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Chess pieces in front of the US and China flags.

China to lower tariffs on US cosmetics as trade truce extends

China and the US have said they will cut tariffs on US$60 billion worth ‌of goods imported from each other. The announcement encompasses US cosmetics and Chinese hair-removal appliances, among others. Both countries have recommended a more favorable tariff treatment for “non-sensitive” products, which include personal care items. The reciprocal tariff reduction move came alongside an extension of a US–China trade truce. These positions were settled at the summit between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Washington DC, US, last week. 
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“Skinimalism” and clean beauty fuel multifunctional formulation
The market for beauty products that serve multiple purposes without compromising efficacy continues to grow as budgets tighten and consumers’ ingredient list demands become more specified. The personal care industry’s technical abilities are becoming more sophisticated to meet the call. Technological sophistication is creating enhanced abilities for the industry to advance multifunctional formulations, supporting minimalism and clean beauty alongside product performance. 
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BASF explores sustainable natural extraction and skin regeneration
BASF researchers are presenting findings and innovations on sustainable extraction and skin regeneration at the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC) Congress 2026, currently taking place (September 28–October 1) in Perth, Australia. The studies highlighted by the global specialty chemicals company underscore three innovations for sustainable skin care: natural extraction technologies, collagen restoration, and balancing skin barrier support with sustainability. 
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Sustainable beauty solutions
Innova Market Insights data indicates that new personal care launches with sustainable claims grew at a +31% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. While cruelty-free remains a key consumer marker of sustainable beauty, innovation is expanding into areas such as sustainable oils, 2-in-1 formats, recycled materials, and reef- and ocean-friendly solutions.
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Who masters the art of multifunctionality? We do.
Multifunctional ingredients are transforming personal care preservation by combining microbial protection with formulation efficiency, natural-origin positioning, skin benefits, sensory enhancement and easier processing. Ashland’s recent launches illustrate how preservative strategies can deliver added value, helping formulators create safer, more transparent, consumer-relevant products with stronger performance and clearer ingredient purpose.

This Technical Paper is brought to you by Ashland.
Woman wearing glasses and a white shirt beside LENOSE scented hand soaps displayed on green tiles with bubbles.
LeNose targets Gen Z home luxury with perfumer-crafted hand soaps

LeNose CEO Caroline Valentini discusses the launch of Soap de Parfum, a five-product hand-wash range combining luxury fragrance with vegan, cruelty-free, and “endocrine-conscious” formulations. She tells us about the brand’s Gen Z and Millennial focus, accessible pricing, and why this launch was an important first step into personal care for the company.

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M&S adds Sephora to 100 UK stores in beauty push
A woman grabbing a lip product out of a display.
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced it will host Sephora as a beauty destination in selected stores and on its website starting in spring 2027. M&S will bring Sephora to 100 high streets and retail parks across the UK. The beauty retailers will combine Sephora’s beauty expertise, brand relationships, and focus on discovery with M&S’s brand, national presence, and omnichannel platform. They aim to make a specialist beauty experience accessible to more customers in more places. 
K-beauty glass-skin trend exposes safety gaps in viral skin care
Woman with watery skin closeup
Almost all viral TikTok videos about the “glass skin” trend that K-beauty popularized contain misleading claims, according to a new study. The researchers found that 95% of these videos included at least one potentially misleading claim, and basic safety information was also largely missing. The findings arrive as skin care and beauty content take up a growing share of the internet, with more amateur creators rolling out advice. Consumers are increasingly turning to social media for skin care education, but experts warn of the soundness of the guidance.
Umami-inspired scents trigger savory shift in gourmand fragrance
A woman putting perfume on her neck.
CPL Aromas has identified that perfumery’s gourmand trend is evolving beyond sweetness to the savory scentscape, which spotlights fragrance notes inspired by Asian heritage dishes. The global fragrance design company underscored the burgeoning umami next step in fragrances, inspired by Asian cuisine, at the Asia Perfume Show in Paris, France (September 23–25). 
BASF confirms Evonik takeover talks as initial offer reportedly falls flat
Multicolor flags of BASF.
BASF has confirmed talks over a potential takeover of its specialty chemicals competitor Evonik. The move could reshape Europe’s cosmetic ingredients supply base, consolidating two of the region’s largest suppliers of skin care actives, emollients, and surfactants.However, Evonik has reportedly already turned down BASF’s first proposal as too low. The German chemical giant offered about €22.15 (US$25.16) per share, valuing Evonik’s equity at roughly €10.3 billion (US$11.7 billion). The Financial Times (FT) called the nearly 29% premium to Evonik’s share price “sizeable.”
Kimberly-Clark advances Kenvue acquisition with debt swap and EU remedies
Kimberly-Clark logo
Kimberly-Clark has begun restructuring preparations for its planned Kenvue acquisition by offering holders of Kenvue notes an exchange for up to US$7 billion in new Kimberly-Clark debt securities and cash. The move is aimed at aligning the companies’ financing structures ahead of the merger. The arrangements mark a financial step toward Kimberly-Clark’s planned acquisition of Kenvue, with it aligning financing structures ahead of the expected merger completion.
Plug & Play eyes GLP-1 companion nutrition as microbiome’s next frontier
Female scientist examines bacteria through a microscope in a laboratory

