Looking back on in-cosmetics Global 2022 in Paris

It was great to finally meet in person after some years of not being able to exhibit. This year was even more special for us as it was our first time exhibiting with a booth.

In this third episode of Covalo's podcast The Beauty Beat, Lisa (Digital Marketing Manager) and Sarah (Product Manager) talked about their experiences at in-cosmetics and shared some of the trends they saw, including innovative ingredients from around the beautyverse. We'll dive a bit deeper into the highlights of in-cosmetics Global 2022 in this blog article.

Sustainability as the main focus

From upcycled ingredients to waterless beauty: there was a strong focus on sustainability at the trade show. The sustainability corner, sponsored by AAK, featured beautiful display pods showing the latest advancements in sustainable raw materials. There were also expert presentations to hear about how the industry is working towards more radically sustainable business structures. One of these talks was given by Carbonwave on their SeaBalance emulsifier. They told us how they use Sargassum (not to be confused with sarcasm), a floating seaweed, to produce this ingredient. Collecting this seaweed for the emulsifiers helps to reduce methane emissions, restore local tourism, and protect fragile marine ecosystems in the Caribbean and Mexico.

Going on from cleaning up the water, there was much talk on waterless beauty as well. There were a few different presentations on solid formats and waterless cleansing products. Azelis gave a talk on formulating low water or water free products given the concerns over waste and water shortages. We also spotted various surfactants in powder format on display.

We at Covalo believe it is important to be thinking about how we avoid or utilize waste. That's why upcycling is a huge trend in the personal care industry now. No wonder that the active ingredient that won the 2022 Gold Innovation Award was IFF - Lucas Meyer's WASTAR™ PINK BERRY - a concept that uses plant waste remaining after the extraction of the LMR naturals fragrance ingredient. The active has a soothing benefit for the scalp.

Alternatives to petrochemical sources

Besides, or rather, as part of sustainability, we also saw a strong focus on alternatives to petrochemical sources for producing raw materials. The innovative company Holiferm is producing biosurfactants with their improved fermentation technology that was developed by the founders at The University of Manchester. They've also recently partnered with Sasol and are constructing a new manufacturing site in the UK to enable a more broad commercialization of their sophorolipids. 

Another active ingredient worth mentioning is from Lipoid Kosmetik: PhytoCollagen. It is a 100% natural plant-based collagen alternative. We can definitely see why plant-based collagen would be preferred over animal derived collagen and we're happy to see more and more plant-based alternatives popping up in the beauty industry. This specific ingredient is derived from the acacia tree.

Seppic also showcased a nice bio-inspired active called Lumipod. It has a near 100% naturality profile according to ISO 16128 and can be used in sun care and self tan products to boost tanning through inducing melanin synthesis.

The future of CBD

Another trend we saw at in-cosmetics Global is CBD, short for cannabidiol, which is still a tricky subject given the regulations surrounding it. Evonik, just opposite our booth, spoke about the therapeutic potential of CBD for oily skin and scalp. They recently launched their ingredient Tego CBD revitalise. We also met with Swiss Organic Partners, who talked us through their CBD offering. 

The impact of COVID-19 on the Personal Care Market

Finally, a major topic that was addressed was how the Personal Care market is recovering from the impact of COVID-19. Mintel talked about how the various lockdowns, shits in consumer habits, and availability of ingredients have really reshaped the market for ingredients. Covalo recently published a Beauty Trends Report which, among other trends, covers how COVID-19 impacted buyer searches on Covalo. Click here to download the brochure for free.

Tech transformation

As a tech company ourselves, we should also give mention to the topic of how tech is transforming the beauty industry. This is happening in so many different ways today - more than we realize. It is transforming the way we discover ingredients as with Covalo. It helps improve transparency across the supply chain, with blockchain technology as the buzzword goes. Companies like Tilkal are helping us to ensure products are responsibly sourced and made according to the specified quality standards.

With people choosing to keep working from home and taking more meetings online, the distributor Nordmann showed us how to prepare your skin for digital meetings, whipping up a pigment infused face cream in the formulation lab.

In-cosmetics Global 2022 in Paris was a blast and we're feeling inspired by the innovative ideas we saw and upcoming trends in the personal care industry. We can't wait for the next edition!

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