AT THE FARM

IN THE FIELDS

The post Camp Meadowfoam 2024 – An In-Depth Look at Our Products & Processes appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

Let’s dive-in to four of these trends and how they apply to lip formulations.

Trend 1: Skinification

Skinification refers to incorporating skincare ingredients into cosmetics and adding skincare routines to applications beyond the face. Nurturing the body’s microbiome and protecting skin barrier function is also important for the scalp, neck, body, and lips. 

Trend 2: Natural Beauty

The no-makeup makeup look and a trend towards using makeup and skincare products to enhance natural beauty emerged from the pandemic lock-down. While full lips have been popular for many years, and collagen injections may be one way to obtain the perfect pout, many consumers are shying away from the needle in favor of less invasive and less costly options. In fact, web searches and TikTok hashtags for “lip injections” are down nearly 30% year-over-year (USA market, spate.nyc). 

Trend 3: Multifunctional Products

Consumers are increasingly opting for personal care routines that achieve the same results in less time and with fewer products. Related to the Skinification trend, products such as foundation with sunscreen, hydrating and brightening serum, or beard oil that also moisturizes the skin can maximize benefits and command higher prices. 

Trend 4: Conscious Beauty

This megatrend contains many supporting trends, including a shift towards ingredients that are locally- and ethically-sourced, vegan and cruelty-free, and are derived from soil-friendly and water-wise sources. Buyers are hyper-aware of the impact their purchases have on the environment and many want to make informed, responsible decisions. 

For more trend-focused formulation development inspiration, visit our Formulations and Applications Library.

To request samples of Meadowfoam Seed Oil XPR and Daikon Seed Extract, contact [email protected] or fill out the sample request form on our website. 

The post Beauty Trends x Lip Care Formulations 2023 appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

Water-Wise Cleansing

Waterless and Water-Wise Beauty was one of the hottest trends in 2022 and this trend shows no sign of slowing down in 2023. There has been a significant jump in skin and hair cleansing bar formulations, but water-wise cleansing oil formulations remain popular as well.

Not only are natural emollients excellent choices for waterless formulations, but Meadowfoam Seed Oil carries the added benefit of deriving from a water-wise crop. Meadowfoam cultivated by Natural Plant Products’ grower-members is no-till farmed in the very rainy Willamette Valley of Oregon. This means the soil is never plowed or tilled and requires little-to-no irrigation.

Relying on less water than a traditional liquid hair/body cleansing formula, Briogeo released their Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk Ultra Soothing 3-in-1 Cleansing Bar at the end of 2022. As a hair, face, and body cleanser, this multitasking powerhouse also lends itself well to the emerging skinimalism trend. We love the addition of oat kernel flour and Meadowfoam Seed Oil to soothe and moisturize.

Another new water-wise product featuring Meadowfoam Seed Oil is the MAC Cosmetics Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil, which touts effective removal of makeup and impurities from the face.

Pacifica Beauty has also released their Wake Up Beautiful Waterless Cleansing Balm for non-stripping facial cleansing.

Skin Barrier Protection

As consumers’ knowledge of the skin barrier increases, so does the demand for products that respect and protect a healthy skin barrier. Here is a selection of commercial products with Meadowfoam Seed Oil aimed at guarding the skin barrier:

REN Evercalm Barrier Support Elixir

Bobbi Brown Extra Plump Hydrating Lip Serum

DARPHIN Paris Eclat Sublime Duel Rejuvenating Micro Serum

How does Meadowfoam Seed Oil help promote a healthy skin barrier? Check out our Assessment of Natural Emollients’ Ability to Improve Skin Barrier Function.

Guide Formulations Featuring Meadowfoam Seed Oil

In alignment with the trends discussed above, our current most popular guide formulations are waterless formulas that help moisturize and maintain the skin barrier:

• Melting Waterless Cleansing Balm (Formula #100-155D)
• PEG-Free Solid Cleansing Oil Balm (Formula #100-100A)
• Cranberry Orange Hand Mask / Balm (Formula #100-156F)
• Visible Volume Lip Oil (Formula #102-13J)

NEW! Natural Plant Products has just published our latest guide formulation: Skin Barrier Rescue Stick (Formula #103-43E). In this waterless formulation, multi-functional ingredients band together to brighten, add moisture, and maintain a well-functioning skin barrier.

