Skin and Hair Care Hero’s:
Over 50 years ago, I joined the innovative world of beauty. Intuitively, my passion was to bring highly efficacious and pH balanced products into this industry. At the time, there was little known about the effects of the harmful chemicals our skin and haircare products contain, or their long term effects. I worked only for those companies that had even a clue about the effects of such on our wellbeing.
EVEN TODAY, THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY HAIR AND SKINCARE PRODUCTS THAT PAY LITTLE OR NO ATTENTION AT ALL TO THE Ph. See our blog on pH.
The savvy consumer is waking up to this, and are closely reading labels. There are many ingredients that are not closely regulated, but we will get more into that later.
Natural and organic is gaining market share every year and no end in sight.
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More onNatural Ingredients
Antioxidants to adaptogens: Historically, natural ingredients were always the backbone of the cosmetics industry, and I personally have used almost everything commonly known to target wrinkles, pigmentation, skin dryness, barrier function, excess skin oil, sensitive skin, etc. What started as high-performing antioxidants, such as ginseng, cordyceps, goji berry, schisandra, turmeric, licorice and holy basil, have recently resurfaced as adaptogens. There are many more, all incredible heros for skin and hair. See our blog on adaptogens and antioxidants.
Cultural to ayurvedic ( a traditional Hindu system of medicine) and TCM: Cultural and indigenous ingredients, e.g., coleus, clary sage, boswellia, Indian gooseberry, Centella asiatica and bitter melon, have reemerged as ayurvedic herbs. Gingko, chaga mushroom, green and white tea catechins, lotus root and mung bean have all had their days of glory and are now rebranded as Traditional Chinese Medicine, inspired thanks to the exponential growth of the beauty industry in China. You can read about many of them in other blogs on our site.
Amazonian to ethnic-centered, and superfoods: Resources from the Amazon rainforest also have been tapped into to uncover exotic ingredients such as acai, babassu oil, murumuru butter, cupuacu butter and buriti fruit oil, and have made their way back into ethnically centered beauty brands. Leaves, roots, flowers, berries or fruit extracts rich in natural vitamins, polyphenols, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals such as spinach, kale, pineapple, broccoli, lycopene-rich tomatoes and watermelon have all made a comeback as superfoods. See our blogs on these.
Products sell as a complete package of six key criteria: product branding and communication, consumer experience plus perceived performance, consumer perception, quality, value and convenience.
Historically, all these natural ingredients made their way through the food or nutritional industry (hint: resveratrol and cannabinoids) to an equally lesser-regulated cosmetic industry, where the emotional attachment to these materials truly impacts the buying habits of the consumer. The current challenge is for chemists and marketers to reintroduce these ingredients as new again (remember plant stem cells?). They work!
Cross-pollination from foods, nutritionals: Chemists and marketers are also on the lookout for inspirational ingredients at nutraceutical and food trade shows to find plants and folklore-based naturals that have not yet entered cosmetics. This has led to the introduction of hemp seed oil, coriander extract, moringa extract and plum oil in recent years.
Bio-fermentation to antimicrobials, prebiotics, sustainable solutions: There was a time when bio-fermentation, enzymes and biotechnology were the biggest trend; and yeast, bacteria and mushroom ferments were found in everything from acne and skin brightening, to anti-aging products. Now, we see a resurgence of these technologies to introduce antimicrobial ferments in self-preserving products. Also, the gut-inspired skin microbiome trend has brought ferments to the forefront surprisingly repositioned as prebiotic materials, along with traditionally used sugars, polysaccharides, lipids and natural plant materials
The clean and conscious beauty trend has brought forth many green-washing claims, and approximately 50% of all products launched today have some type of natural claim. On a positive note, however, it brought transparency to consumers and cosmetic houses are sincerely sharing more authentic information and being more ethically, ecologically and socially conscious about the products they create. We have now been Organic Certified, to help push forward a more clean and ethical way of creating our products. We always strive to create the most natural and organic products possible.
Relatively soon, most products will be in some shape or form that is self-compliant with the clean beauty category—and there will be minimal differentiation between them. So, this just a small detour on another cyclical wave until we jump on to the next trend.
Old Favorites and Key Messages/Product Criteria
Most current skin care formulations are still based on the same historic, tried-and-tested, ages-old winners such as humectants (e.g., glycerin, glycols, polyols and sugars); emollients (including plant oils, fatty acids, esters and butters); and structuring agents (ranging from emulsifiers, waxes and polymers to thickening agents). The remainder of the formula is filled with emotive ingredients and/or performance-based hero ingredients.
While we navigated through these cyclical trends, two key messages emerge: 1) what is old is always new again and 2) no idea is a bad idea. Also, eventually the product sells as a complete package of six key criteria: product branding and communication, consumer experience plus perceived performance, consumer perception, quality, value, and convenience.
Please call us to let us help you get the best “Hero” into your existing line, or a new brand of stellar skin, haircare, color, supplements and the like.