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

1 – Four cosmetics creams in Singapore were found to contain potent medicinal ingredients, with one causing an infant to develop Cushing’s syndrome.

The Health Science Authorities (HSA) issued the warning after an infant, less than a year old, was sent to hospital after being treated with an unlabelled cream from a traditional practitioner in Malaysia.

At the same time, HSA warned against three other creams used to treat eczema​: D’Splendid Kidzema Cream, Claír De Lune P. Tuberose Day Cream, Claír De Lune S. Involcurata Night Cream.

Temporary relief​

According to HSA, those who used the four creams experienced “rapid relief” of their condition, which worsened when they stopped using them.

The authority tested the creams and found that they contained potent medicinal ingredients including steroids, antibiotics and antifungals.

The unlabelled diaper rash cream was found to contain betamethasone valerate, a potent steroid, and clotrimazole, an antifungal medicine.

2 – No glass ceiling: Piramal sees ‘immense potential’ in India as sustainability and luxury trends rise

Demand for ethical and premium packaging is driving the growth​ of India-based glass manufacturer, Piramal Glass.

According to Vijay Shah, vice chairman of Piramal Glass, the company’s cosmetics and perfumery business has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) at 12% over the last decade.

According to the latest reports, India’s beauty segment is worth an estimated $1bn and is forecasted to reach $2.5bn by 2020.

“We strongly believe that the segment has immense potential in India for both multinationals and homegrown brands,”​ he told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.

Shah pointed out this had been attracting many international personal care companies to set up their operations in India and these companies increasingly procuring and assembling most of their products locally.

3 – Protective cocoon: Expanscience takes on sensitive skin with new microalgae active

French firm Expanscience Laboratiores’ has showcased its new microalgae-derived peptide ​at in-cosmetics Korea, claiming the product can protect skin from inflammation and allergens.

The active compound is derived from microalgae found in the highly inhospitable volcanic lakes of Patagonia. Peptides resulting from the active compound are said to act as a ‘cocoon’ to help skin resist and endure sensitisation and allergic reactions.

“The concept is to protect the skin from different aggravators, sensitising factors – this could be chemical, environmental or allergens,”​ Aremlle le Péniec, Cosmetic Active Ingredients Director, Expanscience Laboratiores told CosmeticsDesign-Asia ​at the recent in-cosmetics Korea show.

Sensitive skin protector​

According to le Péniec, an in-vitro test conducted by the company revealed that the active was able to decrease the quantity of inflammation markers such as TNF-alpha and PGE2.

“What is interesting is that it doesn’t only protect against sensitizers. It goes further to protect skin against allergens. We imitated a skin allergy using nickel and measured the protection and we obtained the same result with Algaenia in terms of protection [with] cortisone,”​ she said.

4 – ‘Tesla of beauty’: Aussie outfit OBJ outlines global ambitions for new cosmetics tech business

Australia-based tech firm OBJ Limited has signalled its ambition to become the ‘Tesla of beauty devices’, arguing the sector is still very much in its infancy and ripe for innovation.​

The company recently recruited the former CEO of Swedish beauty tech business Foreo, Paul Peros, to help establish itself as a  market leader after he steered the firm to revenues of US$1bn in 2018. The new division, headed by Peros, will commercialise a range of products and solutions developed by OBJ.

Potentials of beauty tech​

Peros believes the beauty device market is still in its infancy and has massive potential to expand.

“The beauty device market still feels as though it’s in infancy due to the number of potential routes yet to be explored. If you look back to the early 1980s, beauty was on a par with consumer electronics in terms of market size,”​ said Peros.

5 – WATCH: Geltor poised for APAC expansion with Korea as starting point

CEO of Geltor sees plenty of opportunities for its new vegan collagen and is planning to use Korea as a springboard to expand further into Asia-Pacific​.

The California-based biotech company was at in-cosmetics Korea in Seoul to showcase HumaColl21, what it claims is the first biodesigned human collagen for the skin care market.

It is the second product from Geltor after Collume, which was previously known as N-Collage.

Geltor co-founder and CEO, Alex Lorestani, told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that after an “exciting” start in Korea, the company is looking forward to expanding further into the APAC region, such as Japan and China.

“We've made hundreds of proteins in our home in California… We are really looking forward to bringing more protein products to the skin care market. Two is just the beginning. We are having some early conversations with our partners in Korea this week at in-cosmetics Korea about the new ingredients coming out of our portfolio,”​ said Lorestani.