While London basked in unexpectedly balmy April weather, thousands of attendees from around the world shunned the sunshine to spend three days at in-cosmetics Global, a leading exhibition in personal care formulation that kicked off April 4. It was the first time the show had come to London since 2002, and the excitement was palpable. Stepping into the vast hall revealed a dizzying 800 exhibitors, many of whom use in-cosmetics as launch pad for new ingredients. A staggering 106 ingredients were showcased at the show’s Innovation Zone alone. It was a busy, buzzy meeting of international minds, who were there to also attend standing-room-only scientific presentations and participate in some new show features, including a hands-on cosmetics and sensory bar reflecting K-beauty’s obsession with texture. Here, the key ingredient trends seen by Beauty Insider in London:

Pollution Protection

Defending skin from external aggressors was a mega-trend and the buzzword was ‘Polluaging’ – a hybrid term coined in Korea for skin aging caused by pollution. There were plenty of new anti-pollution actives, most based on botanicals. What’s new is a focus on indoor pollution from heavy metals and particulates. Clariant’s new active Eosidin is an extract of unripe citrus unshiu from Juju island in Korea, specifically targeting skin irritation and ezcema triggered by indoor pollution. Indena

was promoting its latest active, Vitachelox, a selection of botanical compounds that act as anti-pollution agents, skin protectors and free-radical scavengers.

Lipoid Kosmetik offered up HerbaShield URB, which includes watercress, horsetail and nettle extracts to detox air pollutants and enhance skin protection. Another ingredients supplier tapping the anti-pollution movement is ID bio, which unveiled a botanical active to create an invisible and breathable layer on the skin to prevent pollution particles sticking to skin.

Into the blue

Your basic UVA/UVB sunscreen is looking positively antique right now. The future lies in ingredients that protect from the entire light spectrum, including infra-red, and blue light, the wrinkle-inducing glow issuing from our smartphones and laptops. The latest products claim to actively improve skin even during light exposure. DSM’s Parsol Max II continues protection into the blue light spectrum, while Pepha-Age’s

green microalgae formula stimulates the skin’s own defense against sunlight and blue light, increasing collagen. Mibelle Biochemistry’s InfraGuard tackles the effects of infrared and, said Cornelia Schverch, Head of Development at Mibelle, “It increases skin density even during sun exposure, making it ideal for use in sunscreens or day creams.” New from Naolys is LightWaves Defense [JS+M], a new plant cell complex made from native cells of Indian jasmine to fight damage induced by three types of solar rays. Micah from Hallstar claims to stop photo-aging completely by acting on light-absorbing skin molecules to prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species. Maria Coronado Robles, Ingredients Associate Analyst at Euromonitor, cited increasingly active lifestyles as the driver for new synthetic polymers, such as Ashland’s new Antaron, which increases water and wear resistance and Covestro’s

ultra-waterproof, breathable film-former Baycusan, which is transparent and non-sticky so sand just drops off, prevents ingredients sliding into eyes, and blurs lines and wrinkles too. “People want to spend more time outdoors, but they want to look younger longer too,” she said.

Sensitive skin soothers

Given assaults on our epidermis from stress, light and pollution, it’s no surprise that sensitive skin solutions were everywhere. Perhaps the most novel is SensAmone P5 created by a team at UK-based Venomtech and Swiss lab Mibelle Biochemistry. It’s derived from venom from the soft sea anemone.Researchers discovered a protein in the venom that can block a pain receptor gene in humans. Cornelia Schverch, Head of Development at Mibelle said, “SensAmone P5 closes off channels in the skin that trigger the burning, itching and pain sensation. A single use will reduce sensitivity within two hours.” Rahn’s Defensil-Soft is another new active, derived from the edible mushroom Albatrellus ovinus, to improving tolerance to irritants.

Bug benefits

Everyone was talking about the microbiome, with Givaudan and BASF both showing innovative new ingredients to preserve the delicate balance of bugs that live on our skin – a balance that’s essential to healthy skin but all too easily disrupted by our obsession with hygiene.

John Lofthouse, Director Global Sales and Marketing at CLR Berlin, was presenting a bifida ferment lysate that activates on the skin to trigger DNA repair “which is at the root of all anti-aging.” Asian-inspired ferments of green and black tea were ubiquitous. Greenaltech’s preobiotic and probiotic active Algativ BioSKN is developed from microalgae cell wall, while PreBio Defense from Vantage is a new anti-inflammatory formula containing prebiotic polymers.

