Hot Topics: Top 5 trending beauty and cosmetics news stories on social media

1- Cannabis cosmetics crusader celebrates year on from Aussie hemp food legalisation

Almost exactly a year ago, changes to the Australian Food Standards Code finally permitted the sale of low-psychoactive hemp seed as a food, after years of lobbying by producers and industry groups. Hemp skincare’s popularity has trickled down​ from last November’s food legalisation buzz.

The champagne has continued to flow over the 12 months since November 12, as companies from related industries continue to reap the commercial benefits of the hard work many put into two decades of campaigning for legislative reform.

Teresa McDowell says her South Australian skin and bodycare business, Hemp Hemp Hooray, has seen 165% growth in the last 12 months, largely on the back of the buzz created by the legalisation of hemp as a food. As non-consumables, hemp cosmetics have been around for years.

2 - Australian brand Mitten hopes to bring Turkish bath rituals to Asia

Mitten is striving to reincarnate traditional Turkish bath rituals into modern Asian homes​ with its line of luxury exfoliating mitt that treats skin in under three minutes.

Mitten’s exfoliation mitts are modelled after Turkish Hammam Kese, which is used to remove layers of dead skin cells, external impurities like dirt and toxins, and speed up the body’s natural regeneration of new skin cells.

Designed in Australia and made in Turkey, Mitten just requires warm water from a regular shower. The products, which cost around $28 (A$39.90) each, are good for up to 250 washes and can last consumers for five years.

3 - N-Collage: The Halal and ‘cruelty-free’ alternative to cosmetic collagen

Geltor CEO Alex Lorestani has been revealing more about the firm’s ‘cruelty-free’ alternative to collagen, N-Collage, and the wealth of possibilities it offers the cosmetics industry.​

He was speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia at the recent in-Cosmetics Asia show in Bangkok.

The San Francisco-based bio-tech start-up has found a way to engineer and develop an animal-free collagen that the company claims is designed specifically for human skin.

“A pig wasn’t designed to make your skin look better, they are just what we have,” ​said Lorestani. “We can use tools that search the tree of life to find the right collagen for anti-aging or moisturising – whatever you want to make.”​

4 - Transcending religion: The appeal of Halal beauty to non-Muslim consumers

Halal beauty and personal care products have potential to appeal to non-Muslims, largely due to its holistic positioning in the market.​

Nicole Fall, Founder of Asian Consumer Intelligence, told Cosmetics Design Asia that the market is “converging”.

As both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers alike continue to demand products from ethical and sustainable companies, Halal beauty brands are presented with an opportunity to leverage on.

“A brand that is Muslimah-friendly because it’s Halal might also have an ethical positioning or underpin its cruelty free origins as a key marketing message,” ​said Fall. “Consumers expect a holistic message from brands that transcends religion and encompasses more areas of concern reflecting the values of that particular consumer.”​

5- Sustainable solutions: How the first step to socio-environmental harmony can begin with a single tree

‘Start small and you’ll support business sustainability’: That’s the advice for cosmetics companies seeking to offset the negative social and environmental impacts of their products​ and protect raw material supplies.

Agroforestry is only one of PUR Projet’s, which works with firms to regenerate the ecosystem they depend upon, by establishing projects that companies can adopt to can create positive changes in the long-term.

“’Insetting’ is a vision that allows companies to re-balance their relationship with the environment,”​ said Daniel Jongejan of PUR Projet’s project development team. With insetting, companies can compensate for its social and environmental impact within its own supply chain.