Croda’s Princeton site recently hosted a total of 70 beauty brands and contract manufacturers across three successful “Create with Croda” formulation academies for skin care, sun care, and hair care as a way to truly connect with customers and start meaningful conversations, These events allowed experts to share their knowledge with customers to further engage and strengthen the relationship between Croda and the companies they serve.  

Not only did the academies include in-depth presentations on trends, science, and formulations- they also provided demonstrations, interactive activities, and lab sessions. These events allowed for Croda to genuinely listen to concerns and questions and showcase their solutions in the beauty and personal care industry. From demonstrations in their product evaluation center to hands-on formulating, attendees were able to see Croda in their element.  

What’s trending? 

Sustainability is here to stay! The rise of the conscious consumer results in sustainable and environmentally friendly choices to be a non-negotiable rather than an added benefit. According to Euromonitor’s Sustainability Survey, 65.7% of beauty and personal care companies expect consumers to be more concerned about sustainability in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The desire for ingredient transparency and responsible ingredients is increasing across all personal care categories. For example, mineral-based and coral/reef-friendly sunscreen, vegan hair care, and zero waste skin care products are all gaining popularity as the sustainability conversation continues. The beauty and personal care industry is not only talking the talk but walking the walk when it comes to ethical sustainability. New York just passed the New York Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act to go into effect January 1, 2023, making it the 10^th state to prohibit animal-tested cosmetics. 

Another huge trend in beauty and personal care is inclusion and diversity. Focus on textured hair and curl classification in hair care is expanding. Innovative product formats such as curl jelly, curl pudding, and curl custard are addressing consumer need for formats specifically tailored to treat textured hair. The playfulness of these textures mixed with the efficacy of curl enhancing yields success. According to Mintel, 33% of Black/African American users of facial/body sunscreen wish there were more product options made specifically for their skin tone. Shontay Lundy, creator of Black Girl Sunscreen, carved out a new market in sun care. This company specifically addresses solar protection for melanin-rich skin without leaving a white caste behind.  

Skin care is expanding through hybrid products. The “skinification” of both hair care and solar care is rapidly gaining momentum. The shift of focus to scalp care has ignited this hair care trend. In fact, 30% of U.S. users of haircare products are interested in skincare-inspired ingredients when shopping for haircare (Mintel, 2022). Sun care products with anti-ageing, anti-acne, and cosmetic claims are on the rise. Tinted sunscreen boasts 33.4K average monthly Google searches according to SPATE.  

Create with Croda 

Consumers are expecting more transparency from brands and suppliers, and Croda is enthusiastic to be a part of this change for the better. In accordance with Croda’s 2030 goal to be People Positive, the formulation academies helped strengthen bonds and authenticate the relationship between supplier and beauty brand and contract manufacturer. Also in accordance with Croda’s 2030 goal to be Climate and Land Positive, the company was able to show sustainability efforts in action through highlighting their ECO Range, a 100% bio-based, 100% renewable surfactant line, and creating tailored, sustainable solutions with brands.  

Smart science to improve lives™ is more than just a mission statement, it’s a promise. Croda is proud of the success of these first formulation academies of their kind in North America and look forward to continuing to share their expertise, knowledge, and passion with customers across the industry.  

About Croda www.croda.com

Established in 1925, Croda is the name behind sustainable, high performance ingredients and technologies in some of the world’s most successful brands: creating, making and selling speciality chemicals that are relied on by industries and consumers everywhere. 

Croda is a FTSE 100 company with over 6,100 passionate and innovative employees, working across manufacturing sites and offices around the world with a shared Purpose to use Smart science to improve lives™.  As part of this Purpose, and with around two thirds of its organic raw materials already from bio-based sources, Croda has committed to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients, becoming Climate, Land and People Positive by 2030.