in-cosmetics Global returned to the beauty heartland of Paris from 2-4 April where four cosmetic and contract manufacturers battled it out in a nail-biting Formulation Challenge, with Nuxe Group coming out victorious.
The Challenge, sponsored by Lonza, pitted some of the industry’s best formulators and scientists against each other in a 90-minute race to create a cosmetics or personal care product from a box of mystery ingredients. The aim this year, set by official in-cosmetics Global technical advisor Lorna Radford, was to create a sleeping product with a perfect formulation that could be recreated, as well as a believable and shelf-ready marketing story.
Nuxe Group competed, alongside Alpol Cosmetique, Hormeta and defending champion Natur’Alps. Nuxe Group, purveyor of skincare, bodycare and anti-ageing beauty, stole the prize with a trio of scalp and hair night treatments. The set of Active Scalp Night Treatments were created for normal, greasy and dry scalps within the millennial demographic.
Alexandra Mignot, Formulation Project Leader JR, said: “It is really exciting to win and all down to great teamwork. The last 30 minutes were a little stressful as we raced to complete our formulations and we can’t wait to take our trophy back to our company!”
Judge Radford said: “The formulation was very clearly put together and considered all aspects, such as mixing speed, temperatures and pH for preservative.”
Fellow judge Andrew McDougall, Global Haircare Analyst at Mintel, assessing from the marketing angle, added: “We were very impressed with the formulations and choosing a winner was a tough call. The marketing stories of all entries were excellent, but Nuxe Group just edged it with a great product.”
Hormeta came in as runner up with a Y.O.G.A Dreaming Therapy Elixir skincare treatment designed to balance sleep and happiness. Radford said: “The product tied into the industry theme of health and wellbeing, with actives for decreasing cell stress and barrier reinforcement. The team produced a clear formulation with a method that should easily scale up to production.”
Dr Jordan Petkov, R&T Director at sponsor Lonza, said: “The Challenge is an excellent concept and we were very impressed with the formulations – especially given the allotted time constraints. The atmosphere was electric and all four entries were put together with great skill. Nuxe Group was a deserving winner with three products in the same family that each target different scalp conditions – congratulations to the winning team!”
