The macrotrend to use natural ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics is increasing at a global level. Generally speaking, ingredients are considered natural if they are derived from natural sources and are not significantly processed or modified prior to their end use.
Of course, the increasing use of such natural ingredients can pose a significant challenge for the formulator. Most natural products tend to be perceived as being rather tacky or oily on skin, and often their compatibility with other components of the formulation and spreading behaviour on skin are far less than optimal.
Thus, while it might be desirable from a marketing perspective to attempt to develop a finished cosmetic formulation that consists of 100% natural ingredients and has all the pleasant sensory and performance characteristics to which today’s sophisticated consumer has grown accustomed, in reality, the above mentioned formulating challenges remain. Also, while several standards and certifications, such as USDA NOP1 in the US and Cosmos2 in Europe, are still evolving, overall sales of natural/organic personal care products have increased across all retail and direct-to-consumer channels.3
This still leaves the vast majority of the total global personal care market open to products containing ‘non-natural’ ingredients that provide advanced functional benefits in cosmetic formulations. These products, of course, may still contain significant amounts of natural ingredients. For example, silicones can contribute to allow higher use levels of ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ ingredients while maintaining or even improving the sensory and aesthetic properties of such formulations, thus helping them become more ‘naturally-inspired’.
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