PCHi 2026: Roquette Beauté spotlights plant-based ingredients for anti-aging and matte finishes
23 Mar 2026 | Roquette Beauté
At PCHi 2026 (Personal Care and Homecare Ingredients) Roquette Beauté showcased its latest starch-based innovations, ST 305 and ST 730, positioning them within the fast-evolving demands of the Chinese beauty market. Bénédicte Courel, general manager at Roquette Beauté, broke down how the two technologies differ in performance and how they are being received by local formulators and consumers. We also explored how these ingredients align with shifting preferences in Asian skin care, from texture to functionality.
This is Sabina Waldeck of Personal Care Insights at PCHI 2026, joined by Benedict Correll, general manager for Roquette Butte.
Welcome.
Thank you, Cindy.
So you are highlighting Butte by Roquet ST 305 and ST 730 at PCHI.
What are the key performance attributes that set each of these technologies apart?
Our ST 730 is actually a hydroxypropyl key starch.
Which has excellent performance on as a film former on water resistance, but also as a tightening and lifting effect.
And this ingredient has been actually quite popular over the last couple of months, even though succeed on the launch on the market with really known brands, and this is really a step change versus our first generation of.
Starch, so water resistance is really very nice looking for makeup, but also in sun care and type of applications and actually now with this tightening in skincare, it's very we have really good data on the clinical study with Specific effect on your eyes area, so that's really a very interesting and unique plant-based chemistry for this kind of performances.
And the other one, the ST 305, is actually our newest launch from a couple of months ago, which is a porous starch coming from waxy corn.
And this is a unique sensory powder with very interesting performances in terms of sweat absorptions, humidity absorptions.
It provides a very nice mattifying effect and very nice sensory, so very consider as for example.
If customers are looking for tal alternatives or even compact press border, so that's really a key player here, but not only because the very unique sensory and mattifying effect is actually also very interesting in makeup, suncare, skincare, and potentially also in haircare.
And how have formulations with ST 305 and ST 730 resonated with Chinese formulators and consumers so far?
What feedback have you seen that's specific to this market?
For both because they are very both different in terms of benefits and consumer benefits.
The very high interest in the informer, so the ST 730 is a tightening effect, you know, anti-aging, how do you improve your look, lifting effect is really appreciated, and immediate effect is also something that consumers are looking when you apply the cream you.
Want to see it right and for the other one, everybody likes very much the sensory, so the feel, and also the effect on mattifying effect.
So both today our Chinese customers are evaluating ingredients in different kinds of formulation, whether it's makeup, skincare, or even hair care.
And these launches reflect broader trends in skincare.
How do ST 305 and ST 730 address the evolving preferences of Asian beauty consumers?
The Asian beauty consumers are really looking for very light, very wetter-like type of.
Textures something which can actually easily penetrate and really with a nice sensory powdery effect.
So that's really where we actually are powder.
The ST 305 is really matching very and also providing magnifying effect.
But on the other hand, what we are seeing is really rise for sustainable ingredients and biodegradable ingredients, so being natural and plant-based providers also raising the bell because there's a change right now on the market for, especially in China, for this kind of product.
We also noticed that there's a higher Demand for quality ingredients, top quality manufacturing process and standards which we do at Rocket because we do have also manufacturing sites in China, in mainland where we have actually duplicated the same level of process standards than in Europe than in France.
So we do provide a high quality product even for actually our pharma business or the health business coming from China, so it's really high level and also we know there's a high demand on safety.
And that's really what we are aiming with our plant-based ingredients, meeting all the required standards.
And so you've mentioned some things that you're currently seeing.
If you look ahead, how do you expect China's beauty landscape to evolve over the next few years?
Really to continue to grow and build our leverage, shall I say, what we have seen in Europe around sustainability as becoming a key driver.
So beyond the naturality, going towards more.
Sustainability aspect, but also in combination with efficiency and innovation because the number one key most important driver is really performance.
Performance, which benefits do we provide to consumers through cosmetics products, but also linked to sustainability, plant-based biodegradability, safety.
And quality really is going to become stronger and stronger, and if you look what is happening since the last couple of maybe months or 2 years, 2 to 3 years, is a change as in the Chinese regulation for cosmetics, where it's much more demanding today in regards to safety, to assessment, and so on about ingredients, but also cosmetics products.
And this is going to continue.
And do you have anything else to add today?
I just want to take the opportunity and thank you for that, but you know we just opened a lab here in Shanghai for Rocketbote just a few months ago, and we are really, really happy.
So I'm happy to have a new team here located in Shanghai, technical people, technical experts, along with our supporting team here and of course local distributors.
So it's a great new journey and key milestone for us in our Rocket booty growth, right?
So we are really happy now to have a footprint here in China and be close to our customers and really try to match as much as possible their needs with our great biodegradable and plant-based safe ingredients.
And thank you for joining Personal Care Insights.
