Ashland promotional graphic showing a woman stretching an effisin em natural band with “who is empowered by nature?”
Three young girls doing their makeup.

Capitalization or caring? Surgeon unpacks kids’ skin care rise and how industry should respond

Kids are increasingly interested in skin care, and the beauty market is responding with a plethora of solutions. However, concerns proliferate from consumers, doctors, and dermatologists: Is this catering to a demanding audience or capitalizing on kids and creating insecurities? Personal Care Insights speaks to Dr. Masoud Saman, a US-based, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and head and neck surgeon, about the ethics of marketing skin care to children and where the sector should draw the line. He says his biggest concern with the rise of the market is that the industry is taking a basic health need and turning it into an identity project for children. 
A scientist looking into a microscope.
Biotech ushers in new class of personal care ingredients
Biotechnology is transforming ingredient development across personal care, enabling targeted, sustainable, and high-performance vegan solutions — all of which consumers are demanding. Innova Market Insights says that new product launches are combining biotechnology with high-efficacy formulations to address hydration, firmness, skin renewal, and healthy aging. These solutions are using ingredients ranging from biotech collagen and neuropeptides to microbiome-supporting actives and marine-derived ones. 
Face mapping
dsm-firmenich 3D facial microbiome mapping poised to transform common skin conditions
dsm-firmenich’s latest 3D facial skin microbiome analysis tackles some of the longest-standing limitations in microbiome research. While traditional approaches rely on relative abundance data from a limited number of sampling points, dsm-firmenich’s concept introduces absolute quantification of 26 bacterial and fungal species across 24 facial sites with AI models.
Foaming antibacterial hand wash with aloe beside a blank pump bottle on a counter, with CAMA PHHC logo.
Automating sleeved bottle packaging without compromising pack design
This article highlights the automation of sleeved bottle packaging, transforming a manual process into a high-speed solution while preserving brand identity and ensuring compatibility with both automated and manual operations.

This Technical Paper is brought to you by Cama Group.
 Paulo Teixeira, Melt&Marble
Melt&Marble: Accelerating commercial readiness for personal care products with INCI milestone

Melt&Marble is a Swedish biotech company that uses precision fermentation to produce designer lipids in food and personal care products. The company has secured its first personal care ingredient INCI.  Paulo Teixeira, head of product at Melt&Marble, tells Personal Care Insights more about this regulatory milestone.

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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026 review: Multifunctional actives and sustainable beauty shine
At NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026 in New York, US, personal care innovation focused on sustainability, multifunctionality, and biotech-driven actives. Companies highlighted natural, upcycled, and bio-based ingredients. AI-assisted formulation tools and high-performance solutions for skin, hair, and scalp health also took center stage. Key trends included protective and reparative actives, multifunctional polymers, RNA- and peptide-based technologies, and sensory-focused formulations. The presentations reflected the industry’s push toward eco-conscious, consumer-focused innovation. We round up the event’s key innovators and what they showcased.

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Wall Street chases K-beauty with first dedicated ETF filing
Sign with Wall Street name
US investment firm Guinness Atkinson has filed a request to launch a dedicated K-beauty investment fund on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). If approved, US investors and institutions could more easily invest in the entire K-beauty value chain, rather than a single company. A surge in foreign investment, coinciding with the ETF (exchange-traded fund) filing, could spur a new wave of capital that helps K-beauty companies expand further overseas.
Menstrual health campaigns target shame, education and access
Person lies next to Cora products
The period care industry is responding to the growing conversation about menstrual health with campaigns focused on awareness, reducing shame, and mapping out steps to achieving equity. Solutions in the sector have moved beyond general period maintenance and into inter-generational care across pain points.Companies are recently targeting outdated narratives around period care and tackling issues regarding menstrual health that often go overlooked across all ages.
SkinMedica doubles R&D footprint to accelerate longevity innovation
woman in aesthetic clinic
Allergan Aesthetics has deepened its subsidiary SkinMedica’s footprint in regenerative science through investments that support innovation, research, clinical insight, and patient experience.Focusing on regenerative science, the company’s advancements include expanding its R&D facility, adding a Regenerative Science Advisory Board, and the debut of flagship retail experiences to cater to consumer needs.
AI proliferates through Asia beauty market with robotics and personalization
futuristic woman
Various companies in Asia are ramping up investment in AI by leveraging the tech in the development of ingredients, tools, robots, and formulation software.Late last week, Chinese surgical robotics and medical aesthetics company Puncture Robotic launched a hair transplant robot to integrate AI into the process of hair loss diagnostics and transplant treatment. 
Estée Lauder scraps sale of Too Faced, Smashbox and Dr. Jart to chase indie...
A phone reading corporate information in front of Estee Lauder website.
Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has decided not to sell Too Faced, Smashbox, and Dr. Jart, according to an internal document. Instead, the global multinational beauty conglomerate has opted to restructure the brands. ELC’s chief executive, Stéphane de La Faverie, wrote: “As we looked ahead, one thing became clear: our brands have different strengths. consumer positioning, competitive dynamics, and growth opportunities, requiring tailored business models to help them accelerate innovation, strengthen consumer connections, and unlock long-term growth.” 
PAN International urges system-wide nutrition training, not just more medical...
Medical students and doctors enjoying healthy lunch outdoors

