18 INTERVIEW
of the portfolio. To have an offering that cuts across functional polymers, bioactives and preservatives when we’re talking with customers is something they really appreciate because we’re able to support multiple parts of the formulation. We are one of the biggest, if not
the biggest, non-Chinese bioactives player in China. That’s a real source of differentiation and advantage for us. In Nanjing, we have a great facility with a clean room, and that capability will enable us to continue to accelerate growth in the country and in the region. Another strength is Ashland is a
science and technology company with innovation at the heart of what we do. We’re bringing new chemistries to the industry, to really challenge and replace some of the workhorses that have been around for decades.
TP: I watched your recent Ashland Innovation Day presentation where you said you want to “change the industry”. Would like to elaborate on what that meant? JM: Changing the industry is about bringing new materials. As an industry, we are at a crossroad where we want to move to more natural materials, we want to move to materials that are biodegradable or more sustainable. But what’s being offered in the
market right now is missing the mark from a performance standpoint. That’s why you’re seeing a lot of brands and customers pushing out their sustainability targets and continuing to work with traditional materials. There aren’t new materials
that are biodegradable; that are natural, that are sustainable, that are hitting the performance targets. Our innovation toolbox, the products that we are working on, really have the chance to change the industry and replace some of the workhorses, whether it be carbomers or silicones or other styling polymers.
TP: Improving on the performance of silicones with more sustainable ingredients is a challenge. What is Ashland doing about that? JM: We’re developing an alternative called TVO (transformed vegetable oil). It’s soybean based. We take soybean oil and then derivatise and modify it. In hair care, we feel we have a product that’s on a par or even
PERSONAL CARE September 2025
of new products in those markets. We see North America and
even Europe as hot spots from an innovation standpoint. Like I mentioned, we’re bringing new products to market that are sustainable with superior performance for clean beauty. That is really going to hit in the US and Europe, so we’re very bullish on those markets as well.
TP: What other global trends do you see in personal care? JM: Consumers are looking for products that are almost clinical products. Brands are almost bringing the back of the label to the front and talking about what’s in the bottle as part of the promotion. Personalization is something
that’s really big right now and that’s influencing product development. Another thing is the definition
of value products. Historically, value was decided by price, but now it’s really about the performance because you have much better informed consumers. You have to be able to
“We have prototypes in development that get very close to the same silicone feel in skin care.
We’re really closing the gap” Jim Minicucci, Ashland personal care senior VP and general manager
better than silicones. We’ve seen great results in hair for shampoo and conditioning, both for the feel, as well as the performance, versus silicones. Whether it be the dry friction comb test or the wet friction comb test, we’re actually exceeding what you get with silicones. We’re also applying TVO
technology to skin care. Skin care is probably even a more difficult task, because of the skin feel. Silicones have a very unique feel, and for skin care, more so than hair care, the feel is a critical part. We have prototypes in
development that get very close to the same silicone feel in skin care. We’re really closing the gap, especially on the skin feel side. We’re beta testing with customers right now.
TP: How are you using AI and similar technology to accelerate the product development process? JM: Much of what we’re doing with AI is the screening of new materials. So, for our TVO platform, we have a soybean oil that we
modify and combine with other molecules. We do a lot of molecular modelling using AI to screen how a synthesised molecule will behave rather than do bench experiments. AI helps us with molecule
chemistry development, to take a very large library down to, say, five candidates, and then do the experimental testing on those five candidates.
TP: Broadening it out to non- Ashland specific questions, where do you see as the hot markets right now? JM: Southeast Asia is a really hot region. Thailand, Indonesia. Population growth is very strong there. There’s increased awareness on skin health, and hair treatment is really big there. China, of course, is a critical growth area, and Asia as a whole is 50% of the entire skin care market. K-beauty is driving a lot of
trends, even in Latin America, which continues to be a big growth area for us. Brazil and Mexico. Social media is accelerating growth and adoption
differentiate because not only are consumers better informed, they are also overwhelmed with options and often have a limited bandwidth to make decisions. With the rise of e-commerce and social media, we may see shorter product life cycles with shorter innovation cycles. That’s something as an industry that we’re going to have to work on: how to innovate and bring new products with new performance to market faster.
TP: Is there anything that keeps you up at night with worry as the head of Ashland personal care? Tariffs, regulation? JM: Tariffs are not a major cost impact for us. As I mentioned, the majority of our footprint is fairly well balanced globally, so we’re able to position ourselves fairly well in terms of producing region for region. The tariff dynamic is more
of a secondary effect. Some of our customers have recently announced they’re going to be potentially increasing prices on a significant number of their products. The extent that it impacts consumer confidence and consumer sentiment, that’s something that we’re monitoring closely. In terms of regulation, China compliance is always front of mind as we develop new materials.
PC
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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