Fun foams

There were foams, foams everywhere thanks to the Asian beauty obsession with texture and sensory experiences. New formulations are fun – Dow Corning showed moldable and tweakable foams – frothier than ever and less harsh due to sulfate-free ingredients. Global Strategic Marketing Director, Stephanie Sandrock, said, “We are playing a lot more with new textures.” Jane Jang, Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel Korea, said a new trend is for ultrasoft products with microbubbles, described as ‘a cuddle for the skin.’ Look out for organic foamers and surfactant alternatives. Innospec’s stand featured Iselux SLC, an amino-acid based sulfate-free surfactant which, said Robert Griffiths, Vice President of Sales, said, “has a bouncy, bubblegum texture, even in a high-oil formula.” Clariant presented a range of formulations based on its GlucoTain sugar surfactant solutions, including a foam essence facial cleanser and liquid hand soap.


Free-of…everything

Label-reading, health-conscious consumers have driven a boom in free-from foods, and this obsession with ingredients is now spilling over into cosmetics. Bad press for synthetic polymers and silicones, microbeads, preservatives, palm oil, solvents and sulfates has created demand for natural, green and sustainable alternatives. Fanna Makonnen, Technical Marketing Manager at green chemistry specialists Inolex Chemical Company, said, “Customers are reading labels. They see things on social media. Any bad press for your ingredients is detrimental to your brand.”

The clean-eating trend has also inspired interest in food-type ingredients in cosmetics, with Inolex presenting a new preservative system, Spectrastat Series, borrowed from food technology, while sustainability concerns inspired Lexfeel Natural, a caster-oil derived emollient that can stand in for palm oil. Look out for eco-friendly silica and caster wax alternatives to microbeads, such as Micro Powder’s Naturescrub H, while Lipotec’s new Actiscrub line of natural exfoliants come in six variants, including grapeseed, apple and cranberry. Cosmetic honeys also made an appearance on several stands.

Stephenson Personal Care showed Durosoft, a range of emulsifiers made from cold-pressed plant oils. Alternatives to silicones include Lucas Meyer’s Siligel, a gelling agent made from natural gums and CFF GmbH’s bamboo powder Senocel. Glitter and foil-like shine is a huge color cosmetic trend, but PET glitters are only minimally biodegradeable.

UK firm Ronald Britton walked away from in-cosmetics Global with an award for the most innovative development in color cosmetics for its Cosmetic Bio-Glitter. It is certified compostable, has no GM materials and is every bit is shiny as its rivals.

Nordic Naturals

One emerging trend is beauty inspired by Scandinavia. It follows the hygge mania in interiors and lifestyle, and taps onto a growing desire for simplicity and naturalness, which is seeing increasing interest in formulas with just five to ten ingredients in total. The Innovation Company was showcasing birch sap both to drink and apply in cosmetics, lingonberry and bilberry extracts and peat to build collagen and improve microcirculation.

Surprise, surprise!

Another trend driven by Asian beauty is its insistence on novelty and sensory experiences. Expect formulas featuring large encapsulated water droplets so that creams literally turn to water on the skin; transforming texture powder lipsticks that become cream on the lips; creams that change temperature on the skin – icy body creams or warming hand creams; tone up creams that appear white, opaque and iridescent but become a transparent, whitening, sun-protective blur on the face. Sensory Wonderland from Lambson Ltd epitomizes the entire trend. It starts out as a watery gel that deposits multi-colored mushroom-derived capsules that break with gentle rubbing. Blue and pink capsules expel a tingling sensation, while white caps release a surprise cherry scent, and sparkling silicone bubbles leave a soft velvety finish on the skin. Finally, orange ‘heat me’ capsules leave the skin gently warmed.

Anti-aging

With a fast-aging global population, products to reduce wrinkles and firm skin remain a priority. The terms ‘healthy aging’ and ‘aging well’ are replacing the more negative, and perhaps unrealistic, ‘anti-aging’. Botanicals featured heavily, often obtained using green solvent free extraction, and sagging was a key target. Wellagyl is a new Bulgarian rose extract from Silab which claims it can reboot ‘poorly’ aging fibroblasts into a ‘well’ aging state.

Laboratoires Expanscience’s Passioline picked up a Gold Award for best active ingredient in the Innovation Zone. Derived from South American passion fruit seed oil, studies show it can regenerate cells, repair tissue and calm inflammation. Gatuline’s eye cream active Link N Lift won Silver. It utilizes organic horse chestnut flower extracts to kick start fibroblasts and reduce sagging. Lipotec’s Reproage peptide, which targets skin cell DNA to reverse age-related regenerative capacity,took Bronze.

Naturex’s Eliorelys is a new active to fight photoaging derived from cherry blossoms using a green technology process, and won the award for best green active. Finally, Lipotec’s new Actifol shittake mushroom extract tackles the aging decolleté and neck by reducing carbamylation, a protein degradation process set to become as familiar to consumers as glycation.