In the second installment of our series on AI in nutrition, Nutrition Insight speaks with representatives from Brightseed and Nuritas, as well as independent marketing and R&D experts, about the challenges companies face in working with the technology and how to overcome them.

The Omega-7-rich three-in-one lipid was designed to help formulators meet the progressively pertinent demands for high-performance and future-proof ingredients through a single precision-fermented lipid ingredient. The ingredient is the Swedish company’s debut personal care ingredient and was launched at In-cosmetics Korea, Seoul, earlier this month.

With the new production plant, BASF wants to increase its production capacity for specialty ingredients to better serve its customers across Europe and global markets. The company also highlights that the location uses renewable raw materials, which helps it offer more sustainable options, aligning with what consumers now expect from personal care items.

In skin aging, it is observed that structural cells age, but then negatively affect surrounding cells, accelerating senescence. Drawing on findings from hair regenerative medicine research, Shiseido found that special fatty acids in cilantro fruit extract have high physiological activity. After verifying its effects on skin, it became apparent that the extract may also positively impact fibroblasts. 

The findings come from two separate experimental ex vivo human skin tissue studies of its ATR-COSF program. The findings outline potential applications for the Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) derived ingredient in precision dermatology, and cosmetic proteins and peptides.

In Indonesia, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) is strengthening its cyber intelligence capabilities to track online sellers of illegal cosmetics. The move comes as regulators admitted online sales have become the primary distribution channel for cosmetic products that violate regulations.

The intelligence platform for understanding young consumers’ Next Gen Spenders: Health + Wellness Report compiled 240 hours of in-app, private text and voice notes with over 1,400 Gen Z and Gen Alpha participants to analyze their consumption habits and sentiments. The company’s findings analyzed the variables that younger generations, dubbed Gen Next, are increasingly factoring into their purchase power, such as trust and moral implications.

The brand’s mission, Break the Rules, aims to challenge the growing notion that skin care advice can feel like a set of rules to follow. Neutrogena maintains that dermatologist-backed science makes skin care easier to use and trust.

A surge in foreign investment, coinciding with the ETF (exchange-traded fund) filing, could spur a new wave of capital that helps K-beauty companies expand further overseas.

Focusing on regenerative science, the company’s advancements include expanding its R&D facility, adding a Regenerative Science Advisory Board, and the debut of flagship retail experiences to cater to consumer needs.

Personal Care Insights speaks to Dr. Masoud Saman, a US-based, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and head and neck surgeon, about the ethics of marketing skin care to children and where the sector should draw the line. He says his biggest concern with the rise of the market is that the industry is taking a basic health need and turning it into an identity project for children. 

Companies are recently targeting outdated narratives around period care and tackling issues regarding menstrual health that often go overlooked across all ages.

Late last week, Chinese surgical robotics and medical aesthetics company Puncture Robotic launched a hair transplant robot to integrate AI into the process of hair loss diagnostics and transplant treatment. 

According to the company,  67% of patients want non-invasive treatments with no needles. XERF, short for eXperience Exponential RF, delivers two radio frequencies (RFs) in a single shot for deep and comfortable skin results. 

ELC’s chief executive, Stéphane de La Faverie, wrote: “As we looked ahead, one thing became clear: our brands have different strengths. consumer positioning, competitive dynamics, and growth opportunities, requiring tailored business models to help them accelerate innovation, strengthen consumer connections, and unlock long-term growth.” 

Perspectives from WRAP, Gentlebrand, and Beyondly underline that regulation, circularity, and changing consumer expectations dictate that brands must balance ecological responsibility while maintaining aesthetic appeal.

Innova Market Insights says that new product launches are combining biotechnology with high-efficacy formulations to address hydration, firmness, skin renewal, and healthy aging. These solutions are using ingredients ranging from biotech collagen and neuropeptides to microbiome-supporting actives and marine-derived ones. 

Denis Bendejacq, SVP of Research & Innovation at Kensing, tells Personal Care Insights that the next phase of clean beauty is “responsible beauty.” This narrative furthers the category to depict how feedstocks are sourced, how ingredients are manufactured, and what carbon and resource costs they carry. These shifts, in combination with regulatory adjustments, leads Bendejacq to call greenwashing “clearly a thing of the past.”