Nutrition Insight

The Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) International is calling for wider adoption of nutrition education and training across medical schools to drive system-wide change. Nutrition Insight speaks with the medical nonprofit to discuss this gap, even though professionals increasingly recognize nutrition’s importance for preventative health. 
Highlighted features
A badger in a cage.
Health and Beauty
Beauty retailers pressured to drop badger hair brushes...
A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) exposé depicting the brutalization of badgers in Chinese farms has spurred some retailers supplying makeup and shaving brushes with badger hair to remove the products. In June 2026, an eyewitness reported attending eight farms in China, the world’s leading exporter of badger fur. 
Woman with red background
Health and Beauty
Walmart mercury skin cream settlement pressures e-commerce...
A legal settlement between Walmart and the Mercury Policy Project (MPP) is reigniting debates over the responsibility of online retailers in selling unsafe cosmetics. Under the terms of Proposition 65 in California, US, Walmart has agreed to remove mercury-laced skin-lightening creams from its online store. The retailer has now committed to proactively requiring certain third-party sellers to test their merchandise for mercury before it is offered for sale. 
A girl holding a magazine with a Gucci advertisement.
Business News
L’Oréal lands Gucci Beauty early as Coty cashes out for...
One year ahead of schedule, L’Oréal has secured the 50-year exclusive global license agreement for Gucci Beauty. Gucci and Coty have decided to bring forward the redemption date of their existing beauty license agreement, previously due to expire on June 30, 2028. Consequently, the Gucci Beauty license will return to Kering — its beauty unit recently acquired by L’Oréal — for a consideration of approximately US$400 million. 

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Women’s wellness trendsJul2026

Innova Market Insights presented the Top Personal Care Trends 2026 with “Tailored Touchpoints” taking the top spot, followed by “New-age Longevity,” and “Crunch Over Fluff.” These trends are reshaping...

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Biotech beauty breakthroughs Jul 2026

Biotechnology is redefining beauty innovation, enabling brands to deliver targeted, science-backed performance across skin and hair care. From biotech collagen and neuropeptides to microbiome-supporting actives and marine-derived ingredients, new product launches are combining advanced technologies with high-efficacy formulations to address hydration, firmness, skin renewal, and healthy aging.

Trend analysis

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Natural claims for personal careJul 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates growth in natural claims, with 32% CAGR from April 2021 to March 2026 in product launches. This is underpinned by consumers increasingly seeking more natural ingredients when shopping for their beauty products. Skin care and hair care had the largest share of natural launches, while body care grew the fastest.

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 Paulo Teixeira, Melt&Marble
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Melt&Marble: Accelerating commercial readiness for personal care products with INCI milestone

Melt&Marble is a Swedish biotech company that uses precision fermentation to produce designer lipids in food and personal care products. The company has secured its first personal care ingredient INCI.  Paulo Teixeira, head of product at Melt&Marble, tells Personal Care...

Kacey Brides, Givaudan, Primalhyal 300, NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026, Skin Care, Active Ingredients, Healthy Aging, Cosmeceuticals, Hyaluronic Acid, Skin Repair, Hydration, Sensitive Skin, Aging Skin, Po
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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Givaudan highlights PrimalHyal 300 for skin repair
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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Nouryon explores AI and biobased chemistry
Karen Chun, Symrise
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NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Symrise talks skin barrier, sensoriality and sustainability
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