ANNETTE MEHLING, PETER KEMPERS, YEAH-YOUNG BAEK*
*Corresponding author
BASF Personal Care and Nutrition GmbH, Rheinpromenade 1,
40789 Monheim, Germany

Abstract

Skin care remains the largest personal care category around the world. However, the increasing diversity of consumer needs and attitudes has resulted in greater segmentation of the skin care market. Some of the major market trends are now being driven by consumers’ growing awareness of their health, safety and environment. These consumer preferences are reflected in the demand for customized solutions for sensitive skin and products that are based on renewable raw materials. In this study, a new light emollient derived from renewable feedstock and manufactured through an enzymatic process is presented. This new product can help manufacturers meet the current demand for sensitive skin care products with an improved environmental profile

INTRODUCTION
Skin care remains the largest personal care category around the world (Euromonitor, 2011) (1). Identifying major shifts in consumers’ values and perceptions at an early stage is key to developing valuable solutions that are both useful and relevant for them. The growing awareness of health, safety and environmental issues has sparked greater demand for products with reduced ecological footprints and ingredients based on renewable raw materials – a trend that shapes consumers’ expectations of even complex skin care products. The growing number of consumers perceiving themselves to have sensitive skin is another factor that is increasingly influencing the skin care market: More and more consumers are looking for skin care products that improve the condition of their sensitive skin. This has resulted in numerous launches of products for sensitive skin in the last few years (Figure1).

SENSITIVE SKIN
The condition of a person’s skin plays an integral role in their well-being. The skin is the largest organ of the body and has important functions, such as protection against external factors and as a mediator ...