15+ Trends in Cosmetics Innovation at in-cosmetics Global 2023

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Exhibit aisles were jam-packed with cosmetics and personal care innovators at in-cosmetics Global 2023. Some 11,000 attendees were pre-registered to attend and in Cosmetics & Toiletries'  view, they were all there — and then some.

Exhibitors were consistently busy and out in full force with a multitude innovative solutions. Here's a brief recap of 15+ trends/terms in innovations we spotted there. (Note: This is by no means comprehensive.)

Check out all our photos in Cosmetics & Toiletries' LinkedIn and Facebook posts, and Global Cosmetic Industry's LinkedIn post!

1. Sustainability, Greener Processes, Circularity

  • Sustainable, eco-friendly and biodegradable, natural
  • Claims for vegan, nature-derived, COSMOS certified, ISO approved
  • Refillable (even product samples)
  • Upcycled ingredients
  • Greener production processes and platforms (e.g., fermentation), especially to produce purer molecules
  • Circular beauty and collaborative efforts to achieve such = future direction for this space
  • CSR efforts/focus of companies
  • Eco responsibility
  • Local sourcing and traceability, blockchain tracing
  • Plant stem cells as ingredient source
  • "White biotech"
  • Teaching consumers about renewability
  • Designed enzyme biopolymer technology
  • Carbon footprint

2. Senescence

  • Autophagy to remove senescent cells
  • Intercepting the signaling of harmful chemicals
  • Preventing senescence/"dermohacking" senescence

See related: Activating Autophagy to Energize Hair and Eyelash Growth

3. Fermented Beauty

  • Plant sugar-derived natural retinol alternative
  • Fermented soy milk for anti-aging effects
  • Fermented biotin as skin and hair "beauty vitamin"
  • Fermented honey for gentle skin peel
  • Fermented oils for antioxidant and moisturizing effects and as emulsifiers
  • Fermented enzymes for odor control
  • Fungus ferment to stimulate autophagy, reduce signs of aging

4. Skin Immunity/Immunology, Anti-inflammation

  • Regulating skin's defenses
  • Circumventing immuno-evasion to restart senolysis
  • Fermented flavonoid anti-inflammation
  • Addressing inflammaging
  • Addressing TEWL and redness

5. Beauty as Therapy, Wellness 

  • Reducing stress in skin to improve mood
  • Acupuncture-inspired effects, mood lift
  • Novel approach to measure user emotional response (based on abstract imagery - A.I. is involved)
  • Emotion boost
  • Feel-good molecules and pleasure
  • "Positive beauty," taking care of oneself without guilt
  • Merging of beauty and therapy

6. Hidden Damage

  • Repairing damage in hair and skin before it becomes more visible

7. Sebum and Pore Minimization

  • Sebum control through new receptor
  • Reducing pore size
  • Diminishing pore color

8. Neurocosmetics and Sensitive Skin

  • Soothing skin
  • Reducing stress
  • Dermocosmetics to reduce sensitive skin symptoms (e.g., improve TEWL)

9. Anti-aging, 'Baby Botox' and Protein Folding 

  • HA boost or supplement to revive skin
  • Senescence approaches
  • Retinol alternatives; e.g., algae-derived ingredient that works on all the same receptors except those that cause irritation
  • Alternatives to "baby Botox" (Millennial trend of getting Botox treatments to stave off wrinkles, not "look like your mom"
  • Peptides/cyclic peptide
  • Measuring smile lines dynamically as subjects smile to assess product efficacy
  • Protein folding to organize "skintropy" (i.e., sagging that occurs throughout the day making fine lines and wrinkles more pronounced late in the day)
  • Collagen boost/plumping of skin
  • Facial sculpting
  • Addressing "tech neck" (wrinkles on the front of the neck caused by looking down at our devices)
  • Preventing breakdown of native retinoic acid
  • Imparting blurring effects
  • Acting on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
  • Cellular beauty (acting on ATP)
  • Timeless beauty
  • Addressing age spots
  • Pairing repair with prevention
  • Phytosqualane

10. Sleep for Beauty and Skin Health

  • Boosting night time skin recovery through olfactory molecules
  • Boosting melatonin production to help sleep and, in turn, skin recovery
  • Sleep is viewed as a "luxury" today

11. Microbiome and Holobiont

  • Microbiome friendly certifications
  • Microbes to address acne and pock marks
  • Controlling UV-induced microbe byproducts to reduce negative effects in skin

12. Hair and Scalp Care

  • Absorbing metals from water to prevent hair/scalp damage (anti-pollution)
  • UV protection for hair
  • Natural dandruff care
  • Scalp ais the new skin care

13. Natural Thickening, Viscosity Modifying

14. Marine Sourcing

15. Optimizing Delivery for Greater Efficacy

  • Pharma-grade liposomes to deliver actives

16. Honorable Mentions

  • Inclusion (e.g., non-whitening products for pigmented skin), genderless products, disability-tailored solutions (formulas too, not just packaging)
  • Metaverse/digital tech and research platforms/apps
  • Customization
  • Sensory pairing (scent and taste, music and texture), powders in sunscreen to sequester (not absorb) oil and boost efficacy, novel and unexpected textures, phase-change formulas, uniform texture and sensory performance across climates
  • Promoting concepts not ingredients 
  • Silicones still relevant, natural/synthetic hybrids, making them more eco-friendly
  • Efficacy before naturality (accept some synthetic-ness)
  • Multifunctionality 
  • Product protectionmultifunctional "preservatives," replacing phenoxyethanol
  • Regulations shaping the industry, Green Deal/European standards, sunscreen limits in U.S.
  • Silicone-like ingredients
  • Mineral/chemical sunscreen hybrid
  • Reformatted products removing PEGs and other unwanted materials

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