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2026

  7. Explainer

    Formulating with Surfactant Silicones

    Amphiphilic silicones let formulators build emulsions with a single low-use ingredient, while EU limits on cyclic siloxanes are pushing labs toward linear and non-silicone substitutes.

  10. Explainer

    What the Evidence Actually Shows About 1,3-Propanediol and Skin

    1,3-propanediol's safety record rests on CIR-reviewed patch testing at typical use concentrations, not a single definitive study, leaving comedogenicity and rare sensitization questions less settled than its marketing suggests.

  12. Explainer

    Deriving Renewable Squalane from Sugarcane

    A 2014 Amyris paper on fermenting sugarcane into squalane still circulates as if it were news, but the ingredient it describes now moves through a fractured supply chain of Amyris, Aprinnova, Nikkol Group and Givaudan.

  19. Analysis

    Formulating Aftershave: Why the System Beats the Star Ingredient

    Aftershave brands are quietly rebuilding the whole formula system, not just swapping in alcohol-free claims, as an EU labeling deadline and barrier-repair actives force carrier, humectant, and preservative choices to work together.

  20. Explainer

    The Rise of Miniproteins for Dermocosmetics

    Miniproteins, folded 1-5 kDa scaffolds engineered to mimic growth factors like TGF-β, are landing in serums faster than regulators can build safety frameworks for them.

  22. Explainer

    Why TCM Herbal Blends Are Turning Up in Antiaging Formulas

    TCM antiaging blends layer astragalus, ginseng, reishi, goji and he shou wu for complementary effects, but most supporting evidence is cell-culture data on isolated compounds, not the diluted, multi-herb finished formula.

  25. Review

    Skinome's Second Study Ties Water-Free Retinal to Fewer Blemishes

    A split-face clinical trial on Skinome's anhydrous 0.1% retinal and 10% azelaic acid concentrate found measurable drops in pores and redness after eight weeks, extending the Swedish brand's stability-focused retinal platform from anti-aging into acne-prone skin.

  26. Review

    The Preservative Quagmire Has a Deadline: July 2026

    EU's new formaldehyde-releaser warning label takes effect July 15, 2026, tightening the trigger threshold 50-fold and forcing a compliance scramble even as safer ingredients like parabens keep losing the PR war.

  28. Article

    In Chicago, 'Korean Beauty Store' Means Two Different Things

    Guides to Chicago's Korean beauty store scene point shoppers toward skincare boutiques, but the phrase also covers a much older, larger network: Korean-owned beauty supply stores built on the 1970s wig and hair-extension trade and sustained almost entirely by Black customers. Chicago's own business records show how little the two overlap.

  29. Article

    Four Passes Is Not a Sunscreen Stick Dose

    An SPF label measures a controlled sunscreen film, while a pass measures an inconsistent gesture. The available application study found far less stick product reached skin than the mass used for SPF testing.

  30. Article

    Hello Bello's Baby and Kids SPF 50 Labels Match

    Hello Bello's current Baby and Kids Mineral Sunscreen Lotions SPF 50 list 23% zinc oxide and the same inactive ingredients. The age words distinguish their presentation, not the formulas disclosed on their labels.

  31. Article

    A Familiar Bacterium Beats Kao's Preservation System Again

    Kao USA's recall of Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Shampoo for Pluralibacter gergoviae is the second time in four years the same bacterium has beaten the company's preservation system, part of a wider pattern that also caught Kenvue and Tesco within the past year.

  32. Article

    Korea's Melanoma Rise Traces to a Biopsy Tool, Not the Sun

    South Korea's melanoma incidence is climbing faster than almost any country on record, but the country's own registry researchers trace most of that rise to wider biopsy use and screening, not sun exposure, and most Korean cases turn up on skin the sun barely touches.

  33. Article

    JD.com's Korea Buying Desk Is Now Permanent

    JD Group's August 12 briefing with KOTRA produced just nine signed contracts worth 1.5 million dollars, but the change that matters happened earlier this year, when the Chinese platform swapped occasional matchmaking events for a standing legal buying office in Korea.

  34. Article

    The Dose Inside Vital Beautie's New PDRN Drink Tells a Story

    Vital Beautie's new after-procedure drink pairs a tenth of a gram of PDRN, an ingredient whose track record is in injectable skin boosters, with six grams of collagen, an ingredient Korea's food regulator already recognizes at far lower oral doses.

  35. Article

    Solabia's New Lab Used to Share a Parent With Dr.G

    Solabia's newly completed purchase of Mibelle Biochemistry, the Swiss lab behind the original apple stem cell active, is the second sale in sixteen months to break up a Swiss group that also once owned Dr.G, the Korean dermocosmetic brand L'Oréal acquired in a separate deal.

  36. Article

    The Sunscreen Blind Spot Predates the Stick

    The center-of-nose and under-brow gaps a UV camera found on sunscreen sticks sit in the same eye-and-nose-bridge zone a 2017 peer-reviewed UV-photography study already found missed with cream and spray, at rates the format did not change.

  37. Article

    Green Goo's Million Jars Have a Retail Backbone

    Green Goo's million-jar claim does not document a direct-to-consumer success story on its own. Public records show that extensive retail distribution preceded its online pivot, while the channel figures needed to measure DTC performance remain private.

  38. Article

    An INCI Name Cannot Reproduce This Micellar Water

    The formula's 5% sodium cocoyl glutamate can mean about 1.2% active surfactant when its suggested liquid grade is used. A glucoside substituted at the same weight can more than double that active load, showing why an INCI name is not a complete raw-material specification.

  39. Article

    Eucerin's 98% Claims Do Not Measure the Same Thing

    Eucerin's results panel combines consumer impressions, self-assessment, clinical grading and an elasticity score as if they were comparable findings. It supports a useful signal about texture, but not a single controlled, product-level anti-ageing effect.

  40. Article

    Kojic Acid Just Hit a Ceiling in Europe. The Others Haven't.

    The EU capped kojic acid and alpha arbutin in 2024 over safety concerns, azelaic acid is unrestricted in Europe but split between prescription and cosmetic strength in the US, and tranexamic acid has no concentration limit anywhere because no regulator has formally reviewed its topical use. The four ingredients most often marketed together for pigmentation carry four unequal levels of regulatory scrutiny.

  41. Article

    Body Lotion's Retinol Limit Is About Surface Area, Not Strength

    A new EU rule caps retinol in body lotion at a sixth of the concentration allowed in face cream, and the regulator's own exposure math shows why: spread over more skin, the diluted version still lands close to the same absorbed dose.

  42. Article

    Microdermabrasion Has a Legal Definition. Facial Doesn't.

    Microdermabrasion sits inside an FDA device classification with an effect clinical studies measure in microns of skin removed, while facial has no such definition: what a provider can legally do inside one is set state by state, which is why the two were never comparable at the same level to begin with.

  43. Article

    Himalaya Gives Its Turmeric Serum Different Regional Directions

    Himalaya recommends twice-daily use for its turmeric serum in the US, but once-nightly use in India and Europe. The regional pages do not explain whether the difference comes from formulation, labeling, or inconsistent web copy.

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