Solid cosmetics

Solid cosmetics Agency Consulting firm Experts Specialists Consultancy

Address environmental challenges by developing a range of solid cosmetics

The scarcity of quality water and the clean beauty trend are having a significant impact on the cosmetic industry and the development of solid cosmetics. They are challenging all stages in the development of these products, from the sourcing of raw materials to the use of these products, including of course the development of their galenic forms (bars, powders,…). Alcimed’s Cosmetics & Luxury team explores the waterless cosmetics market on a daily basis to support its clients in their innovation projects, market studies and differentiation strategies.

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    The challenges related to solid cosmetics

    The list of ingredients of a cosmetic or hygiene product generally begins with the term “aqua” because water is very often the main ingredient. It sometimes represents up to 95% of its composition! For example, a cream emulsion contains 60 to 85% water, a lotion up to 90%, and a shower gel or shampoo up to 95%.

    However, the scarcity of quality water is a reality. Solid products, which contain little or no water in their formulation, are therefore an innovative response from the cosmetics industry to the need for reducing the environmental impact of the sector, both in the production and use of its products.

    Integrating an eco-sustainable formulation into a product portfolio therefore makes perfect sense. However, key technical and marketing issues will need to be anticipated, such as:

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      How we support you in your projects related to solid cosmetics

      Alcimed helps its clients, major industrial leaders and new entrants, in their projects related to solid beauty solutions.

      Our team can support you, for example, in:

      • Carrying out market studies to determine the structure of the waterless cosmetics market, the positioning of competitors, the segments to be favored and how to differentiate yourself.
      • The identification of relevant technologies for the production of solid beauty solutions as well as the ecosystem of associated players, to allow the identification and selection of your future key partners.
      • The realization of state of the art on a technology or a scientific field. This type of approach makes it possible to highlight the opportunities offered by the technologies considered before deciding on an investment or not.
      • And many other projects depending on your situation!

      Examples of recent projects carried out for our clients in solid cosmetics

      • State of the art of a process for the production of solid cosmetics

        Our client, a major player in the beauty industry, wanted to understand the possibilities offered by a given technology for the production of solid beauty item which already benefits from a lot of research and innovation.

        Our exploration of the field of possibilities in terms of the type of output products, texture or complexity of formulation, made it possible to highlight serious leads for innovation in the field of solid beauty solutions.

        These avenues provide both differentiation for our client and the ability to deliver new client experiences for end consumers.

      • Search for production partners for powder formulations

        Our client, an industrial leader in the beauty sector, wanted to obtain a map of the players capable of supporting it in one of the manufacturing stages of solid beauty items.

        Our support consisted in identifying these players at the global level, in understanding their profile and technical know-how in order to prioritize them according to our client’s specifications.

        We were thus able to select for our client players who were previously unsuspected and offering a significant jump in performance.

      • Identification of relevant research areas in neuroscience in order to optimize the user experience of solid cosmetic items

        Our client from the beauty industry wanted to identify ways to optimize the support of its consumers in the context of new product experiences. This theme is key for solid beauty items as both the packaging and the use of the finished product is new territory.

        To do this, Alcimed identified and characterized numerous research works in the field of neuroscience that can be applied to the objective of optimizing our client’s consumer experience, as well as the associated competence centers by type of expertise.

        This mapping enabled our client to highlight areas of research as well as preferred partners.

      • Benchmark of good industrial practices in extrusion to develop solid cosmetic products

        One of our clients, a leading player in beauty sector, wanted to rethink and improve its industrial practices in terms of extrusion (processes, skills, technologies, etc.) with the aim of developing new galenic forms.

        For this project, our team carried out a benchmark of existing practices in other sectors of activity (materials, energy, agrifood, etc.) through a bibliographic review as well as discussions with R&D teams from other players.

        Our work helped inspire our client’s team and build a development roadmap for their extrusion practices.

      • Definition of key technologies and consumers receptiveness in regard to the production of solid cosmetics

        Alcimed worked with a top cosmetic client to help them assess the potential for producing solid cosmetics.

        As a first step, we realized a mapping of the ecosystem to identify key technologies required for designing and producing solid cosmetics (bars,…). An assessment of the priority technologies was then realized in order to identify, as a second step, the related European solution providers that could be key to the client. Concurrently, we used the methodology of social listening to gauge consumers’ receptiveness to this type of products.

        At the end, Alcimed recommended on the potential for the client to go into this market, and on the most relevant European solution provider to partner with. As a bonus, we also delivered a full mapping and database of the solution providers for future developments.

      • Identification of equipment suppliers for solid emulsion manufacturing

        Alcimed worked with a top cosmetic company to scout and identify new technologies and processes used to produce solid emulsion for color cosmetic applications, and associated suppliers.

        We elaborated a relevant list of technologies by carrying out 2 consecutive phases:

        • The identification and characterization of technologies used in various sectors (construction, art, food, healthcare, etc.) to produce solid emulsions
        • The identification of eligible suppliers of selected technologies with an in-depth characterization of players of high interest.

        We elaborated a panel of technologies relevant to produce solid emulsion, confirmed and reassured the client on the top technologies to invest in in the short term, and defined the first elements of possible collaborations with selected suppliers.

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