OPINION 15


to the masses. In particular, AI (artificial intelligence) can help make true personalisation scalable, offering a level of service previously only available to the very wealthy. Proven Skincare (launched in November 2018) takes this approach, tailoring specific formulations according to a library of over 20,000 effective ingredients built from aggregated products, consumer reviews and scientific journals. Users are invited to complete a questionnaire that asks them about their lifestyle, environment and skin woes and goals, which is then matched with appropriate ingredients and turned into a three-step skin care regime. These are designed to last just two months, as the founders believe that skin care needs change so regularly the formulas should be tweaked frequently in accordance. Personalisation is not just about consumers getting exactly what they want and appealing to their desire to have a bespoke product. It can also be an exercise in brand building. Through offering customisation as a service, brands open up opportunities to boost interactions with customers by creating new touch points, both on and offline, which gives people a reason to visit stores. And this is where brands can not only offer advice but showcase expertise and build personable engagement with their audience. We are mindful that consumers are not only seeking products and advice targeted to them but a holistic store experience. And as omnichannel shopping becomes established as the norm, customer data is increasingly being used to improve in- store experiences that are catered to the shopper. Appetite for this is clear: in 2018,


April 2019


57% of global online consumers said they like the brands they buy from to recognise them as a customer, for example a shop knowing what they have already purchased online.


Dr Andrea Mitarotonda, MChem PhD FRSC - Consultant in Cosmetic Formulation Chemistry


Andrea, a Chartered


Chemist, has PhD in Polymer & Colloid Chemistry, an MSc in Industrial & Applied


Chemistry and a Diploma in Innovation


Management. After spending nearly 20 years in R&D roles with the likes of Oriflame, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Dow, Lamberti, Intercos and 3M, he has now set up his own consultancy in cosmetic formulation chemistry. In my opinion, the future of the personal care industry is to be summarised in three points: going beyond natural, holistic approach and back to basics. The natural cosmetic movement has been transitioning from ‘niche’ to ‘normal’: merely formulating natural products, even to the extreme length of organic certification, does not solve issues linked to the environment or to more or less sustainable practices. It is only a small piece of the puzzle.


In this context, going ‘beyond natural’ means that more complex formulation criteria need taking into account than simply using vegetable-derived ingredients. For example, the use of water


is a problem for millions of people who barely have enough of it to drink, let alone to shower or to wash their clothes. And what about the use of edible fractions of plants to produce cosmetic ingredients? How sustainable is that practice even when done ‘sustainably’? How ethical when the same edible fractions could be used to feed people? In other words, formulating products “beyond mere natural credentials” should put the circular economy at the forefront: using waste materials in order to produce ingredients (e.g. waste from the wood industry, from coffee grounds, from food by- products or waste), reducing the use of important resources (e.g. water), minimising whatever is not strictly necessary (e.g. why put a bottle of shampoo, a tube of toothpaste or a jar of cream in a box that is most likely wrapped in a non-recyclable plastic film and will anyway end up in the trash can?).


This links very well with going ‘back to basics’ of what a cosmetic product is supposed to be. Have we, somehow, lost sight of what topical products are meant to be and meant to be doing? For example, why do we use a blue colourant in a cream aimed at moisturising the skin? Are we making products that are more complex than they should be in order to perform the functions they had been designed for in the first place?


A futuristic ‘back to basics’ approach is


rooted in good & sound formulation science: the formula itself becomes the active ingredient, the diva on stage! And this is all in line with a more holistic approach to life in general and to cosmetic science in particular. The futuristic cosmetic product is holistic.


PERSONAL CARE EUROPE


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