Focus on Millennials and GenZ
Brands catering to younger consumers cover a whole range of trends such as vegan, clean or organic and gender-neutrality; and this year at Cosmoprof Woldwide Bologna, there were a number of recently launched beauty brands that were firmly aimed at customers in their 20s and 30s.
Savaip from Lithuania, for example, was introduced in October 2022. The brand’s packaging has a strong 1970s vibe. Savaip is designed to appeal to GenZ consumer and younger Millennials by offering nine gender-free clean beauty face and body care with a seasonal slant for sensitive and post-acne skin.
One Trick Ponies from Sweden was launched during the trade show with a very similar concept. The six gender-free face and body care products for customers in their late teens and early 20s are each built around a key active which is communicated clearly on the packaging in a 1970s style bubble lettering.
Naples-based 2SQM was introduced a few months ago and features nine certified organic and gender-free face and body care products. The brand’s background is firmly rooted in the Italian seaside city’s thriving clubbing, art and design subculture. 2SQM was developed in collaboration with a collective of local performance artists, designers and creators.
Certified organic Danish-Swiss brand Astalou also launched at Cosmoprof. The company’s stylishly packaged face and body care products focus on organic, high-end luxury and are designed to appeal to a discerning, urban (and well-off) Millennials clientele.
Focus on regional heritage
The localism trend continues to exert a major influence on the beauty industry, as new beauty brands build on transparency in terms of ingredients, product development and packaging. And highlighting the geographical origins or heritage of key actives adds up to the story-telling.
The founders of Italian newcomer Amarey, for example, are from the famous Illy coffee dynasty and the brand’s three face care products are formulated with coffee extract, caffeine and other ingredients that come from food waste. Upcycled coffee ingredients also play a major role in the brand’s packaging: 50% of Amarey’s outer (cardboard) packaging is made from coffee silver skin.
The origin of the main ingredients in Japanese bath and body care brand Toyama Quality Water are indicated by the brand name: the Toyama prefecture on Honshu island is famous for the spectacular scenery of the Northern Japanese Alps as well as one of the deepest sea bays in Japan. The brand’s two sub-ranges, Altitude 3000 and Depth 1000, are based on glacier water and deep sea water respectively.
Recently launched indie brand Lorj is from the Brittany region of France. The key ingredient in Lorj’s three products is organic barley extract manufactured by brand founder Pascal Drouet in the small town of Ploeuc L’Hermitage.
Finnish beauty brand Nobe is slated to launch later this year. With packaging design and product formulations heavily inspired by the Polar landscape and traditional Finnish/Nordic ingredients, the portfolio comprises three skin care ranges that focus on protecting the skin’s microbiome.
Sensitive skin care brand Skin Sapiens from the UK launched in 2020 and currently offers 12 face and body care products that are fragrance-free, certfied organic and vegan. The company is also taking transparency to the next level: Skin Sapiens is listing the precise percentages of the different packaging materials on the actual packaging to make recycling easier for consumers.
Inner beauty is thriving
The European nutritional supplements market has been thriving recently, driven by the increased consumer interest in health matters that were generated by the pandemic as well as a growing focus on gut health as the key to physical and emotional well-being. Unsurprisingly, inner beauty was very visible at Cosmoprof Bologna 2023, too.
French nutritional supplements brand D-Lab Nutricosmetics has been manufacturing inner beauty capsules and tablets since 2010. Its latest launch is a 3-sku range of powder supplements with marine-based collagen and elastine oligopeptides that can be blended with liquid or creamy drinks and foods.
Danish company Vild Nord was launched in 2019 and their speciality is marine collagen which is manufactured from wild-caught cod from sustainable fisheries. In the brand’s collagen powder blends, the fish collagen is combined with various plant ingredients, such as Scottish algae, acerola, wild blueberries, blackcurrant or wild mushrooms. The company’s newest launch are three probiotic supplements to boost immune health.
German vitamin gummy brand Ivybears’s newest product launch are Protein Boost gummy bears which also mark the brand’s first foray into the fitness/sports supplements sector: Each fruit-flavoured gummy bear contains 5 gr of proteins, amino acids, creatine and caffeine.
Skin care: From high-tech innovations to mix-n-match functionality
High-tech continue to be a major trend in the global beauty industry. Brands tapping into this trend develop innovative devices linked to an AI or base their formulas on innovative ingredients or formats.
Swiss indie brand Lycaste was introduced in 2023, offering its customers AI-powered face analysis (through a smartphone or laptop camera) and product recommendations. The brand’s range comprises six face creams with different textures and formulations and six boosters (actives) which can be mixed and matched to create a personalised skin care solution. Lycaste also offers four nutritional supplements as part of its anti-ageing face care range for a holistic inner and outer beauty experience.
Amongst new launches of Chinese TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) manufacturer Yunnan Baiyao was a customisable skin care range consisting of three components: lyophilised actives in powder form, a liquid serum and an essence booster. Clients select their favourite of each category (there are six different powders, six serums and four boosters to choose from) and then blend the three components prior to use.
Korean high-tech beauty face care brand Franz‘ latest sun protection launch is a true innovation: The Naked SunShield Peptide Patch set contains two ultra-thin patches and a moisturising peptide solution. The peptide solution is applied to the patches and these are then placed on the face wherever additional sun protection is necessary, like the cheekbones or the forehead. The patches are barely visible on the skin and water-resistant (it is even possible to apply makeup on top of them) and the brand claims that they filter out 95.8% of UVA and 99.9% of UVB radiation.
Also launched during Cosmoprof, Oxygen Revolution from Italy offers 11 face care products developed in collaboration with various Italian universities and research institutes and contain ozone which is said to help detoxify the skin and improve skin health.
Functional and gender-free fragrances
Aspects like functionality and gender-neutrality are also playing an increasing role in new fragrance launches. Simultaneously, fragrance layering, which allows customers to create new scent experiences, is becoming ubiquitous.
Milan-based fragrance brand Essenza will launch in September 2023. The company’s 6-sku unisex and vegan fragrance range is divided into three fragrance pairs that are built around two key notes each. Although the scents can be worn individually, Essenza’s brand concept was designed to allow customers to freely combine them.
French mass market fragrance brand Margot + Tita was launched in 2018 and named after the founder’s two grandmothers. There are around 40 fragrances which are divided into two sections, Margot and Tita, and each Margot fragrance can be combined with Tita or vice versa to create a third, new scent.
French aromatherapy perfume brand Solinotes offers plant-inspired and mood-lifting fragrances built around a key scent accord. Amongst the brand’s newest launches are the fresh floral Zen Meadow and the green tea-inspired fragrance Thé Matcha.
French natural perfumery brand 100Bon latest launches from 2022 are two functional fragrances: Lâcher prise, a blend of ten essential oils including bergamot, magnolia and santal amyris to help deal with stress; and Doux Rêves, which contains nine essential oils such as orange blossom and petitgrain to improve sleep quality and help when feeling overwhelmed.
