PCHi insights
Something is shifting in the way the beauty industry talks about science. For years, efficacy was communicated through concentration: percentages on pack, hero actives in the product name, long ingredient lists that signaled effort and investment. That approach is no longer enough. Consumers are asking sharper questions. Regulators are tightening what can be claimed. And brands are expecting their suppliers and formulators to come to the table with more than specifications.
The Bar Has Moved
Listing what is in a formula is no longer sufficient to prove it works. This is not a passing trend; it is a fundamental shift in what the market now demands. According to Euromonitor’s 2026 Global Beauty Outlook, 49% of consumers would pay a premium for beauty products with a scientific formulation, and dermocosmetics retail sales posted double-digit growth across all regions between 2020 and 2024. (1) Consumers want proof, and they are willing to pay for it.
For suppliers and formulators, this means the work of building a credible efficacy case starts much earlier in the development process. The brands navigating this transition most successfully are building the scientific foundation first, then communicating the science after.
For today’s beauty consumer, the question is not just what is in a product,
but whether there is evidence that it works. (Image designed by Magnific)
Where the Science Is Converging
Three areas of scientific progress are coming together to change what is possible in personal care formulation, and each one is raising the bar across the value chain.
Advances in skin biology are giving formulators a more precise map of how skin actually behaves. Research into aging biomarkers, epigenetics, and barrier science has moved well beyond surface observation. Visible results remain important, but the conversation is increasingly moving toward what is actually happening in the skin, and why.
At the same time, delivery science is maturing within the cosmetics field. Transdermal technologies, precision targeting, and bioavailability optimization are approaches developed in pharmaceutical R&D that are being adopted more widely in formulation work. Where an active is delivered in the skin, at what concentration, and over what timeframe is increasingly factored into formulation decisions.
The third shift is in how efficacy is evaluated. Clinical validation, once associated mainly with dermo-cosmetic or prescription-adjacent products, is becoming more common across the broader personal care market. At the 2026
American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, Kenvue presented clinical research developed alongside
dermatologists and trichologists across its Neutrogena and Aveeno brands, and announced a first-ever partnership with Boards University to embed formulation science education into dermatology residency programs (2)
This reflects how quickly clinical collaboration is becoming the norm rather than a distinction.
For ingredient suppliers, the implication is clear. In formulator conversations, the discussion now routinely covers mechanisms, biological targets, and clinical endpoints.
Cross-Sector Innovation Is Compressing the Timeline
Synthetic biology is opening up new ways to design and produce cosmetic ingredients, including precision fermentation and AI-assisted molecule development. Actives that were previously difficult to obtain at scale, or too costly to extract from natural sources, can now be produced more consistently, with stronger safety profiles and a lower environmental footprint. According to Frost & Sullivan, biotechnological processes are actively reshaping beauty innovation, with bioidentical cosmetic actives emerging as a significant growth area across the ingredients market (3)
The growing overlap between cosmetics and pharmaceutical science is also having an impact. Target mechanism research, biomarker screening, and structured clinical validation, developed in drug discovery, are being applied to personal care product development. And AI tools are being used across R&D functions for ingredient selection, stability testing, and performance modeling, reducing development timelines.4 Science that was considered advanced a few years ago is now becoming standard industry practice.
The New Cost of Entry
These changes are being felt most directly by ingredient suppliers and formulators.
A technical data sheet is no longer sufficient on its own. Brand clients are asking harder questions about how ingredients work at a biological level, and those questions are coming up earlier in the conversation.
For formulators, delivery science, regulatory compliance, and efficacy substantiation now need to be considered together. A formulation that performs well in testing but lacks the documentation to support a claim can be a commercial liability. One that is substantiated but cannot be delivered effectively to its target site is scientifically incomplete. The science must hold together: from the choice of ingredient, through formulation, to the evidence behind the final claim.
Strong claims documentation is increasingly a commercial advantage. Companies that have invested in building a solid evidence base are better positioned to enter new markets with confidence. There is still time to build these capabilities before they become standard requirements. But that window is getting smaller.
PCHi: The Conversation Starts Here
Asia Pacific is where many of these pressures are most visible. Consumer demands are rising, regulators are tightening requirements, and the region’s dense ingredient supply chain means that decisions made here tend to have wider influence. What becomes standard practice in this part of the world often shapes how the rest of the global industry follows.
PCHi 2027 will be where the industry gathers to work through these challenges together — bringing formulators, suppliers, researchers, and brand developers into the same space, across seven halls of ingredient and formulation innovation, a technical conference, and the PCHi Fountain Awards.
The next edition of PCHi will take place from February 24–26, 2027, at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, and HPC Today will be on-site as a media partner
For more information, please visit www.pchi-china.com/en
Pre-registration: https://reg.reed-sinopharm.com/pc/#/login?id=154fb54de9324d148f47a57800ad3645&channelUuid=fddb5b8110f148ed87c88de3744f261d
References
- BeautyMatter, The Value of Beauty: Euromonitor’s 2026 Global Beauty Outlook. Available at: https://beautymatter.com/articles/euromonitors-2026-global-beauty-outlook
- Kenvue, Neutrogena®, Aveeno® and Rogaine® Debut New Dermatology Research & Clinical Skincare Innovations at AAD 2026. Available at: https://www.kenvue.com/media/aad-2026-dermatology-research
- Frost & Sullivan, Growth Opportunities in Bio-identical Cosmetic Actives: Biotechnological Processes Transform Beauty Innovation, May 2026. Available at: https://www.frost.com/growth-opportunity-news/techvision/growth-opportunities-in-bio-identical-cosmetic-actives-biotechnological-processes-transform beauty-innovation-tnv02_tg02_growthoppinbio-identicalcosmeticactives_tgc_db67_apr26-_cim-sn/
- NYSCC, Artificial Intelligence — Delivering Transformational Innovation in the Beauty and Personal Care Industry, March 2026. Available at: https://nyscc.org/blog/artificial-intelligence-delivering-transformational-innovation-in-the-beauty-and-personal-care-industry/
Cover image: designed by Magnific
