News round-up – from the future of Clarisonic to a new cosmetic ingredients app

News round-up – from the future of Clarisonic to a new cosmetic ingredients app

L’Oréal to close Clarisonic

L’Oréal has announced that it is shuttering its Clarisonic business with a view to focusing on developing future beauty devices in-house.

The world’s biggest cosmetics company acquired Clarisonic in 2011 and says it now aims to shut down the business by the end of September, this year.

“This difficult decision was made so that L’Oréal can focus its attention on its other core business offerings,”​ Clarisonic said in a statement.

Clarisonic made its name with the Original Face-Cleaning Brush, which became a leading skin beauty device, being known as a ‘miracle massager’.

Clarisonic recommended that the Face-Cleaning Brush was used twice a day, which in recent years has been disputed by dermatologist and skin care experts as not being an optimal regime – a factor some experts believe led to its waning popularity.

L’Oréal has been increasingly investing in a technology incubator, which is likely to be the platform for developing further beauty devices, filling the gap left by the Clarisonic business.

EU regulators find Butlyparaben to have ‘no safe level’

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has re-classified Butylparaben as a substance of ‘very high concern’, stating that it could not recommend a safe level for it.

The ingredient is used as a preservative in personal care products and has been linked to sperm damage and cancer, while also being environmentally hazardous.

The ECHA has now placed butylparaben on the list of substances of very high concern and says the ultimate goal is to gradually phase it out.

In the US the Environmental Working Group said that the move by the European authorities was a step in the right direction while reiterating its concerns that US consumers were still left exposed to the risk of this ingredient, and others like it.

The organisation said it currently lists 174 products on its Skin Deep Cosmetics database that currently include butylparaben in the formulations.

Good Face Project launches new app

The Good Face Project, a US-based index of cosmetics ingredients, has launched its new app for mobile devices.

The technology uses AI algorithms to answer questions regarding an individual’s skincare needs and goals, while also factoring in lifestyle choices and environmental elements to provide a personalised approach for consumers of clean beauty products.

The Good Face Project has analysed over 45,000 products and graded over 80,000 ingredients for efficacy, safety and cosmetic benefits, providing data-driven analysis.

“Each year, nearly 3,000 new beauty brands are launched in the U.S., and while there never seems to be a lack of options when it comes to makeup and skincare, there is still a major lack in regulation,” said Iva Teixeira, co-founder and CEO of The Good Face Project.

“Some of the industry’s top brands are still including ingredients like formaldehyde and carcinogens in

their products, making them entirely unsafe to use, but not regulated enough to be pulled from shelves.”

“The launch of the Good Face app is a huge step forward in our continued commitment to put consumers at the center of the beauty industry and empower them with information about the products they’re using.”

California toxic cosmetics act awaits approval

The California Assembly has unanimously passed the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, which now means it is waiting to have the final nod from the Senate.

The law would be the first in the US to ban twelve ingredients deemed to be amongst the most problematic, specifically over concerns about toxicity.

The list of ingredients includes dibutyl and diethylhexyl phthalates, as well as formaldehyde, mercury, isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben.

The aim of the proposed Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act is to prohibit the sale of cosmetic products with potentially toxic ingredients as a means of protecting Californian consumers against potential problems.

The new law aims to build on two existing laws that govern cosmetics in the State, the Sherman Food, Drug and Cosmetics Law and the Cosmetics Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005.

The beauty and personal care industry will be closely watching the passage of the new legislation because the California market is the biggest in the US, which means any state legislation is likely to have an impact on a national level.

Givaudan aims to become B Corp certified

Swiss ingredients player Givaudan says it has set its sights on achieving B Corp certification for the business.

The company has embarked on the path towards achieving the certification as a means of demonstrating its commitment to positive actions across all areas of its business operations.

B Corp certification recognises businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability, while balancing profit with purpose.

“Our ambition to become a certified B Corp will help us to live up to the highest standards of being a responsible and sustainable business as we strive to be a force for good,” said Gilles Andrier, CEO.

“Our certification will be the independently-verified proof that we are acting on our purpose goals and successfully balancing people, planet and profit.”

Now you’re up-to-date, discover the new face of beauty.

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Simon Pitman established his career as a business journalist 25 years ago. He is the founding editor of the Cosmetics Design B2B business journals, which continue to be the leading beauty and personal care news source worldwide. For almost two decades Simon has been focused on what makes the industry tick, uncovering the latest technologies and product launches, as well as the newest trends to impact this fast paced industry. He is also a veteran of the in-cosmetics Group events, and having attended every one of the shows worldwide he has developed a deep knowledge about everything pertaining to cosmetics formulation.

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