Cosmetorium 2021: BASF showcases minimalistic and effective solutions for the personal care industry

• Minimalist10 concept answers the consumer demand for clean and simple cosmetic products
• New ingredients: COSMOS-approved, natural texturizing polymer Hydagen^® Clean and fucoidan-rich algae extract Seanactiv™
• TechFocus Program: presentation of new active ingredients for hair and scalp

Barcelona, Spain – October 20, 2021 – At this year’s Cosmetorium in Barcelona on October 20 and 21, BASF’s Care Creations^® will focus on the clean beauty trend which is an important driver for the personal care industry. “There is an increasing number of consumers embracing minimalism as a way of life, looking for simplicity in their beauty routines and versatile, effective products to reduce excessive consumerism”, said Esther Prat, Senior Operative Marketing Manager Iberia/North Africa. Together with its European distribution organization BTC Europe, BASF will share stand 294 and present its latest solutions for the personal care industry to meet this consumer demand.

Minimalist10 concept: minimalist solutions for maximalist purposes

Consumers are becoming more conscious about the ingredients in their cosmetic products and demand increasing transparency from cosmetic brands. The clean beauty movement emphasizes safety, simplicity and efficacy. At the same time, this trend is expanding to incorporate all aspects of sustainability, with special focus on waste reduction and decreased use of resources.

The Minimalist10 concept from BASF’s Care Creations supports this shift towards a simpler, slower, and more minimalist existence. It includes ten skin care formulations that have been developed with not more than ten INCIs and each of them is designed to maximize its purposes and claims by offering ten different positionings as inspiration.

Despite their simplicity, Minimalist10 formulations provide outstanding textures and other benefits that appeal to consumers. To create products with fewer ingredients, it has been crucial to focus on the essence of the formulation and to include ingredients that bring multiple benefits. Each formulation was developed by introducing multifunctional active ingredients, minimizing emollient combinations, using ingredients that share one or more INCIs and by optimizing the combination of emulsifiers and rheology modifiers. The concept offers cosmetic manufacturers the possibility to introduce formulations with few ingredients but multiple possibilities for positioning, claims and even packaging.

Hydagen^® Clean: natural texturizing polymer

With the COSMOS-approved texturizing biopolymer Hydagen^® Clean, BASF now offers another natural alternative to synthetic polymers. The cold-processable rheology modifier, obtained from the tuber of the konjac plant native to southwest China, is suitable for aqueous systems like gels, fluids and serums, as well as more novel formats such as patches, jellies and peel-off formulations. Its film-forming and gelation properties allow for exceptional textures. It is the perfect addition to BASF’s Care Creations existing biopolymer portfolio, which is built on a class of natural rheology modifiers including Rheocare^® XGN (pure vegan xanthan gum) and Hydagen^® 558 P (based on algae).

Seanactiv™: fucoidan-rich algae extract helps to refresh and revitalize the eye contour

The eye area is the first part of the body to reveal visible signs of fatigue, stress, an unhealthy lifestyle and aging. With Seanactiv™, BASF’s Care Creations^® has developed a new ingredient based on the organic-certified marine algae fucus vesiculosus that improves eye contour appearance within the first week of application. The ingredient harnesses the power of the active fucoidan molecule present in the algae to provide a three-step action: it improves the appearance of both dark circles and crow’s feet wrinkles and enhances skin luminosity of the eye area for a fresher, healthier complexion. Seanactiv is 99.8 percent from natural origin and complies with the COSMOS standard for natural and organic cosmetics.

Hair Care Therapy: Actives for hair and scalp

Companies that produce hair and scalp care products need ingredients that enable them to meet the unique needs and concerns of every individual consumer. BASF has a steadily growing portfolio of innovative active ingredients that target the biggest trends in this market, from the rising focus on scalp health through to demand for socially and environmentally responsible products. During the TechFocus Program, Dr. Kinga Kulon, Business Development Manager Beauty Care Solutions Europe, will share highlights of BASF’s actives range including the latest developments such as PeptAIde™ 4.0, Scalposine^® and BioToLife™.

About the Care Chemicals division at BASF

The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are a leading global supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergents and cleaners industry, and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The division’s high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available online at www.care-chemicals.basf.com.

About BTC Europe

BTC Europe belongs to the world's leading chemical group, BASF – We create chemistry. BTC Europe GmbH is BASF’s European sales organization for specialty chemicals. Our strengths lie in our knowledge of the industry, based on many years of experience, and our proximity to our customers. With its 11 regional offices and more than 500 employees in Europe, BTC supplies small and medium-sized customers from a wide variety of industries with about 6,000 products. BTC is headquartered in Monheim am Rhein. Further information on BTC is available on the Internet at www.btc-europe.com.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

P-21-335