The personal care market is continuing to dynamically evolve – and see an increase in personal care active ingredients demand — thanks to a new trend called hair skinification.
“The skin care segment flourished throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increased number of consumers paying attention to their skin,” says Carlos J. Ruiz, Project Lead in our Chemicals sector. “Now, people have taken it a step further: They want skin care ingredients in their hair care products.”
The reason? Consumers understand that healthy hair is the result of a healthy scalp; as a result, they perceive scalp care as an extension of their skin care routine.
“That’s why we are seeing an increasing number of hair care products containing popular skin care ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid or glycolic acid,” says Ruiz. “Olaplex is an example of a successful brand bringing the skinification of hair to its products, as is the case of its No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner, which contains hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid.”
Another trend impacting the active ingredients market is the preference for multifunctional ingredients. Given the difficulties of registering new ingredients in China, active ingredient suppliers are focusing on bringing new functionalities to existent and approved actives rather than expending R&D effort on new chemistries. Therefore, conducting new tests to prove new claims and upgraded forms of personal care ingredient grades is becoming popular.
“A clear example of a multifunctional active that is being favored is niacinamide,” says Ruiz. “Besides refining skin appearance by reducing blemishes and rebalancing uneven skin tone, it’s known to protect against UV and blue light, improve skin elasticity, and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.”
For more information on the subject, check out our Specialty Actives in Personal Care study: Global Market Analysis and Opportunities, covering Europe, the United States, Brazil, China, Japan, South Korea, India and Rest of World. The report analyzes the demand, supply and price of more than 50 ingredients divided in seven groups: botanicals, biotechnology, marine, proteins, peptides, synthetic actives and enzymes, and coenzymes; it also provides a five-year forecast.
Furthermore, Kline is currently working on a delivery systems study within the personal care area, covering various technologies such as liposomes and phospholipid-based systems, encapsulation, and other types in two regions: Europe and the United States.