The personal care and cosmetics sector is approaching a definitive regulatory point.
With deadlines for environmental and safety compliance fast approaching, personal care brands and contract manufacturers face the dual pressure of replacing long- standing ingredients while maintaining product performance and aesthetics, as well as profitability.
With the EU’s restriction on synthetic polymer microparticles (better known as microplastics) and new constraints on rinse-off products set to take effect in 2027, the timeline for compliance is short.
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Additional (and tighter) fragrance and allergen regulations are also set to follow in 2029.
Compounding this challenge is the reality of traditional cosmetic manufacturing.
Reformulating an established product is rarely a simple swap of ingredients.
Altering a thickening agent, an emollient, or an encapsulating polymer disrupts the delicate thermodynamic balance of an emulsion.
When combined with traditional high-shear manufacturing methods, these changes often lead to unexpected batch failures, stability issues, and protracted development timelines.
To navigate this landscape successfully, forward-thinking brands are recognising that ingredient reformulation must go hand-in-hand with process innovation.
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