NYSCC returned for the second time since COVID shut down trade shows, and despite the short six-month gap between this and the last Supplier’s Day, there were distinctly different trends on the show floor.
While suppliers want to meet manufacturers and brands where they’re at in the market, they also showcase their trend forecasting innovations at Supplier’s Day. Below are three of the big trends CosmeticsDesign saw at the show.
Curly hair care ingredients
Many exhibitors large and small came to Supplier's Day with ingredients and kits for curly hair types, often focused on Black hair care. While the Black haircare market is a multi-billion dollar segment, many experts say it has been under-researched for decades in the US.
Suppliers showcasing curly hair care ingredients at Supplier’s Day often said developing the ingredient lines involved research into what people with 3 and 4 type curls do with their hair, how previously researched ingredients interact with curly hair and the development of testing protocols.
One of the main challenges suppliers mentioned in the development of these ingredients was finding the right hair samples and test subjects for in vitro and in vivo testing. Some of the larger suppliers utilized volunteers within their companies to test products.
The companies also often emphasized that the products being showcased this year are early steps in a longer inclusive ingredient plan.
Translucent mineral sunscreen formulation
The other main area for inclusive beauty ingredients was inorganic UV filters. More specifically, suppliers showcased a number of mineral sunscreen formulations, namely zinc-oxide, which allow for a transparent product application.
Inorganic sunscreens have long had a reputation for having a tacky texture and leaving behind a white cast. While not ideal, the color of inorganic UV filters is not a huge barrier for consumers on the lower end of the Fitzpatrick scale, but a major barrier for those on the high end.
Both direct zinc-oxide suppliers and suppliers further up the supply chain showcased formulations that allowed for a smoother, more transparent application of the product. Many of the formulations relied on improved dispersion of the UV filter throughout the product.
Suppliers noted that they focused on zinc-oxide formulations because it typically has the fewest safety questions compared to the other approved UV filters in the US market.
Biotech ingredient production
Outside of inclusive ingredients, suppliers across the floor also showcased their biotech-production ingredients. Biotech, also referred to as bio-fermentation can allow a company to produce a large amount of finished ingredients from a small amount of feedstock.
Suppliers brought a variety of types of biotech ingredients, including antioxidants, fragrance ingredients, bioactives and even vitamins like B12 which are often expensive when created in traditional production.
Experts said biotech can allow for a more sustainable supply chain because it minimizes the extractive nature of botanically-based ingredients.