Formulation & science

2024 Sustainable Beauty Award announcement © Ivan Bajic Getty Images

Entries now open for the 2024 Sustainable Beauty Awards

By Cassandra Stern

With five categories spanning innovations in sustainable products, ingredients, initiatives, and more, this year's Sustainable Beauty Awards will highlight the best of the beauty industry's eco-friendly efforts.

Proving skin care product efficacy in the future

Proving skin care product efficacy in the future

By Kirsty Doolan

As more beauty shoppers demand proof of product efficacy, we spoke to the CEO of beauty tech company Cydolia about its work with Lancôme and how it’s aiming to make skin care “more personalised, predictive, and scientifically driven than ever before.”

The new hair care range is formulated with Chitosan from oyster mushrooms

Dyson expands its hair care offering

By Kirsty Doolan

The British small-appliance manufacturer has launched a new heated hair styling tool and wet styling product range that's designed to be used with its heated hair tools.

Start the week with a startup: Lignopure

Start the week with a startup: Lignopure

By Kirsty Doolan

Every fortnight we talk to a beauty and personal care industry startup about why it exists and how it plans to challenge or change the cosmetics industry...

(Image: Getty)

Hair care trends: what’s hot in 2024?

By Kirsty Doolan

What do hair care shoppers want right now? New research reveals the most popular brands, products, celebs and influencers that people across the globe have searched for this year…

Use of exosomes in cosmetics formulations can help to lessen wrinkles, enhance skin texture, and improve elasticity (Image: Getty)

What are exosomes in skin care and why do they matter?

By Kirsty Doolan

With a rising demand for effective ‘better-ageing’ solutions, the skin care industry is increasingly intrigued by the potential of exosomes for formulations. What are they and how can they improve skin?

The data showed that in 2015 almost two thirds (63%) of beauty and personal care launches were genuinely new products

Global beauty innovation has hit a 10-year low, says Mintel

By Kirsty Doolan

Data from the market intelligence company Mintel’s Global New Product’s Database (GNPD) showed that between January and May 2024, less than half (46%) of global beauty and personal care CPG launches were genuinely new products.

Biotechnology is increasingly used to create ingredients for cosmetics formulations in response to sustainability issues (Image: Getty)

5 biotech cosmetics ingredients companies to watch…

By Kirsty Doolan

As biotechnology becomes more prominent in sourcing ingredients for cosmetics formulations, we reveal some of the pioneering businesses that are disrupting the cosmetics ingredients sector…

The new in vitro Double Plate Testing Method is likely to become an industry standard in 2025 (Image: Getty)

How sunscreen testing is about to be transformed…

By Kirsty Doolan

The methods used to test SPF in suncare products have long faced multiple criticisms, and for the past three decades experts have been working on an alternative. This is now in the final stages of ISO approval and is set to overhaul the way we test sun...

Debut BiotechXBeautyLabs © MF3d Getty Images

BiotechXBeautyLabs: A new approach to beauty innovation

By Cassandra Stern

Following the recent news of biotechnology company Debut's sustainable ingredient development partnership with L’Oréal, Debut has announced the launch of its formulation development and contract manufacturing business BiotechXBeautyLabs in an effort...

( Image: Getty)

What's coming next for femtech?

By Sarah Cohen

The market for female-focused, tech-driven health products, AKA ‘femtech’, is predicted to grow beyond its current focus on reproductive health, according to industry analysts. We explore what’s around the corner for this burgeoning sector of personal...

(Image: Getty)

Fragrance with feelings: The science behind emotion-inducing scents

By Sarah Cohen

Many scent marketers will claim that smells trigger 75% of our daily emotions, as the olfactory nerve is directly linked to the amygdala, the area of the brain that processes emotion. We spoke to experts to explore what’s happening in the realm of functional...

(Image: Getty)

6 beauty brands marketing responsibly to Gen Alpha

By Keysha Davis

Gen Alpha, AKA the ‘Sephora Kids’, has taken a keen interest in beauty, which has sparked much debate throughout 2024. We look at some of the brands that have since made it their mission to responsibly market their products to younger customers.

What does the Labour party win mean for the UK beauty industry?

What does the Labour party win mean for the UK beauty industry?

By Kirsty Doolan

In the UK, left-wing political party Labour has just gained power with a landslide majority in the general election. As politics continues to shift across the Europe region, what could this mean for the future of the beauty industry in Britain…

The findings could provide more insight into how to prevent and treat frontal fibrosing alopecia (Image: Getty/ Seb_ra)

Study links oral contraceptive use to female hair loss

By Kirsty Doolan

Recent research funded by the British Skin Foundation found that some women are genetically predisposed to develop the hair loss condition frontal fibrosing alopecia when they take oral contraceptives.

b.kolor's value chain covers the entire creation process from the customer’s brief until the end product

Givaudan acquires b.kolor to expand makeup & skin care offer

By Kirsty Doolan

Swiss beauty and fragrance ingredients company Givaudan has acquired b.kolormakeup & skincare (b.kolor) – an Italian beauty manufacturer that specialises in developing and producing finished colour cosmetics and skin care products.

Using the new technology, hairdressers will be able to give highly personalised feedback on the state of the hair health and scalp to provide the best solutions (Image: Getty)

Tech startup set to disrupt Germany's hair industry

By Kirsty Doolan

Berlin-based startup Iqonic.AI has today launched live AI hair analysis in partnership with the German professional hair colour and care brand Shyne. We spoke to the company’s founder about what this could mean for the future of hair care…

La Roche-Posay noted that younger consumers appeared to be more misinformed than older ones (Image: Getty)

22% of UK consumers think sunscreen is “harmful” to their skin

By Kirsty Doolan

New research from La Roche-Posay shows many UK consumers are highly misinformed on how to protect their skin from the sun. This presents sun care brands with a huge opportunity to educate and assist in the prevention of sun-related skin damage and skin...

The report stated that no one needs forever packaging for a 'temporary' beauty or personal care product (Image: Getty)

How plastic-free beauty could ‘futureproof’ your bottom line

By Kirsty Doolan

With so many new environmental legislations in place in Europe and beyond, a new report boldly states that cosmetics companies need to transition away from using plastic in both formulations and packaging, or they will face long-term financial losses....

While consumers may have been cutting back on other areas, Euromonitor's data shows that they have still been spending on beauty (Image: Getty/Lorado)

A focus on the global cosmetics industry landscape: part I

By Kirsty Doolan

What’s happening in the beauty and personal care industry at a global level? Is the industry thriving? And what kinds of products are consumers currently favouring and why? A beauty expert from Euromonitor shares exclusive insights in part I of this big...