Topics That Keep Coming Up in Ingredient Meetings Lately
I’m curious about the ingredient trends people in the industry are seeing firsthand. I’ll start by listing the trends showing up in stores and online.
- PDRN·DNA ingredients: Expanding into sunscreens and pads
- Peptides: More inquiries as an alternative to retinol
- Fermentation·microbiome: Storytelling ingredients
- Low-irritation preservative systems: Formulation design instead of “preservative-free”
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To add another perspective from the field, these days it seems what role an ingredient plays in a formula, and what evidence can be used to explain it are becoming more important than the “new ingredient” itself.
For PDRN, it’s worth checking the ingredient’s source and INCI listing, as well as its molecular size and formulation method. Even when the name is the same, the feel on the skin or delivery design in the finished product may differ. And just because it’s being incorporated into sunscreens and pads doesn’t mean you can attribute sun protection or exfoliating benefits to PDRN. With peptides, too, the key is not so much whether they’re an “alternative to retinol,” but which peptide it is and whether there’s evidence at the finished-product level.
The microbiome is interesting, but it’s an area where claims can easily get ahead of the facts, so the specific identity of the strain or ferment and stability data may be what sets a product apart. And with preservative systems, preservation efficacy designed for the conditions of use and test results are more convincing than “preservative-free.” In ingredient meetings lately, what do you hear about most often: new ingredient names or supporting evidence?