Singapore event draws international crowd

That morning saw many hundreds of visitors through the doors, all of whom would have had the chance to get first hand information from some of the most innovative cosmetics ingredient suppliers in the Asia Pacific region. But these were not just visitors from Asia, as it was very apparent that people had travelled from far and wide to be at this event, making it an even more valuable arena for networking. Perhaps three areas of interest stood out from the rest: skin whitening and cosmeceuticals (in particular those that are stem cell-based) and naturals. Many companies were promoting products with one or other of these properties, giving a firm indication of the continued interest in multifunctional end products and naturally-derived ingredients. While many products offered skin whitening as a primary function, almost as many claimed skin whitening as a secondary or even tertiary feature, broadening its appeal and potential marketability. However, there has been a great deal of consumer press recently concerning unsafe skin whitening creams and practices, so it was good to see attention given to the safety as well as efficacy of products, both during the skin whitening conference and on stands. Natural products had a major presence at this year’s show, but there was an increasing emphasis on the sustainability of the source. No longer is it enough to say a product is naturally-derived, it must be cultivated and harvested in a manner that ensures it is around for generations to come. And it is clear now having spoken to many companies at the show, that the desire for natural, sustainable products is much more than a passing phase, rather it will become (if it has not already become) a standard requirement for many cosmetic product ranges.

Products galore

DSM’s Thomas Satzinger talked me through the company’s new Parsol TX50 AB product which is a dust-free dispersion of Parsol TX in alkyl benzoate. DSM hopes this product will provide formulators with a highly stable option with no sedimentation during storage while also offering high transparency and SPF performance. Also in the world of sun protection, Jasper Tsai and I discussed Bio-Nest’s SunCat encapsulated chemical sunscreen dispersion. This product offers formulators an easier route towards product development as it is provided in specific, premixed and solubilised ratios. And for the consumer, the benefits include non-greasy, evenly distributed, waterproof UVA and UVB protection that operates as a non-absorbed layer on the skin. Although I was not able to attend the conference presentation, Liliana Todorinova of French company Axialys Innovations was able to relay to me some impressive features of its new product, Viqua. Described as an “all-in-one skin management solution” Viqua is made from pomegranate extract and claims to offer whitening, anti-ageing and antiinflammatory benefits, both as a topical application and when taken orally. The most interesting element of the product is its ADS nano-technology delivery system which Axialys says helps the pomegranate anti-oxidants penetrate the skin cells to access their mitochondria. It is here that free radicals are produced, so Viqua is able to limit their damaging effects. Natural products such as pomegranate and aloe vera (promoted by Alove Bali at in-cosmetics Asia) lend themselves perfectly to the continuing trend of “beauty from within”. These products straddle the boundary between food and cosmetics and look set to increase in popularity in American and European markets. Also, while manning the Personal Care stand, I met some very interesting visitors to the show many of whom had travelled great distances to be at the event in Singapore. The impressively international range of visitors made it easy to establish useful global contacts, and, for me, enabled some highly informative discussions with people in areas such as US FDA Regulations and Indian skin and hair clinical research.