Ingredients + Specialties promotion featuring a woman smelling fresh laundry and sustainable cleaning product messaging.
Sweetch Impact Beauty banner promoting bio-based ingredient technologies, featuring a woman seated among wildflowers.
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dsm-firmenich and Estée Lauder advance AI-driven beauty discoveries

Beauty companies are increasingly shifting AI strategies from operational efficiency toward discovery and personalization. dsm-firmenich is applying AI to ingredient discovery through its partnership with Boltz, while The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) is using AI-powered insights through Profound to optimize brand visibility across generative search platforms.dsm-firmenich’s partnership with Boltz will leverage the biomolecular modeling AI start-up’s proprietary foundation models in the global flavors and fragrances company’s ingredient-discovery process and will use them to develop scent molecules.
Happy woman with products.
Biotechnology, upcycling and new tech drive the next phase of sustainable beauty
Sustainable beauty is moving beyond plant-based claims as brands scrutinize the full lifecycle of ingredients and packaging while tapping into modern-day technology. Brands’ sustainability credentials are helping beauty and personal care consumers make more informed decisions on purchases. This, in turn, supports the development of adaptable systems, products, formats, and routines that can evolve with consumers.
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Primient says intimate care safety hinges on formulation, not ingredients
Primient, a producer of plant-based and corn-derived ingredients, has identified that the safety of an intimate product is determined by the finished formulation rather than by any single ingredient. The company reports that women’s health and menopause care are on the rise, leading many brands to tap into the traditionally underserved market. But as the personal care industry embraces intimate health as a stand-out arena for innovation, dealing with such a sensitive area of the body raises formulation challenges that ingredient-level safety data alone cannot answer. 
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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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Performance with purpose: Evaluating fragrance, stain removal, and laundry pod technologies
This technical study from Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions demonstrates how targeted formulation platforms can help address evolving laundry care expectations across freshness, stain removal, and convenient dose-format cleaning. To evaluate these benefit areas, a set of prototype formulations were tested under controlled conditions at their Solution Centre in Europe.

This technical paper is brought to you by Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions.
Vantage body care ad featuring a woman applying a body scrub, with the message “Body care meets faceification. High-performance, head to toe
Body care meets faceification. High-performance, head to toe
Body care is no longer a secondary category. Consumers are demanding active-powered, clinically backed results from neck to toe — and the market is responding fast. Discover the ingredient technologies enabling the next generation of high-performance body care formulations, from body serums to targeted treatments.

This video is brought to you by Vantage.

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Puig takes control of Isdin in US$1.4B dermocosmetics deal
Woman applying skin care.
Puig has agreed to acquire Corporación Químico-Farmacéutica Esteve’s remaining 50% interest in Isdin for €1.2 billion (US$1.41 billion), positioning the Spanish beauty group to take full control of the dermatology-focused skin care business.
Amorepacific microbiome extract targets post-acne pigmentation
Person with acne pigmentation.
Researchers at Amorepacific have identified a microbiome-derived culture extract that may address post-acne hyperpigmentation by targeting new melanin production and pigment already accumulated in the skin.The research expands the company’s approach to skin recovery by examining why discoloration persists after acne inflammation, potentially presenting a new avenue for post-acne skin care formulations.
Medicos Group advances circular beauty packaging with reusable vial applicator...
Bottles and jars and droppers
Medicos Group, a packaging solution provider based in France, has developed the packaging for Phyto Paris’ Phytocyane Intensive+ treatment, featuring a box containing 12 tubular glass single-dose vials. Each vial is fitted with a polypropylene (PP) cap and accompanied by a single “ergonomic, removable, reusable, and unisex PP applicator.” According to the group, the routine involves removing the vial cap, fitting the applicator, and applying the formula to the scalp, parting by parting.
Alchemy 21/12 talks perimenopausal skin care shift toward barrier-first beauty
woman in 40s laughing
The perimenopausal skin care category is expanding as the beauty industry focuses on the historically underrepresented demographic of consumers. As the segment grows, it is catering to more tailored consumer demands, such as fine-tuning the approach to skin barriers in perimenopausal people.Alchemy 21/12 is a biotech-informed, barrier-first skin care system that was developed over three years with the aim of refining perimenopausal skin’s needs. The brand, which launched late last month, centralizes women’s experiences, stating that traditional solutions have not been asking the right questions.
Barington takes Bath & Body Works stake and urges sale, report says
Bath & Body Works
New York City-based activist investment firm Barington Capital Group ⁠has ⁠increased its stake in ⁠Bath & Body Works, according to reports from Reuters and Bloomberg. The group is reportedly urging the personal care and fragrance retailer to explore a potential sale of the business.
Activ’Inside studies tie saffron and berry extracts to children’s cognitive...
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Nutrition Insight

Activ’Inside has carried out two real-world studies on children’s dietary supplementation, resulting in notable benefits from its Safr’Inside and Memophenol ingredients. The company highlights that pediatric supplementation is widespread, but many have not been tested in children. Saffron extract Safr’Inside Kids was found to have significant improvements in children’s attention up to 46.9% and hyperactivity up to 37.6%. 
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Research & Science news
Skin’s internal clock could open opportunities for...
Research has found that the skin operates on an internal 24-hour clock that controls its functions, from DNA repair to permeability and collagen production. The research opens opportunities for cosmetics formulators to develop more targeted morning and evening products that work with the skin’s natural rhythms. Dr. Diala Haykal, a specialist in aesthetic and anti-aging morphology medicine in France, led the research.
Person looking at beauty products.
Personal Care Insights News
Rising INCI scrutiny leaves consumers short on ingredient...
Consumers are scrutinizing beauty labels more closely, with many turning to ingredient-scanning apps for help. Although these tools provide rapid access to ingredient information. Lauren Leonard, global market development manager at Eastman, a global specialty materials company, flags that these tools could lack essential context: why those ingredients matter, how they contribute to a product’s performance, or their sustainability profile.
Older woman looking at herself in the mirror.
Personal Care Insights News
GLP-1 and menopause beauty boom outpaces clinical care,...
Women are navigating a much more complex personal care, health, and wellness marketplace than they were a few years ago. GLP-1s, menopause care, supplements, telehealth, and digital wellness tools have created more pathways for consumers to take. However, the influx of options has not produced better care, according to LucyRx chief commercial officer Susan Thomas. LucyRx is an independent pharmacy benefit manager that acts as an intermediary between health plan sponsors, pharmacies, and patients. 

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Home fragrance trendsSep2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that more than half of global consumers are motivated by scent when purchasing household fresheners. The market is responding with new product launches, with air ...

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Multifunctional marvels Sep 2026

Beauty brands are embracing multifunctionality by combining makeup, skin care, and anti-aging benefits into single products. Multi-use formats for lips, cheeks, eyes, and face are paired with active ingredients such as peptides, hyaluronic acid, retinol, and vitamin C, delivering hydration, barrier support, brightening, and wrinkle care while simplifying daily beauty routines.

Trend analysis

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Sustainable beauty solutionsSep 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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Vantage body care ad featuring a woman applying a body scrub, with the message “Body care meets faceification. High-performance, head to toe
Video12:03
Body care meets faceification. High-performance, head to toe

Body care is no longer a secondary category. Consumers are demanding active-powered, clinically backed results from neck to toe — and the market is responding fast. Discover the ingredient technologies enabling the next generation of high-performance body care formulations, from body serums to...

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
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
Ingredients + Specialties promotion featuring laboratory scientists and high-quality sustainable cleaning solutions.
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