To celebrate Organic September, we spoke to Director General for NATRUE and new co-chair of the Sustainability Beauty Coalition, Dr Mark Smith, about what’s on the agenda, trends in upcycling and sustainable packaging.
Demand for more natural sun care formulations in Asia is growing, claims US firm Carbonwave, which is hoping to find success with its upcycled seaweed-based emulsifier.
Australian skin care brand E.S.K says that the market is rife with products with false or unsubstantiated claims and unbefitting prices, which capitalise on people’s insecurities about their skin.
Aveda believes that the interest in prestige beauty, green chemistry, and vegan products in Vietnam will stand it in good stead in the rapidly emerging South East Asian market.
BioPowder is targeting Asia’s fast-growing natural beauty market where it believes upcycled plant-based powders can help eliminate ‘invisible microplastics’ across multiple categories.
French beauty brand Caudalie is set to launch a new spot acne treatment in South East Asia, which it hopes will introduce the brand to a newer and younger audience.
The rise of ‘dupes’ has been claimed to be at the expense of the creative efforts of perfumers and risks ‘dumbing down’ the category, with the relentless advancement of technology like artificial intelligence (AI) likely to exacerbate the situation.
Aussie skin care brand Plendi adopts a single-product strategy to navigate the challenges of cosmetics start-ups in the local market, including competition with big players and cost concerns.
A Swiss brand based on five decades of research on immunology and ribonucleic acid (RNA) is aiming to expand in Asia, where it hopes to gain ground among consumers that now have a heightened sense of the role skin plays in immunity.
Gold nanoparticles extracted using unripe banana extract show biofilm inhibition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-tyrosinase activities, among other cosmetic benefits.
A luxury Ayurvedic beauty brand founded by the former chairman of Himalaya Wellness has developed a hero blend of seven oils that it claims is 10 times lighter than facial oils found on the market.
Voir Haircare has partnered with India’s online beauty marketplace Cossouq to benefit from growing demand for scalp care and multipurpose haircare products among Indian consumers.
Sensitive skin brand Snow Fox is working to expand its hair care offerings to meet the need in the market for earth-friendly products that are suitable for sensitive scalps.
South Korean health and beauty retailer Olive Young is expecting its clean beauty brands to rake in $200m in sales this year as demand for clean products remains voracious among consumers.
Plastic Action Platform Oceanworks offers manufacturers and suppliers to the cosmetics and personal care product industries the opportunity to improve sustainability practices through reclaimed and recycled materials sourcing, its IMPAC+ plastic offsetting...
Korean skin care brand Melixir has embarked on a vigorous expansion campaign across Asia via Sephora, while also working on its sustainability initiatives and new products targeting the skin microbiome.
The concept of upcycled ingredients has yet to be fully appreciated in some parts of Asia, particularly in South East Asian countries like Thailand, where consumers tend to link it with lower prices and quality, says one supplier.
Sustainable programs and initiatives have become the cosmetics and personal beauty care product industry standard – but what are some of the most economically viable ways to implement these practices to best meet consumer demand? Our upcoming CosmeticsDesign...
Australia’s Biologi debuted its range of bio cellulose sheet masks for targeted skin care concerns as it seeks to shift such products from ‘nice-to-have’ to ‘must-have’.
UK cosmetics company Lush has invested £2.3m to upgrade its Dorset-based Green Hub, in a bid to boost its efforts to create a circular economy for its business.
Singapore start-up A Tapir’s Tale says there is a need for ‘more sophisticated formulations’ beyond organic products to address the underserved sensitive baby skin care market.
Indian cosmetics brand Botnal has seen a 30% growth within three months after listing on e-commerce platform Nykaa, which galvanised its plans to further tap into its domestic market and the rising probiotics skin care space.
Yeast-derived NovaColl offers manufacturers and suppliers of cosmetic and personal care products the opportunity to shift away from animal-derived collagen and towards an option that is effective, sustainable, and more skin compatible, says the co-founder...
Canadian food products supplier Fruit D’Or utilizes closed loop cultivation and other environmentally sustainable processing practices to upcycle cranberry seed oil co-products for cosmetic and personal beauty care product manufacturing and formulation.
South Korean brand Aromatica is focusing its efforts on strengthening its brand presence in the US market, where it is aiming to expand into the physical retail market.
Singapore solid beauty JOMO Studio says it is determined to change the ‘good product, bad design’ mindset when it comes to sustainable products in APAC.
L’Oréal’s CEO has expressed excitement over the prospect of acquiring Australian luxury brand Aesop, which he believes holds tremendous potential in Asia, and in particular, China.
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responded to growing concerns on the use of “harmful chemicals” in cosmetics by drafting a proposal to ban 13 types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The quantity of common preservatives used in cosmetics should not be determined solely based on toxicity levels, but also the inhibitory effect they may have on microorganisms that are beneficial to skin health, say researchers.
Australia’s eco-lifestyle brand Seed & Spout has developed zero-waste skin care range, WITHOUT, to challenge greenwashing and the belief that natural skin care is not efficacious.
Bali-based Fields of Yarrow doubled down on physical retail experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and was rewarded with its best-performing years, says its founder.
Indian beauty brand Saba Personal Care is hoping that its combination of halal and vegan products will broaden its appeal beyond Muslim consumers and steal a march on the MNCs that are yet to truly exploit such categories.
NUME-Lab is seeing a market gap for skin care combining Swiss quality and halal certification, and has detailed expansion plans for Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Singapore indie brand Slow Rituals has detailed plans to expand its self-care product range into hair care, and is targeting local partnerships for more sustainable sourcing, packaging, and distribution.
Indonesia’s Mad for Makeup has detailed how it is in benefiting from its 1,000 plus members’ social club for to aid new product development for its acne-friendly cosmetics, and to deliver additional marketing clout.
India’s Juicy Cosmetics says its organic colour cosmetics range is contributing to 30% of its revenue, just four months after its launch, with the firm revealing plans to debut more ‘technology-driven products’ and boost offline touchpoints to bolster...
US-based hair care brand Fekkai is set to accelerate its expansion in Asia this year to tap into the growing demand for high-performance clean hair care products.
Singapore-based Nail Deck has developed a range of breathable halal nail polishes that have found appeal with non-Muslim consumers that seek out clean beauty values.
Singapore start-up Mykílio is hopeful its mushroom-based packaging can find a niche in the luxury beauty space, where it believes it can appeal to the sustainable values of younger consumers especially.
Jurlique says beauty still has multiple challenges to overcome in its shift towards sustainable packaging, highlighting the need for better innovation and broader recycling infrastructure.