Sun, Take Care of Your Body and the Environment

Interview with Wiek Kleijne,
Marketing Manger Home and Personal Care for EMEA, Nouryon

What are the most important trends in Sun Care?

We see that the need for better protection of the microbiome continues to increase and that people are more mindful of their health, both mentally as well as physically. During the Covid pandemic, the need for outdoor activities has increased and people are spending more time in nature, doing sports and are again back to travelling. In parallel we also see an increasing awareness on environmental issues and especially topics that concern the ocean such as (micro)plastics, rising sea level and the state of coral reefs are very much top of mind for consumers. It is therefore important that the industry continues to come up with innovations that will help drive sustainable solutions which help consumers to protect themselves and the environment. We also see that mineral sun filters are becoming more popular in formulations which is driven by both safety awareness as well as environmental considerations. Lastly we also see more health claims in sun care products with for example vitamins and probiotics. Consumers are looking for anti-aging properties and intensive moisturization solutions. All these trends make the sun care market a very dynamic and exciting place to be active in.

What other trends do you see in Personal Care in 2023?

There is clearly a trend towards more simple and transparent formulations with fewer ingredients, more biobased and plant-based products and we also see a lot of innovations around formats such as refillable solutions, use of concentrates and move to less packaging. To improve the sustainability, CO2 footprints on product level are also becoming more important and the whole industry needs to work together to drive this in the right direction. This will all help for the customer to make more conscious decisions on their purchases and choose the right product for themselves. We also see a trend that customers are starting to use more multifunctional solutions and that for example sun care and skin care are becoming more blurred. This also has to do with the medicalization of beauty that is becoming more prominent in the market. Finally, we also see the emergence of the youngest customer base: the generation Z. These youngsters are absolute digital natives and use the internet to do a lot in-depth research and are looking for authenticity. They connect with each other on TikTok to create content and are not or less interested in in the standard paid advertisements and more interested in personalized campaigns and products.

How does Nouryon help customers providing sustainable solutions for sun care?

Nouryon has a range of solutions for the sun care segment and the most prominent recent launch has been the SolAmaze ® Natural solution which is a 100% bio-based product containing a film forming polymer that offers superior water resistance and pleasing aesthetics for high-SPF emulsion sunscreens. SolAmaze ® Natural solution is globally approved and was developed to maintain the performance of leading synthetic polymers while being non-toxic to aquatic life and reducing the persistence in the environment. It is therefore an excellent solutions for sun screen companies to formulate more sustainable solutions for the customer. SolAmaze ® Natural can be used in both traditional organic and mineral sunscreens, as well as SPF moisturizers, color cosmetics and face and body lotions. It also offers a smooth skin feeling.

Do you have any final tips for our readers?

Please enjoy the summer, the nice weather and make sure to protect your body and the environment while doing so!