NEWS


Truffle extract actives set to be top French beauty trend – Gravel AI


Truffle extract actives are set to become a top trending ingredient in French skin care products, according to a new AI-powered intelligence platform from Gravel AI. The Gravel Early Trends platform


has flagged an increasing use of truffle extract actives - prestige fungal extracts for hydration, brightening and cell renewal - in premium face creams. Gravel AI CEO and co-founder


Karen Ho told Personal Care Magazine that the platform has identified eight brands using truffle extract actives recently. This is still an early signal, she added, but truffle extract actives are its “number one forecast to cross into the mainstream in French face creams”. The Gravel Early Trends platform


detects trends months before they surface, tracks each one’s trajectory, and forecasts which are most likely to cross into the mainstream — a model back-tested against years of historical launches. Gravel Early Trends analyses the past three years new-product launches—their formulations, ingredient lists and on-pack claims— across 23 countries, and uses AI to cluster thousands of granular signals into clear, named trends. To date, it has analysed more


than 171,000 product launches and 1.5 million trend observations. Gravel Early Trends has identified


other early trends to watch in France, including: ■ Peptide + exosome actives — peptides (tripeptides, tetrapeptides) paired with the regenerative “exosome” narrative (43 brands). ■ Tropical monoi aromatics — Tahitian gardenia (monoi) with citrus-flower oils, a place-coded terroir aromatherapy (35 brands). ■ Pregnancy-safe claims — explicit maternal-safety positioning, led by bakuchiol as a retinol alternative (41 brands). ■ Branded encapsulation systems — named proprietary delivery technologies (liposomal,


microsphere) (39 brands). ■ Multi-botanical antioxidant complexes — polyherbal polyphenol matrices (yuzu, açaí, green tea and


more); ˜35 brands. Meanwhile, for the USA, Gravel


Early Trends highlights a more biotech-led picture. Early trends flagged include: ■ Fermented biotech actives — green-biotech ferments (fermented gentian, lactobacillus ferment) as sustainable precision actives (54 brands). ■ Postbiotic barrier complexes — ferment-filtrate postbiotics supporting the skin microbiome (44 brands) ■ Firming & sculpting claims — topical lifting, contouring and


“snatched” positioning riding gua-sha and face-yoga culture (43 brands). ■ Cellular-energy actives (ATP) — adenosine triphosphate for mitochondrial-energy anti-aging (48 brands). ■ Brightening resorcinol (Thiamidol) — a patented tyrosinase-inhibitor for dark spots, now crossing into mass (12 brands). ■ Post-procedure aftercare claims — products positioned as aftercare for peels, lasers and injectables (47 brands). ■ Brightening actives such as Thiamidol are rising in both markets. Gravel Early Trends is built for


R&D, marketing and supply teams at beauty & personal care ingredient and contract manufacturers. “The most valuable trends are the


ones you catch before everyone else — and the ones you can trust. Gravel Early Trends does both: it surfaces early signals like truffle extract in France or post-procedure aftercare claims in the US, and traces every one back to the exact launches, ingredients and claims behind it,” said Ho. “That lets R&D and supply teams


move months ahead of the market, with the evidence to back the bet.” Access to the Gravel Early Trends


platforms is by application at trends. gravelai.com.


European Union to add five more ingredients to banned list


The European Union (EU) has published plans to add five more ingredients early next year to its list of prohibited CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction) substances for use in cosmetics. Following the latest Scientific


Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) assessments, the proposal would prohibit the use of Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-2, Basic Brown 16, Basic Blue 99, and Prostaglandin Analogues in cosmetic products from 1 February. In addition, the EU plans


new restrictions or updates existing conditions of use for Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylparaben, Cannabidiol (CBD), and Hydroxyapatite (nano), for which the SCCS concluded that safe use


www.personalcaremagazine.com


can only be ensured under specified conditions. BHA would be restricted to a


maximum concentration of 0.07% in leave-on and rinse-off products and would be prohibited in oral care products or products that could lead to inhalation exposure. CBD would be permitted


in leave-on, rinse-off and oral care products at concentrations of up to 0.19%, provided that


tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is present only as an impurity at levels not exceeding 0.00025% (2.5 ppm). Butylparaben would be prohibited


for use in sprayable products that may lead to inhalation exposure, and also be subject to new concentration limits for products intended for children under ten years of age. The existing restriction for


hydroxyapatite (nano) would be updated by introducing revised concentration limits and detailed particle specifications for toothpaste and mouthwash. The proposal would also remove


the existing derogation that permits the use of mercury-containing preservatives under certain circumstances. The proposal is currently at the


WTO notification stage and has not yet been adopted. The EU has meanwhile slapped


provisional anti-dumping duties on imports from Chinese producers of sodium benzoate, which are often used as preservatives in cosmetics. The move follows an European


Commission investigation after German speciality chemicals company Lanxess urged it to initiate anti-dumping proceedings, arguing that Chinese government interference has led to artificially low prices. The duties will be 57.6% for


Wuhan Youji Industries, 63.8% for Shandong TongTaiWeiRun Food Science Tech, 75.4% for Tianjin Dongda Chemical Group and 116.4% on sodium benzoate from any other Chinese exporters.


September 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE


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Credit: CRO Mushrooms


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