With thousands of players in the personal care and cosmetic industry, one of the biggest challenges formulators face is differentiating their products from the rest. When consumers find it difficult to tell two products apart, brands and marketers turn to one of their most reliable strategies, i.e. individualizing their products on the basis of packaging, its story, color, and fragrances. While this may have worked in the past, and is still effective to some extent, it does not make the cut to fulfill the demands of the modern consumer.
Today consumers are looking for simplified products with minimal ingredients and maximum benefits. This can be further proved by the development of multifunctional products. Take, for example, the two-in-one shampoo and conditioners. Who would have thought this concept would create a storm in the industry. While this was just the beginning, more products like BB creams, Shampoos with 5-in-1 claims and so much more set afoot and revolutionalized the way consumers thought of their beauty products. But what’s the most important thing to formulate multifunctional products? Yes, you guessed it right - it’s multifunctional ingredients. What are Multifunctional/ Multitasking Ingredients? A single ingredient that combines more than two or three key formulation needs in one is called multifunctional or multitasking ingredients. While multifunctional ingredients may look like a short-lived fad, they will soon turn out to be one of the biggest trends in the industry helping beauty brands cut down on harmful ingredients. A multifunctional ingredient serves more than one purpose (dual purpose) in a product formulation while offering multiple benefits to both skin and hair. These ingredients can also have a major effect on the feel of the finished product. Multifunctional ingredients will play an even bigger role in the formulating business especially with the added focus on sustainability and reduction of compounds. The best example of a multifunctional ingredient would be actives. Certain active ingredients provide multiple benefits from a single ingredient, like the active ingredient AHA which helps in wrinkle reduction, anti-aging, fighting fine lines & wrinkles, providing radiance and firmness to the skin. Another good example is emulsifiers that perform as both stabilizers and also thickeners. Apart from that some fragrances also act as preservatives. The Need for Multifunctional Ingredients Whether you believe it or not, the consumers of the 21st century are way more aware and conscious about the products they choose and the brands they associate themselves with. This is particularly due to easy access to information available on the internet and social media platforms that educate them enough about which ingredients are good and which are harmful. The consumers’ choice leans more towards the use of natural ingredients, adoption of a greener lifestyle, and less indulgence with brands that produce potentially health-damaging products. A new trend emerged with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. On one hand, where lockdown routines increased, consumers started toning down their extensive skincare regimes. The shift on minimalistic beauty grew stronger, with more and more attention to brands formulating simple products with minimalist ingredient lists. Consumers started switching to brands doing the right thing. In terms of reducing their impact on the environment, reducing plastic waste, and those with strong CSR initiatives. The Bottom Line: The key to effective and simple formulations became all about multifunctional, gentle, and natural ingredients. Looking for Multifunctional Ingredients? The rising trend highlighting the growing demand for multifunctional and natural products is proof enough that tells us that consumers today are looking for milder, sensitive, and gentle products, which are less harmful to their skin and body. Owing to this, cosmetic product manufacturers in India are now rethinking their choice of ingredients for product formulations. Chemical Brothers have decades of experience with specialty chemical solutions. We are personal care ingredients distributor in India offering a broad range of natural ingredients to help aid the beauty, cosmetic and personal care manufacturers. Our collaborations with some of the best producers of specialty ingredients allow us to deliver top-class solutions to our customers. Dermasist - our formulation and research & development lab help brands formulate better as per the latest trends in the international market, developing products with increased efficacy and better feel & aesthetics. With an utmost focus on assisting manufacturers of the beauty and cosmetic industry our dedicated Chemical Brothers Personal Care Mobile Application can help you find raw materials and formulations with the precise functionality you need! Our app can help you with various aspects such as pH, temperature, aesthetics, activity, compliance, etc., making it easy for you to select the right ingredients for your composition and formulation needs.