Q1 2024 Topicals Round-up
In this monthly column, Gary Conroy, CEO of 5 Squirrels Ltd, will provide updates on the cosmetic topical landscape. He will focus on regulations, markets, new products, clinical breakthroughs, and scientific findings. The goal is to keep you and your patients informed about the latest developments in topicals, ensuring safety and enhancing treatment outcomes. Stay tuned for valuable insights and updates!
Since 2014, 5 Squirrels have helped skincare professionals to launch their own brand of skincare products and take back control of their business.
They have developed an award-winning portfolio of product formulations containing highly concentrated active ingredients to improve the skin’s overall health and appearance. They offer a one-stop shop that makes the whole process simple so you can get on with what you do best - looking after your clients’ skin.
If you would like more information about launching your own brand skincare with 5 Squirrels, they can be reached at info@5squirrels.com and www.5squirrels.com.
The last quarter has seen transformational changes in consumer safety concerns and regulation changes to address these in both the EU and the USA, which are far-reaching both in terms of the impact of products on the marketplace and the cost of the associated regulatory burden in launching new products. Some of you may have seen price hikes from USA-imported brands as the most major overhaul of the regulations in nearly 100 years came into effect in December 2023.
UK REACH has yet to follow suit with some of these changes, and many new ingredients now available and deemed safe in other territories have not yet made it through Whitehall and onto the UK market.
Despite the inflationary burdens, the merger and acquisition landscape is highly active, with many healthcare professional brands being acquired and on the radar of investors driven by accelerated consumer growth and demand for high-end technical products.
Regulations:
1. The CTPA (Cosmetic & Toiletry Professional Association) have launched COSMILE, a new app designed to support consumers and create more transparency around ingredients and market claims.
This is a really handy app for clinicians to have on their phones, and it allows users to easily scan the ingredients list on cosmetic products to gain full insight into what they are and their benefits. It really helps demystify ingredients and filters out the facts from the marketing claims.
It would particularly come in useful when deciding which products to stock in clinic,
- Do they offer value for money?
- Are the ingredients listed and legal for sale in the UK/EU?
- Do the ingredients support the claims?
The App is available to download now in the usual App stores : COSMILE Europe app
More info at : https://cosmileeurope.eu/
2. The SCCS (Scientific Committee for Cosmetic Safety) in the EU has passed a new law on the safety of Retinol used in cosmetic products. This has not yet been passed into law in the UK, but it is expected to do so soon.
The maximum concentrations allowed of vitamin A in cosmetics will be 0.05% Retinol Equivalent (RE) in body lotion, and 0.3% RE for other leave-on and rinse-off products is safe.
The committee have concerns about consumer exposure to Vitamin A through dietary consumption and cosmetics, which could lead to a high intake and potential teratogenicity.
The timeline for these changes are:
- No new products containing more than the above dose will be permitted to be placed onto the EU market after June 2025.
- All products containing more than the above dose must be removed from the EU marketplace and cannot be on retail shelves from 31st December 2026.
https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2023/12/22/Cosmetic-regulations-updates-for-Europe
3. Cosmetics Europe Published Guidance on EU labelling of Additional Fragrance allergens. 80+ new allergens have now been added to the list, which must be legally highlighted in product ingredients to ensure patient safety. This comes shortly after Natasha’s Law in the UK, the tragic case of the teenager who died from anaphylaxis after consuming a sandwich at the airport. The regulatory pathway for cosmetics is increasing patient safety by following in the footsteps of food allergen warnings.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/
4. In the USA, cosmetics regulations have been tightened to align more closely with EU laws, and cosmetics are now regulated by the FDA for the first time. MoCRA (the Modernisation of Cosmetic Regulation Act 2022) came into force after many delays on 31st December 2023. It is the most extensive change in cosmetic regulations since 1938 in the USA.
The new list of legal requirements is extensive. It puts a much heavier regulatory burden on manufacturers to ensure clearer and fairer labelling, improved safety, due diligence and more robust claims. It is not dissimilar to the EU Act enforced since 2013.
Clinics may have noticed price increases from US brands they are purchasing. The additional costs may be due to this additional regulatory requirement and the associated costs.
