Personal care products are expected to deliver so much more than functional benefits, and as a result, texture and sensation are as important as any performance attributes. Ingredients that create sensations of coolness, warmth and comfort bring an additional dimension to formulations and make for a more premium experience, while new technologies are providing unusual and novel texture sensations.

Datamonitor’s new report entitled Sensory Ingredients in Personal Care takes a look at the latest innovations in terms of ingredients, technology and finished products. In skin care, for example, texture can be an important way of delivering the feeling of an instant effect through ingredients that tighten, tingle or feel warm on the skin.

These sensations appeal to consumers who want to see and experience noticeable results from products such as moisturizers and anti-aging treatments. Examples include diamond powder, which is used to help scatter light and blur the appearance of lines and wrinkles, while fermented capsicum helps raise skin temperature and increase blood circulation in order to improve skin tone.

According to Datamonitor, the main sensorial textures include skin feel, cooling and warming agents, tightening/firming and plumping, while fragrance can be used to evoke memory and mood. A relatively new trend in fragrance is for soft, enveloping scents reminiscent of cashmere and the smell can be achieved using different ingredients, such as musk indanone, used to mimic the smooth soft feel of cashmere wool. It is used in many modern perfume formulas and also used for its staying power in everyday products from soap to shampoo to deodorant.

How They Rate
Datamonitor’s Consumer Global Survey 2013 highlighted the importance of sensory benefits in consumers’ product choice. Globally, 37% of women and 28% of men rated sensory benefits as having a high influence when choosing personal hygiene benefits, with fragrance featuring as a key sensory benefit. A third of women globally place a high importance on sensory benefits in hair care and skin care. In its report, Datamonitor observed that whereas a luxury feel was once the preserve of high-end premium brands, it is becoming a prerequisite of many mass-market lines.

New technologies, such as Dow Chemical’s EcoSmooth Delight, a versatile sensory modifier, are making high-end consumer-perceived sensory benefits in skin care applications without the typical cost associated with a luxury feel.

Natural Textures
One of the key sensorial benefits in personal care products is skin comfort, which is achieved through the addition of emulsifiers and silicones. Increasingly, natural alternatives to petroleum-based products have become available, such as Lexfeel N Series from Inolex and Dermofeel Sensolv from Dr. Straetmans, which are both eco-certified and have the same sensory feel as silicones. Argan oil is a favorite natural skin soother, used in a variety of skin and hair care preparations, while Datamonitor is noting that aloe vera, rooibos and even camel milk are finding their way into skin care for their gentle, soothing properties.

Exfoliating body washes are popular with consumers the world over; acccording to Mintel, exfoliating body wash launches in the UK and Brazil nearly doubled in 2013. But with growing concern and the subsequent phase out of polyethylene beads from formulas, there is interest in exfoliation alternatives.

“Given this strong interest, brands have an opportunity to position the phase-out of plastic microbeads as a premium move, where natural ingredients could create a new brand image centered on health, wellness and sustainability,” explained Jamie Rosenberg, a global household and personal care analyst with Mintel.

In particular, the use of apricot seeds and nut powders has more than doubled in terms of product launches over the past four years. Other natural exfoliating ingredients recorded by Mintel include jojoba, a mainstay in the US and the UK, while Brazilian consumers favor oats, sea salt and wax-based exfoliants.

Bar soaps have thrown off their rather staid image by providing sensory experiences using unique scents, textures, colors and shapes. Mintel has noted an increase in multi-sensory bar soap launches which add more value to bath time; products that not only cleanse and moisturize, but work on the user’s mood, too. Mintel GNPD data shows that sensory bar soaps accounted for just 2% of total bar soap launches in 2008, but grew to 5% in January 2014.

“Products communicating sensory benefits are biased towards premium, hand-made bar soaps which often have a natural concept and botanical ingredients,” commented Rosenberg.

Meanwhile, soap brands are experimenting with new textures, such as soft-feeling jelly that is pleasing to touch and that also come in more visually appealing bright colors and fresh scents. Mintel cites Lush Golden Fun Soap, a malleable dough-like texture, which combines soap with crafting for kids’ bathtime.

Future Inspirations
According to Datamonitor, time-saving benefits and unique experiences have been a major driver in the growth of multifunctional products and are particularly appealing to time-strapped younger consumers. Textures and sensorial benefits will become increasingly important, especially when combining product types that have different textures when sold separately, such as silky serums and moisturizing foundations.

Brazilian ingredient supplier, Beraca, for example, has a range of multifunctional vegetable oils with proven benefits for multiple applications that are designed to help improve the sensorial attributes of products.

Inspiration from the food and drink industry is coming from trendy healthful ingredients.from trendy healthful ingredients. Flaxseed, sunflower, sesame and chia seeds are considered to be a healthy dietary supplement and are already used in some cosmetic formulations. Datamonitor suggests that brands could make more of their sensorial attributes. For example, chia could be an interesting new texture in personal care products as it becomes gelatinous when moistened. Meanwhile, Jujube, a red date from Southeast Asia, is used for its relaxant properties in sleep remedies such as Zazen sleep formula and could possibly be used in nighttime skin care products to promote restful sleep.

Mintel maintains that sensory products capable of provoking an emotional reaction will inspire consumers and help them bond with brands. The addition of a novel sensorial attribute could give brands the necessary USP (unique selling point) to compete in today’s crowded marketplace. 

Datamonitor and Mintel will each contribute two trends-based presentations at this year’s In-Cosmetics Marketing Trends Presentations in Barcelona, April 14-16, 2015.
More info: www.in-cosmetics.com