In the report—Revealing the Future of Anti-Aging Skincare—global skincare analyst Nica Lewis focuses on four niche trends within the anti-aging category: sirtuins, stress, and epigenetics; anti-pollution; peptide power; and natural.
The trends
Industry advances in sirtuins, ingredients that address stress, and epigenetics are dependent largely on research coming out of ingredient development labs. For instance, “we are investigating how skin ageing by environmental factors is potentially causing long term epigenetic alterations of the genome in skin cells,” Fred Zülli, managing director of the Mibelle Group, tells Lewis.
Anti-pollution skin care is targeting large scale environmental issues. “Particulate matter, traffic fumes and smog are also considered skin aggressors and can cause wrinkles,” explains the in-cosmetics report. “This is giving beauty brands a reason to strengthen the protection function of many skincare products.” It follows logically then, that several ingredient suppliers (Sederma, Dow, Ashland, etc.) are showing anti-pollution actives at in-cosmetics events.
Peptides remain a go-to active for skin care in the anti-aging category. Because they increase collagen synthesis they are used in countless product formulations designed to reduce wrinkles. While Lewis notes that “new peptide-based actives are appearing in all regions,” she highlights the fact that “New York-based BioMimetic Laboratories has patented XEP-30, billed as a next generation neuropeptide.”
In the natural space, plant and marine-based extracts are popular active ingredients. This segment of the category grows through research on known extracts and through sourcing of new ingredients locally and from around the globe. Ingredients featured in the in-cosmetics report are primarily from Korea, Japan, and Africa.
Category progression
The report looks beyond the trends to the challenges and opportunities they present in various markets, and includes Euromonitor data projections about the size of the anti-aging market by region, by country, and between mass and prestige too.
Regulatory issues and inconsistent global terminology remain high hurdles for ingredient makers and product manufacturers: “regulation will continue to dictate the pace of innovation in anti-aging skin care,” writes Lewis. “The current distinction between cosmetic, quasi-drug and pharmaceutical makes it hard for ingredient suppliers to progress areas like neurocosmetics in the short term,” she acknowledges.