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/modernization-cosmetics-regulation-act-2022-mocra
5. The UV Filter 4-Mathylbenzylidene Camphor has now been banned in the EU due to safety concerns and must be removed from sale by the end of 2025. Clinics should check their SPF ingredients and make an informed decision.
https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/4-methylbenzylidene-camphor-4-mbc_en
6. Regulations have been further tightened within the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) launched in June 2023. The rules state that ingredients such as
- Coffee Extracts
- Palm Oil
- Soya
- Wood oils
Do not come from land which has been deforested since December 2020 and have been produced following the laws of the source country, and products are covered by due diligence.
Clinic owners who are concerned about the impact products they supply may be having on deforestation should ask their suppliers for a Due Diligence Statement.
7. ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) has upheld a ruling on the advertising on social media regarding socially responsible advertising.
The CAP Code (Committee on Advertising Practice) states the advertising should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. The advert contained key messages and images perceived to target young people and, therefore, may have an effect on a younger audience’s insecurities about their appearance.
As injectables are now more heavily regulated around age and consent, clinics should be mindful of these guidelines when advertising products and other treatments, too, especially around teenage acne.
https://www.ctpa.org.uk/news/asa-ruling-on-irresponsible-advertising-7434
The last quarter has seen transformational changes in consumer safety concerns and regulation changes to address these in both the EU and the USA, which are far-reaching both in terms of the impact of products on the marketplace and the cost of the associated regulatory burden in launching new products. Some of you may have seen price hikes from USA-imported brands as the most major overhaul of the regulations in nearly 100 years came into effect in December 2023.
UK REACH has yet to follow suit with some of these changes, and many new ingredients now available and deemed safe in other territories have not yet made it through Whitehall and onto the UK market.
Despite the inflationary burdens, the merger and acquisition landscape is highly active, with many healthcare professional brands being acquired and on the radar of investors driven by accelerated consumer growth and demand for high-end technical products.
Regulations:
1. The CTPA (Cosmetic & Toiletry Professional Association) have launched COSMILE, a new app designed to support consumers and create more transparency around ingredients and market claims.
This is a really handy app for clinicians to have on their phones, and it allows users to easily scan the ingredients list on cosmetic products to gain full insight into what they are and their benefits. It really helps demystify ingredients and filters out the facts from the marketing claims.
It would particularly come in useful when deciding which products to stock in clinic,
- Do they offer value for money?
- Are the ingredients listed and legal for sale in the UK/EU?
- Do the ingredients support the claims?
The App is available to download now in the usual App stores : COSMILE Europe app
More info at : https://cosmileeurope.eu/
2. The SCCS (Scientific Committee for Cosmetic Safety) in the EU has passed a new law on the safety of Retinol used in cosmetic products. This has not yet been passed into law in the UK, but it is expected to do so soon.
The maximum concentrations allowed of vitamin A in cosmetics will be 0.05% Retinol Equivalent (RE) in body lotion, and 0.3% RE for other leave-on and rinse-off products is safe.
The committee have concerns about consumer exposure to Vitamin A through dietary consumption and cosmetics, which could lead to a high intake and potential teratogenicity.
The timeline for these changes are:
- No new products containing more than the above dose will be permitted to be placed onto the EU market after June 2025.
- All products containing more than the above dose must be removed from the EU marketplace and cannot be on retail shelves from 31st December 2026.
https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2023/12/22/Cosmetic-regulations-updates-for-Europe
3. Cosmetics Europe Published Guidance on EU labelling of Additional Fragrance allergens. 80+ new allergens have now been added to the list, which must be legally highlighted in product ingredients to ensure patient safety. This comes shortly after Natasha’s Law in the UK, the tragic case of the teenager who died from anaphylaxis after consuming a sandwich at the airport. The regulatory pathway for cosmetics is increasing patient safety by following in the footsteps of food allergen warnings.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/
4. In the USA, cosmetics regulations have been tightened to align more closely with EU laws, and cosmetics are now regulated by the FDA for the first time. MoCRA (the Modernisation of Cosmetic Regulation Act 2022) came into force after many delays on 31st December 2023. It is the most extensive change in cosmetic regulations since 1938 in the USA.
The new list of legal requirements is extensive. It puts a much heavier regulatory burden on manufacturers to ensure clearer and fairer labelling, improved safety, due diligence and more robust claims. It is not dissimilar to the EU Act enforced since 2013.
Clinics may have noticed price increases from US brands they are purchasing. The additional costs may be due to this additional regulatory requirement and the associated costs.
