Product profiles: Top stories on the new product innovations in the APAC beauty space

1 – In and out beauty: Swisse extends revamped beauty range to complement supplement business

Swisse is ramping up new product development for its revamped beauty range​ as part of its focus into the ‘beauty in and out’ market in Australia and worldwide.

Owned by the Health & Happiness Group (H&H), the wellness and vitamin brand relaunched its skin care business in April 2020, to complement its supplement business.

“Although we have had a skin care range for several years, we are increasingly making it a core focus of the business. We have heavily invested time, effort, and innovation in skin care as it is organically symbiotic to our vitamin and supplement products,”​ said Nick Mann, managing director at Swisse Wellness.

The new Swisse Beauty relaunch saw 10 new products, upgrades to existing formulas, and a new packaging look. The range includes supplements as well as skin care products.

2 – Fasio’s facelift: Kosé rebrands mass make-up brand to meet emerging ‘multifaceted needs’ of younger consumers

Japanese cosmetics company Kosé Corporation has relaunched its mass make-up brand Fasio​ to meet the new needs of consumers that have accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fasio first appeared on the market in 2000 as a ‘sports beauty’​ brand that ‘combined fashion and functionality’​. The brand was targeted at young consumers in their teens and twenties.

The impetus for the rebranding was to meet the new needs of make-up consumers today, which have shifted dramatically in the last two decades.

According to a report by Kosé in 2019 that surveyed over 1,200 women aged 15 to 49, women under the age of 29 were observed to favour different standards for make-up.

3 – Skin microbiome firm Gallinée unveils oral care range: ‘We really started from scratch on this’, says founder

French skin microbiome specialist Gallinée has launched a toothpaste and oral care supplement​ designed as a range to support the existing ecosystem of the mouth – a concept that has massive opportunity in the category, its founder says.

Last week, after two years of research and development, Gallinée launched a prebiotic toothpaste and prebiotic-probiotic ‘mouth and microbiome’ tablet supplement that slowly dissolved in the mouth over 15-20 minutes. The oral care range, designed to be used as a two-step ‘cleanse-and-care’ routine, was available on the company’s own-brand website in the UK, France and US and at the end of May would be available exclusively on Cult Beauty.

Marie Drago, founder of Gallinée, said: “For the moment, we are targeting mainly Gallinée consumers. This is interestingly due to the retail landscape. Oral care products are not yet seen widely as part of a beauty range, so, oral care sections are rare in beauty retailers. Cult Beauty is one of the few to have dedicated a full section to oral care.”​

4 – Overnight recovery: Antipodes forays into probiotic skin care with Culture brand

New Zealand-based green beauty skin care company Antipodes has launched its first probiotic-infused formulation​ - a night cream product under the Culture brand.

The product (Culture Probiotic Night Recovery Water Cream) was developed to boost moisture levels and strengthen the skin’s barrier repair, optimising skin recovery overnight.

The certified vegan cream is formulated with probiotics, hyaluronic acid, and bioactives such as Mamaku Black Fern and Harakeke Flax Gel.

Elizabeth Barbalich, founder and CEO of Antipodes, told CosmeticsDesign-Asia: “With exposure to environmental pollutants, harsh chemical products, UV rays, and the constant heating, air conditioning, and over-cleansing that comes with increased time spent indoors, our skin is feeling more stress than ever.​

5 – Problem solvers: Indian fem hygiene brand Sirona launches first face serums for sensitive skin

India-based feminine hygiene company Sirona has expanded its skin care line​ with its first face serums targeted at sensitive skin, which the firm believes to be an underserved demographic in its domestic market.

The company was established in 2015 and its first product was PeeBuddy, a reusable urination device that helps women urinate while standing, to give women more convenient and less unpleasant experiences at public washrooms.

Since then, the company has expanded its product portfolio to include sanitary pads, menstrual cups, intimate washes and anti-chafing creams.

Most recently, the company launched Anti-Acne Face Serum and Depigmentation Face Serum, the very first facial serums of its skin care line-up, which previously only consisted of an exfoliating facial cleanser.