4 minute read
Rethinking beauty with a focus on self-care
COVID-19 has brought about many changes in our lives and has impacted consumers’ beauty routines. Mintel already predicted an increasing interest in well-being in 2019, but the onset of the pandemic in 2020 has caused this trend to boom. Karen Maier, head of performance materials at Merck South Africa, explores formulation concepts in line with this trend.
Health concerns and the stress of lockdown have ensured that everyone is more aware of the importance of self-care and taking time out to relax. There is no better way to do this than creating a spa experience at home. As consumers are very much into the idea of hyper-personalisation, the home-spa is an ideal space to create a unique and highly-personalised beauty experience. People want customisable products and experiences that cater to their own beauty needs.
At the moment, there are two distinct trends when it comes to beauty routines:
1. an express version with multi-functional ingredients, where one product can do more, i.e. multi-use, multi-benefit products, also called ‘skip- care’
2. the opposite end of the spectrum with a multi- step routine.
This multi-step trend is inspired by Korean beauty and the advantages of the multi-layer approach to skin care.
There is a strong belief that the various steps give the skin the benefit of each product applied.
Whichever approach the consumer prefers, the basic requirements remain the same: efficient beauty products that promote healthy skin.
Did you know?
Ectoine is a powerful molecule produced via biotechnological fermentation. As the active cosmetic ingredient in RonaCare Ectoin IQ, it naturally activates the skin’s ability to speed up its defence system.
Keep tabs on the trends
When purchasing beauty products, consumers want products that will ensure a general sense of well-being. They also require proven skin-health benefits and transparent and ethical behaviour from beauty brands. The demand for clean, natural and green products is growing along with personalisation, either in terms of a product or a beauty routine. Consumers also want protection against environmental stressors.
Another trend the cosmetics industry should take seriously is skin positivity. For example, not focussing on anti-ageing messaging but rather promoting well-ageing or the concept of healthy-looking and glowing skin, thereby helping consumers to be the best version of themselves while achieving the goal of looking fabulous forever.
While all of this may seem a big ask, there are skin care actives on the market for unique, modern formulations which will address many of these requirements. RonaCare Ectoin is one of those multi-tasking, efficient ingredients that can be used in a skip-care product to great effect, or it can slot into a multi-layer routine with equal ease.
Nature’s secret for skin protection
RonaCare Ectoin is a completely natural and sustainable ingredient derived from halophilic bacteria occurring in nature. Extremophiles are organisms living in natural conditions of extreme environmental stress. In order to survive adverse conditions such as extreme heat and cold, they generate small protection molecules called extremolytes. Ectoine is one of these extremolytes, helping halophilic bacteria survive in hostile environments.
RonaCare Ectoin makes use of the natural survival properties of ectoine to bring a myriad of benefits to cosmetic applications. Over 20 years of research has proven that it works, providing natural cell protection, acting as a supermoisturiser and supporting the process of ageing gracefully.
The active ingredient from Merck protects the cell against the stresses of everyday life, heat, cold, dry conditions, UV-induced stress and chemical irritants and pollutants. Another significant benefit is its ability to bring long-term hydration to the skin. This is thanks to its ability to form large, stable water clusters within the skin, which are retained over long periods and leave the skin looking and feeling plump and healthy.
Studies have shown that using products formulated with RonaCare Ectoin bring a sense of well-being to the consumer. Rough skin is soothed and smoothed, wrinkles are plumped up, and thus formulations are perceived to be effective and elegant.
Merck recently launched RonaCare Ectoin IQ, an improved quality grade with exceptionally low methanol content, particularly suitable for clean cosmetics.
Innovation is key
Once a formulator has found the right active ingredients for their products, the next step is to look at the kind of formulation to be presented to the market. Novel formulation concepts are required to entice consumers to make purchases. A few examples of unexpected formats include a gel cream, foaming cleansing powder, an instant glow or glass finish serum, or something that can transform itself during use. Have a look at the formulation guide featured in Table 1 for some inspiration.
For the beauty industry to prevail in challenging times, we have to offer something new and enticing. As a luxurious, tailor-made home-spa experience is currently high on the list of consumer must-haves, it is up to suppliers to understand what the market desires and then provide effective, safe and sustainable formulations to ensure this industry survives the pandemic, and beyond.
