4 Keys to a Total Beauty Solution

Sponsored by Croda

To win in today’s booming, competitive beauty market, brands need smart science, sustainable innovation, a broad palette of impactful ingredients, differentiating formulations, and trusted innovation partners.

To win in today’s booming, competitive beauty market, brands need smart science, sustainable innovation, a broad palette of impactful ingredients, differentiating formulations, and trusted innovation partners. In response, Croda has continuously evolved its services and technologies to meet the challenges and demands of today’s industry. Here are four ways the company is pushing beauty into new territory.

1. Taking indie brands from concept to shelf

Indie brands are known for their innovative, thoughtful concepts, but they also require innovation partners that can successfully take them from concept to shelf. With extensive expertise in specialty ingredients and chemical innovation, Croda aims to empower indie brands to create exceptional products that meet their unique needs. Here are a few ways in which Croda can assist indie brands in formulation development:

• Ingredient expertise: Croda provides access to a diverse portfolio of high-quality specialty ingredients (see “Cross-category innovation: hair, skin & sun care”) that can enhance the performance, functionality and sustainability of indie brand formulations. The company’s team of experts can help indie brands select the most suitable ingredients for their specific product goals.
• Formulation support: Croda offers technical guidance and assistance throughout the formulation process (see “Inspiring formulation expertise”). Its experienced chemists can collaborate with indie brands to optimize formulations, troubleshoot challenges, and ensure compatibility and stability of ingredients.
• Regulatory compliance: Navigating the regulatory landscape can be complex for indie brands. Croda can provide valuable support in understanding and meeting regulatory requirements, ensuring that formulations comply with relevant safety, environmental, and labeling standards.
• Collaboration and education: Croda fosters a collaborative approach by engaging in knowledge-sharing activities and providing educational resources. It organizes workshops, webinars and seminars to equip indie brands with the latest formulation techniques, industry insights, and market trends. Croda also offers e-books specifically catered to indie brands, including the recently launched e-booka, “Everything you need to know about formulations for indie beauty brands.”

By leveraging Croda’s assistance in formulation development, indie brands can benefit from Croda’s comprehensive support network and enhance their product offerings, market competitiveness and overall success.

Navigating the regulatory landscape can be complex for indie brands. Croda can provide valuable support in understanding and meeting regulatory requirements, ensuring that formulations comply with relevant safety, environmental, and labeling standards.

2. No-compromise sustainability

Croda is meeting the rising brand, consumer and retailer demands for sustainable products by investing in innovation, product design and flexible operations, while also collaborating with its supply chain to develop personal care ingredients that offer greater benefits while minimizing their environmental footprint.

Renewable, bio-based surfactants

Croda’s ECO Range of 100% renewable, 100% bio-based, vegan and cruelty-free surfactants perfectly illustrate the company’s approach to sustainability. The range substitutes EO (ethylene oxide) with bioethanol sourced from renewable biomass (RSPO supply chain certified via Mass Balance). This approach to production significantly elevates the bio-based content of ethoxylated products while reducing the company’s dependency on fossil fuels. Additionally, all ingredients in the low-1,4-dioxane ECO Range are manufactured using renewable energy, without compromising on performance compared to traditional petroleum-based options. The USDA-certified biobased ECO Range therefore ensures brands no longer need to make a tradeoff between achieving their sustainability objectives and delivering high-performance products to their consumers.

Growing biotechnology & natural ingredient expertise

Croda’s ongoing investments in sustainable innovation include its acquisition of Solus BioTech, a specialist in high-performance, biotechnology-derived ceramides and phospholipids. The acquisition provides a broadened range of ingredients for luxury beauty customers in Asia and around the world while also catering to increasingly popular fermented ingredient and holistic wellness claims.

Ceramides account for more than 50% of the skin’s composition and play a vital role in maintaining a healthy skin barrier. The topical application of ceramides can promote efficient repair of the skin barrier, resulting in moisturized, supple and smooth skin. Phospholipids, on the other hand, possess exceptional moisturization potential and can form liposomes to deliver active ingredients effectively to the skin.

Meanwhile, Croda, via its Iberchem division, has acquired Parfex, a Grasse, France-based fragrance house specializing in regional natural raw materials. The addition of the company’s nearly four-decade expertise provides customers with an expanded array of natural scent technologies that consumers prefer.

Looking ahead to 2030 goals

Beyond its current market-ready innovations, Croda has set a goal to achieve Climate, Land and People Positivity by 2030c. This vision for 2030 combines innovation, social responsibility and environmental stewardship to create a positive impact on the world.

Net Nature Positive means actively contributing to the preservation and enhancement of nature. Croda’s efforts to reduce the risk of nature loss therefore render its ingredients the preferred innovations of sustainable brands.

Croda is also focused on making a positive impact to improve the lives of its employees and society worldwide by developing personal care ingredients that enhance health and well-being. For instance, Croda has surpassed its 2030 People Positivity target by protecting approximately 60 million lives from sun-related damage, seven years ahead of schedule. Furthermore, Croda considers all stakeholders in its ecosystem and strives to adopt best practices concerning the environment, labor, human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

Croda is meeting the rising brand, consumer and retailer demands for sustainable products by investing in innovation, product design and flexible operations, while also collaborating with its supply chain to develop personal care ingredients that offer greater benefits while minimizing their environmental footprint.

3. Cross-category innovation: hair, skin & sun care

In addition to the capabilities derived from its Solus BioTech and Parfex acquisitions, Croda houses unique, effective cross-category ingredient technologies from actives powerhouse Sederma and botanical extract specialists Crodarom and Alban Muller...

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• Inspiring & winning formulation expertise
• Empowering facial and body skin care innovation
• On-trend hair care
• Next-level solar protection
• Growing biotechnology & natural ingredient expertise
• Renewable, bio-based surfactants