Metabolic Beauty: from surface care to systems thinking
Beauty is increasingly expected to do more than deliver short-term cosmetic effects. Interest is growing in products that support skin function over time, addressing concepts such as cellular energy, resilience and repair.
Mintel refers to this shift as Metabolic Beauty, reflecting the convergence of beauty, wellness and preventative health. While this creates compelling marketing narratives, it also introduces technical complexity. Ingredients associated with metabolic or cellular pathways often present formulation challenges related to stability, compatibility and processing conditions.
We see Metabolic Beauty as a move away from hero ingredients towards formulation systems. Performance depends on how ingredients interact, how they are delivered and how consistently they perform over time. Delivery format, excipient choice and sensory profile are just as important as the active itself.
For brands, success in this space relies on aligning biological ambition with formulation feasibility. Early technical input and realistic performance endpoints are essential to ensure credibility and robustness.
Sensorial Synergy: when efficacy needs to be felt
Efficacy alone is no longer enough. How a product feels, spreads and smells increasingly shapes whether it is perceived as effective and whether consumers remain loyal to a routine.
Mintel identifies Sensorial Synergy as a key driver of Beauty & Personal Care innovation in 2026, linking emotional wellbeing with sensory experience. From a formulation standpoint, this elevates the importance of texture engineering, rheology control and fragrance behaviour.
Attempts to optimise sensory properties late in development often lead to compromise, whether on stability, performance or cost. We see sensorial performance as a formulation parameter from the outset, shaped by raw material selection and system design. Emollients, polymers, solvents and fragrance carriers all influence how a formulation behaves during application and over time.
Integrating sensory thinking early reduces development risk and supports more consistent, high-performing outcomes.
Beyond the algorithm: why expertise still matters
Digital tools and automation continue to accelerate product development. Yet alongside this progress, trust is emerging as a critical issue. Consumers are increasingly wary of uniformity, over-optimised claims and “black box” formulations.
Mintel points to growing fatigue with AI-driven sameness and a renewed interest in transparency, craftsmanship and human judgement. Brands are expected to explain not only what ingredients are used, but why they are used and how they work.
We see human expertise as central to credible innovation. Technology can support formulation development, but it does not replace experience, judgement and collaboration. Ingredient selection, troubleshooting and performance optimisation still rely on technical know-how.
For distributors, this reinforces a broader role: supporting customers with insight, clarity and problem-solving, not simply supplying raw materials.
Turning trends into action
Taken together, these trends point to a common conclusion: Beauty & Personal Care innovation in 2026 demands more integrated thinking.
Biological ambition requires robust formulation systems
Sensory expectations demand early technical decisions
Transparency requires expertise and clear communication
Our focus is on helping customers translate global insights into formulation-ready strategies, grounded in ingredient knowledge, technical support and market understanding.
Turning trends into successful products starts not with headlines, but with formulation decisions, and the right partners to support them.
Trend context informed by Mintel, 2026 Global Beauty & Personal Care Predictions.
