Podcast 167: Spotting the hottest trends in organic beauty formulation

The fundamentals of formulation, such as the techniques of emulsifying, don’t really change over the decades. What does change, however, are the ingredients. Each year, manufacturers release the latest innovative ingredients their R&D teams have been keeping under wraps. Interestingly too, we see old ingredients rediscovered and revamped into new forms.

Tens of thousands of cosmetic ingredients exist, but there is one place that helps put them into context and shows us where the cosmetics industry is headed, and that is in-cosmetics Global. This massive, annual industry trade fair brings thousands of manufacturers, brands, labs, cosmetic scientists, retailers, educationalists, the beauty and science media, and customers together to explore the hottest trends in cosmetic ingredients.

The Formula Botanica Education Team attended the 2023 in-cosmetics Global in Barcelona and is here to report on the latest natural and organic ingredients that will filter into our study units, in particular The Lab, our CPD membership site, as well as inspire all of us in natural formulation. Podcast host and Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier is joined by colleagues School Education Manager Ana Green and Cosmetic Scientist Beatriz do Amaral to pick out the highlights of in-cosmetics Global 2023.

In this episode on the hottest trends in organic ingredients, you will hear:

• in-cosmetics Global is the leading cosmetic industry event of the year. Its chief aim is to showcase raw ingredient suppliers, but it also acts as a massive networking opportunity for people from across the industry. It’s overwhelming if you’re new to it, but exciting to see cosmetic innovations aired in the industry for the first time.
• Trending this year were natural alternatives to retinol. In fact, numerous manufacturers are researching plant-based alternatives to many other classic, synthetic-based active ingredients.
• Marine-derived natural ingredients were a second big trend at the event. R&D into algae, microalgae, and seaweeds is bringing to market ingredients such as new forms of gums and actives, as well as innovative emulsifiers. Marine ingredients encapsulated in spheres were a massive trend and one that the Formula Botanica Lab anticipated in its marine actives Mini Lab training.
• Our team identified upcycled cosmetic ingredients and circularity as other leading trends this year. Far more manufacturers are researching plant-based waste by-products as source materials for ingredients ranging from functional to actives. They are also keen to demonstrate how they are implementing circularity in their processes.

Key takeouts for the future of indie beauty include:

• Cosmetic manufacturers are now keen to showcase not just the benefits and efficacy of their ingredients but also demonstrate the sustainability of their products and talk transparently about ingredients’ eco-credentials and supply chain backstories.
• There has been a surge in the number of ingredient manufacturers keen to embrace small and indie beauty businesses as customers by, for example, lowering their minimum order quantities to levels indie beauty can afford.
• There was a key focus on the concept of sustainable, local ingredients and sourcing; in-cosmetics created zones to showcase ingredients from specific geographic regions. For example, New Zealand manufacturers were promoting exciting, sustainable plant-based ingredients derived from their country’s native botanicals.
• The natural and organic ingredient market is growing fast, with more and more manufacturers displaying their credentials (Ecocert, Cosmos-Soil Association, and others). This is exciting as it means an even greater choice of high-performance and innovative functional natural and organic ingredients for indie beauty businesses to explore.

To keep up to date on the latest trends in ingredients and formulation, join The Lab at Formula Botanica, our continuing professional education membership site. Each month, The Lab provides a new thematic training – or Mini Lab – covering the latest in the world of cosmetic formulation and ingredients.

For more information on innovation in natural and organic ingredients, explore these podcast episodes below.

Episode 121: Biotech beauty, the controversial new frontier.
Episode 79: The challenge of sourcing natural ingredients.
Episode 66: What is circular beauty?

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier

Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.