operational marketing manager for Givaudan Active Beauty, says this is the year scientists at Givaudan Active Beauty are taking “skin care iconic molecules to a new level. Elevated through virtuous processes, our iconic molecules are re-designed and transformed to augment their power.”

Julie Carnes says it is an exciting time for biotech innovations:

“We’re going to find out where that price point is, where it breaks, but right now, it’s new and exciting…Biotech dovetails into sustainability, so we’re spending a lot of time with our existing chemistries, which are great, but also ensuring that we have that sustainability piece covered with alternatives in biotech.”

Williams also sees environmental sustainability as a key topic rather than a primary purchase driver. 

Functionality factor
While many companies balance tried-and-tested, established ingredients with new ones using biotech, functionality is still critical in purchasing decisions.

Givaudan says the biotech boom is here to stay as consumers seek sustainable solutions for products.Williams says, “Most consumers say the product’s functionality is an important purchase driver. If the product is supposed to add volume to hair, you can see very quickly and easily if it works; 49% of consumers across ten countries tell us that ingredients and technologies make personal care products more effective.” 

“In China, scientific proof is very important — 57% of consumers say they are willing to spend more on skin care products backed up by scientific claims. And, of course, everyone can now find trusted advisers on social media who tell them what works or doesn’t.”

Carnes also sees clients and partners of Univar Solutions demanding effective products:

“Everybody wants it to work, whether skin or hair care, so how do you do that and balance it out? We’re looking at our core chemistries, our core ingredients such as surfactant and silicone-based technologies… they’re tried-and-true and have been out there for decades. With the trends coming out now — more volume and hair — people are returning to what used to work. They want sustainability, but performance still beats everything at the end of the day, and now the price is in there.”

Carnes believes customers, especially in North America, are more price-conscious now than last year. At the beginning of 2023, she says consumers were less concerned with cost aspects than they are now amid persistent inflationary pressures that have proved to be anything but transitory.

Holistic health solutions
Another trend this year is a more significant focus on health and wellness. Bell Flavors & Fragrances sees heightened demand for the quest to be “the best version of ‘“you’” as consumers seek personalization and natural solutions in their personal care routines.

Givaudan says its studies also show that “emotional well-being” is having an impact on consumers and their purchase decisions:

“They are looking for solutions that help them feel better holistically and that are tailored to not only their physical needs but also their emotional needs. Creating happier lives is at the heart of Givaudan’s purpose, and that is why we go the extra mile to understand how our ingredients impact consumers’ skin and hair, and how they make them feel. Stay tuned for more innovations in this area in the coming months.”

By Anita Sharma