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/modernization-cosmetics-regulation-act-2022-mocra
5. The UV Filter 4-Mathylbenzylidene Camphor has now been banned in the EU due to safety concerns and must be removed from sale by the end of 2025. Clinics should check their SPF ingredients and make an informed decision.
https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/4-methylbenzylidene-camphor-4-mbc_en
6. Regulations have been further tightened within the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) launched in June 2023. The rules state that ingredients such as
- Coffee Extracts
- Palm Oil
- Soya
- Wood oils
Do not come from land which has been deforested since December 2020 and have been produced following the laws of the source country, and products are covered by due diligence.
Clinic owners who are concerned about the impact products they supply may be having on deforestation should ask their suppliers for a Due Diligence Statement.
7. ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) has upheld a ruling on the advertising on social media regarding socially responsible advertising.
The CAP Code (Committee on Advertising Practice) states the advertising should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. The advert contained key messages and images perceived to target young people and, therefore, may have an effect on a younger audience’s insecurities about their appearance.
As injectables are now more heavily regulated around age and consent, clinics should be mindful of these guidelines when advertising products and other treatments, too, especially around teenage acne.
https://www.ctpa.org.uk/news/asa-ruling-on-irresponsible-advertising-7434
Markets
1. Puig, the Spanish Beauty conglomerate, has acquired Dr Barbara Sturm skincare brand after Oprah Winfrey invested an undisclosed sum in the brand last year. Dr Sturm founded the brand in 2014 and has grown it to global sales of $150 Million in 2023. The acquisition price has not been disclosed. Well done, Dr Sturm!
https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/barbara-sturm-acquired/
2. L’oreal has acquired water tech start-up Gjosa, a Swiss-based water-saving device company. The new owners plan to use the technology for new beauty developments as the cosmetic industry further moves towards better green credentials.
https://gjosa.com/about-gjosa/
3. Shiseido has acquired Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare to build its dermatologists-backed prestige holdings. Dr Gross launched his brand in 2020, and by 2022, he will have achieved sales of $100 million.
This acquisition comes during a boom of acquisitions for Dr. led Skincare brands
https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/shiseido-acquire-dr-dennis-gross-skincare/
4. Retail Beauty continues to buck the trend of most consumer markets worldwide, according to Circana, who report a 14% growth in the sector in 2023 with consumers testing the limits of innovation, bringing physical, digital and even psychological product expectations to the forefront of market expectations.
5. Clinic owners should be mindful of this when considering how to maximise the retail space in clinic as a key business driver in 2024. With their main demographic attending clinic for treatment eager to shop for topicals, this is a key growth opportunity often overlooked where patients attend clinics for treatments but spend funds elsewhere on products.
6. Dyson has invested £500 Million into developing new beauty products to fulfil unmet consumer demand.
Scientific
1. Silab has presented MYOLINE, a new natural, relaxing active ingredient for sublimated skin derived from watercress plants. The company claim the ingredient has a myorelaxing effect by acting on the neuromuscular junction. It has a genuine “Botox-like” effect.
https://www.silab.fr/en/products/skincare/119/myoline
2. Abbvie has identified 12 key contributors to the ageing process to help provide a roadmap to the longevity of the skin. These include telomere attrition, dysbiosis, chronic inflammation and disabled macroautophagy, to name a few.
The findings will be announced at Beauty Accelerate in March 2024 in Los Angeles.
3. Givaudan reveals precision fermentation hyaluronic acid breakthrough by directly obtaining the molecular weight required during the fermentation stage. The company claims a 90% reduction in their global footprint, reducing costs and improving yield whilst producing lower molecular weight HA.
This will directly target key proteins involved in barrier function, improving hydration and texture, resulting in 72 hours of hydration and an increase in skin smoothness of 66%.
4. A new study has been published to evaluate Cantella Asiatica, also from Givaudan, to solve stretch mark concerns. Stretch marks, also called striae, are a form of tissue damage caused by excessive dermis stretching and affect 60% to 90% of women during pregnancy.
The study concluded that Cantella Asiatica acts as a natural remodelling partner by decreasing Collagen Type 1 degradation, stimulating micro-circulation and tropelastin synthesis to fully replenish the dermis network. Elastin increased by 37%, and wound closure increased by 85% after 36 hours.
This may be a novel ingredient to be used by aesthetic practitioners for post-procedural treatment.
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/11/1/15