Nutrition Insight

The microbiome nutrition space is growing rapidly, with start-ups emerging as scientific understanding and AI technologies continually expand. Plug & Play believes that this next wave of microbiome solutions can be successful for industry players who pair AI and big data. The innovation platform tells Nutrition Insight about whether “microbiome companions” could enhance GLP-1 benefits and how microbiome data could help predict individual responses to treatment. 
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Business News
Armani prepares stake-sale talks with L’Oréal, LVMH and...
Armani CEO Giuseppe Marsocci ‌has stated that the Italian luxury group is open to involving multiple investors in the sale of the 15% stake highlighted in founder Giorgio Armani’s will. The company is now reportedly preparing to begin formal discussions with beauty giants LVMH, L’Oréal, and EssilorLuxottica over the sale of the minority stake.In his will, Giorgio Armani identified the three companies as preferred shareholders following his death in September 2025, while remaining open to the possibility for other investors of comparable industry positioning to make offers.
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Policy & regulation news
Incoming EU anti-greenwashing directive pushes beauty...
National laws implementing a new EU anti-greenwashing and consumer protection directive will come into effect on September 27 across all member states. The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive will introduce stricter guidelines related to environmental claims made about consumer products and outline clearer criteria for their substantiation and verification.Directive (EU) 2024/825 — which bans generic environmental claims without sound substantiation — has direct implications for the personal care and beauty industry, as it regulates the credibility of sustainability claims across an increasingly complex beauty value chain.
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Policy & regulation news
US FDA eliminates outdated UV filters as regulatory...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is removing aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and trolamine salicylate from its over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen monograph. The move follows the FDA’s recent addition of bemotrizinol (BEMT) as a permitted sunscreen active ingredient and forms part of a broader modernization of the US sunscreen regulatory framework.On September 10, 2026, the FDA issued a final administrative order, amending an OTC monograph. The amendment formally removes PABA and trolamine salicylate from the sunscreen active ingredients list, determining that sunscreen products containing these two ingredients as sunscreen active ingredients are not generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE).

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Plant-powered beautyOct2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that consumers are seeking more natural ingredients in their skin care. As a result, personal care launches with plant-based ingredients are gaining ground with 9...

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Product innovation

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Circular beauty advances Oct 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates a +56% CAGR in personal care launches with circular claims from July 2021 to June 2026. Innovation is increasingly focused on reducing environmental impact through recycled, recyclable, and refillable packaging, as well as the use of upcycled and renewable ingredients. These approaches highlight how circularity is becoming an increasingly visible part of product development across skin care, hair care, and body care.

Trend analysis

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Sustainable beauty solutionsOct 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that new personal care launches with sustainable claims grew at a +31% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. While cruelty-free remains a key consumer marker of sustainable beauty, innovation is expanding into areas such as sustainable oils, 2-in-1 formats, recycled materials, and reef- and ocean-friendly solutions.

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Woman wearing glasses and a white shirt beside LENOSE scented hand soaps displayed on green tiles with bubbles.
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LeNose targets Gen Z home luxury with perfumer-crafted hand soaps

LeNose CEO Caroline Valentini discusses the launch of Soap de Parfum, a five-product hand-wash range combining luxury fragrance with vegan, cruelty-free, and “endocrine-conscious” formulations. She tells us about the brand’s Gen Z and Millennial focus, accessible pricing, and why this launch was...

Vantage body care ad featuring a woman applying a body scrub, with the message “Body care meets faceification. High-performance, head to toe
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Body care meets faceification. High-performance, head to toe
Consumer Reports video thumbnail: Stylist braiding purple extensions into a client’s long black hair, with a circular professional headshot inset
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Consumer Reports: States urged to regulate braiding hair amid federal silence
 Paulo Teixeira, Melt&Marble
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Melt&Marble: Accelerating commercial readiness for personal care products with INCI milestone
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