Top beauty brands battle it out in innovative Formulation Challenge

07-Sep-2016 - Last updated on 08-Sep-2016 at 10:50 GMT

Formulators from some of the best-known brands in the global beauty industry went head-to-head in the first ever in-cosmetics Formulation Challenge, which took place in the Formulation Lab at in-cosmetics North America this week.

The challenge saw global cosmetic manufacturers go head to head in an attempt to create a unique new beauty product in just 90 minutes.

Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Conair, Victoria’s Secret, Cosmetic Group USA and Dermolab Canada were among those taking part in the competition, which organisers described as highlighting the importance of innovation in the personal care sector.

Judged by The Institute of Personal Care Science and Mintel, Conair Corporation was crowned the first-ever winner, impressing the judges with its excellent all-day moisturiser product, which achieved top marks in both technical and marketing categories.

In a close second, Cosmetic Group USA was given the runner up prize for its urban skin care cream.

How it worked

The teams, made up of four formulators or chemists and up to two marketing personnel, received an information sheet at the beginning of the competition and a mystery box of ingredients.

These were supplied by Ashland, Chemyunion Quimica, Croda, Dow, Dr Straetmans, DSM Nutritional Products, Gattefossé, Grant Industries, Inolex, LipoTrue, Lonza, Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, Sederma and Sensient.

Using these products alone, they had to battle it out in the exhibition’s fully-equipped Formulation Lab on the show floor, and were required to come up with both a formula and accompanying marketing campaign.

Innovation in the lead

A spokesperson from Conair Corporation said: “We were very excited to be taking part in the Formulation Challenge. Innovation is our passion and we’re delighted that our team effort combined to make a product that really impressed the judges.”

After presenting the award, Belinda Carli, Director at The Institute of Personal Care Science, said: “Asking five finished product manufacturers to create a new product in such a short period of time was a difficult task. The results demonstrated just how creative an industry we work in.

“The in-cosmetics North America event is all about highlighting the ingredients that will help inspire a new generation of cosmetics and this competition showed just how exciting the future is.”