According to Euromonitor, for 51% of respondents beauty is first synonymous with "looking healthy"; followed by "feeling good about yourself" and then "to be self-confident".
The perception of health, according to this same study, is linked to enjoying fine mental health but also of feeling good. Hence beauty would come from within, far away from aesthetic pleasure, which is also another aspect of beauty.
We therefore understand why cosmetics seeks to go beyond the surface of things - skin, hair and nails, in this case - to take interest in the inner well-being of customers!
Cosmetics and emotions
Some companies have started to explore the emotions aroused by the application of a cosmetic product or ingredient. Significant advances made by neuroscience and the technologies available, in particular with brain imaging tools, have led to new discoveries.
LMR Naturals by IFF has for instance carried out a major study on the emotional effects of a hundred natural aromatic ingredients. Eight emotional dimensions emerged: energy, relaxation, seduction, joy, the alternative, learning, self-esteem, mindfulness. The study highlighted in particular, that immortelle oil with an energy score of 125%, triggers the brain areas associated with motor activation, it stimulates the urge to move, the planning of things, control, and the execution of voluntary movements. Actually, in aromacology, this oil is traditionally used to combat fatigue, encourage action.
Givaudan, for its part, used the method of Mood Portraits, following a method which consists in exposing panellists to series of images and then asking them to choose the ones which were the most evocative of their feelings. The Company compared the results obtained before the application of a cream enriched with its Sensityl® active and after 28 days of application. In addition, an expert analysed the facial expression of panellists who had applied the product. The measurements showed that the number of positive emotions aroused, had increased.
At Sequens, the teams chose the in-depth analysis of the physical parameters of the voice (prosody) and the lexical field used (verbatim), to objectify the emotional impact of the active Glycuron 2.78™ and show vs. placebo that a cream enriched with this active, reduces the emotional charge triggered by the confrontation with one’s own image. Cosmetics is making progress in the analysis of what it arouses in its customers even if, not surprisingly, it knows perfectly well that providing happiness to users is its raison d’être.
Cannabidiol or CBD, the ultimate ingredient for happiness?
In North America, the trend for cannabis products is in full swing. According to the research company BDS Analytics, the market for CBD is expected to exceed $ 20 billion by 2024.
The molecule extracted from hemp indeed has a taste of forbidden fruit and is associated with the well-being effects provided by cannabis. However, cannabidiol or CBD, generally the only active derived from cannabis to be authorized in cosmetics, does not contain THC, which is psychoactive.
On the supplier side, Mibelle Biochemistry proposes Lipobelle Pino C a comforting complex composed of CBD encapsulated in a nanoemulsion based on organic hemp seed oil and pine extract from the Swiss Alps.
Grolman, through its Austrian supplier Hanfama, offers Canokos CBD, cannabidiol originating from crops with no herbicides or pesticides, and where the picking and cutting of the plant material is handmade, for a rigorous selection of stems and leaves and thus avoiding flowers containing THC. The Hanfama Company has also carried out a very extensive bibliographic study on the potential properties of CBD in cosmetics.
An alternative solution put forward by Mibelle Biochemistry is to activate, via the neurotransmitter, cannabinoid receptors present in skin cells, thanks to its active, NanoCacao, rich in anandamide, and thus induce a feeling of well-being and relaxation.
At a time when consumers are worried and left with unanswered questions, the Pinterest social network notes a surge in queries related to "well-being at home". Far from being offbeat, the search for happiness and well-being via cosmetics more in line with the values of existence, deemed essential, could be in tune with the new expectations of the post-Covid-19 period…
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This article is an extract of a full version available in our special issue: Happy Cosmetics issue - cosmetic ingredients, May 2020. 
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“The joy and emotional security of centenarians in Blue Zones are truly inspiring” Aïna Queiroz, Seqens