Leveraging the finding, Kao has developed H-Linx Tech, a technology incorporated into its hair color brand Liese to enable coloring while repairing damage. H-Linx Tech, featured in Liese formulations, helps repair damage caused by hair coloring, such as preventing split ends, breakage, and frizz.

The beauty giant attributes the higher spending to job cuts, asset-related costs, and terminated contracts, among other changes.

In June 2026, an eyewitness reported attending eight farms in China, the world’s leading exporter of badger fur. 

Consumers in the region are steadily shifting focus to clinical efficacy, ingredient transparency, personalized recommendations, and digital-first experiences — contrary to product choices motivated by trends and traditional mass-market approaches, 

Aora’s products are packaged in tin, aluminum, or wood with zero plastic. Its cosmetic solutions are formulated with Mexican-origin ingredients, including five native chiles, tepezcohuite, and cactus flower. 

According to Henkel, the science-backed premium hair care brand, boasts a high-performance portfolio visible in the international hair care arena.

In what it calls “the world’s most extensive skin quality profiling survey,” the company took a sample size of over 11,000 people in 11 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Together, the products are designed to add blue nuances to makeup, playing off of traditional kabuki colors and shading. 

The FDA’s clearance comes as the microneedling space continues to gain traction, hitting 33% year-over-year growth, and amassing approximately US$330 million in consumer spending in the US in 2025, according to SkinHealth Systems. The clearance applies to adults aged 22 years and older, and across all Fitzpatrick skin types.

Consequently, the Gucci Beauty license will return to Kering — its beauty unit recently acquired by L’Oréal — for a consideration of approximately US$400 million. 

The microplastic-free mask is marketed as safe under the idea that what goes on the lips also goes in. “We make lip formulas with that accidental journey in mind,” says the company.

The activation, which brings together dsm-firmenich’s perfumers and contemporary artists, was unveiled in Paris, France. It scrutinizes the traditional depictions of flowers in perfumery as static objects or cultural symbols, instead framing them as living beings that adapt and respond to their environment.

According to a survey the beauty tech company conducted with women in the US, 80% of respondents experience heightened pressure to have “flawless” or “healthy-looking” skin when warmer weather calls for more exposed skin.

The collaboration unites Givaudan’s fragrance formulation expertise with Microcaps’ patented precision microencapsulation technology, especially in the area of non-alcoholic fine fragrance performance. The two promise to generate high-performing fragrances and beauty applications. 

The renewable ingredient, tapped as a thickener, emulsifier, and stabilizer in cosmetics formulations, is readily biodegradable and boasts a versatile application profile, making it an attractive ingredient in the sustainability space.

The Japanese cosmetics company found that moderate pressure physical stimulation can improve the structure of Ring Collagen, providing anti-aging benefits and reducing sagging. It also reports that rosehip extract and safflower extract may have positive effects on Ring Collagen integrity. 

The venture’s independent operations span over 70 markets, uniting global brands including Kleenex, Scott, and Andrex under a pure-play tissue and hygiene business. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands, with an operational office in London, UK. 

According to Reuters, NYX Professional Makeup made its foray into fragrance with four hair and body mist products. Parent company L’Oréal positions the new products as an affordable, TikTok-native entry into the fast-growing mass scent market. The launch is a deliberate play for Gen Z consumers. 

Trilogy Laboratories has acquired YNS Cosmeceuticals, incorporating its pharmaceutical heritage and FDA-compliant manufacturing capabilities into the skin care brand. YNS has a background in clean beauty aligned with “skinimalism” trends.

Personal Care Insights speaks to dsm-firmenich about what differentiates K-scent from other fragrance landscapes and changing consumer expectations around fragrance performance. 

A greater awareness of how factors such as stress, sleep, nutrition, and hormonal changes impact the skin is driving demand for more holistic beauty-from-within solutions. As a result, the company is seeing brands rethink format innovation.