Click here to view our entire Guide Formulation Library.

Pin Us!

If you’d like to learn more about commercial products using Meadowfoam Seed Oil or Daikon Seed Extract, make sure to follow our Natural Plant Products Pinterest page. We add new pins frequently so check-in often to learn more about some of the exciting products using Meadowfoam Seed Oil that are hitting the market. And, if you have a commercial product using Meadowfoam Seed Oil or Daikon Seed Extract that we missed, let us know at [email protected] and we’ll add it to our boards.

The post Commercial Product Roundup – What’s Trending for Meadowfoam Seed Oil appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

While cosmetic scientists and other personal care / beauty industry professionals are well-versed in the skin barrier and its importance, this level of scientific information is new to most consumers. Articles from beauty magazines and medical experts warn of the risks of over-exfoliation and prescribe products and routines guaranteed to preserve and protect the skin. 

In response, searches for harsh exfoliants and chemical peels are declining while products featuring ingredients that help preserve and repair the skin barrier are seeing an uptick in interest. For example, US Google searches for “chemical peel” are forecasted to decline 22% in the coming 12 months, while searches for skin barrier-friendly terms such as “antioxidants” and “ceramides” have been increasing by double-digit percentages year-over-year (spate.nyc). This trend will continue, as self-educating consumers deepen their knowledge of personal care ingredients and seek to understand efficacy claims.   

Daikon Seed Extract (DSE), a lesser-known natural emollient from Natural Plant Products, has been gaining interest from the industry in recent months, with searches on the online materials database UL Prospector more than doubling in 2022 vs 2021. DSE is derived from the seeds of commercial daikon radish fields in Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley. Daikon is used as a rotational crop by family farms, no-till planted between crop cycles to help maintain soil health and reduce soil erosion.

Daikon is planted in the spring when rainfall is abundant, so requires little to no irrigation. Approximately 66% of the seeds used in the production of DSE are upcycled – seeds that are cracked or otherwise not suitable for agricultural use and which had previously ended up as a waste product. This natural and sustainable ingredient isn’t just better for the natural biome, it’s better for skin biomes, too. 

DSE has a novel chemistry, with a fatty acid composition that differs greatly from the C16 and C18 dominated fatty acid composition that typifies so many cosmetic grade botanicals. This unique ingredient is mechanically extracted and refined, and is composed of an atypical mixture of C18, C20, and C22 fatty acids, offering a new chemistry to formulators. 

Trans-Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) is both a symptom and an outcome of a compromised skin barrier. In a study which compared Daikon Seed Extract and Meadowfoam Seed Oil with two well-known emollients used in skin care, DSE was shown to decrease TEWL in test subjects while also significantly increasing skin barrier function. 

This sustainable emollient is ideal for a wide range of personal care applications, from face and lip care to body and hair products. Daikon Seed Extract is odorless, extremely light-colored, and has good absorption with a delicate slip similar to esters and silicone-type emollients. Combine these qualities with being good for the macro and microbiomes and it’s no wonder Daikon Seed Extract is found in popular commercial products around the globe. 

Learn more about this skin barrier-supporting natural ingredient and request samples for your next formulation. 

The post Promoting a Healthy Skin Barrier with Upcycled Daikon Seed Extract appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

According to Spate, personal care product searches began slowing down in August after a robust resurgence post-lockdown. The slowdown continued through September and is likely to persist for the next 12 to 18 months for the category overall. Inflation is impacting everyone – from Boomers to Gen Z, across all income tiers. According to NielsenIQ, CPG prices have risen 8% as a whole, with Beauty’s price increases accelerating from 4% to 8% in recent months. This means that though dollar-sales remain strong across the category, unit sales have dipped and will continue to fall if inflation persists. 

Yet, as the webinar panelists pointed out, there remain opportunities for brands to lean-in to their customers’ needs to continue delivering value and to stay relevant. 

1. Communicate Transparently with Customers

Consumers have a massive amount of information at their fingertips, but sorting through it all can be difficult. Customers are looking for truth, not gimmicks. That’s why people seek out brands and products that are transparent and authentic. When telling your story, be clear about topics such as what you stand for, how you define sustainability, and how you maintain your brand and product accountability. 

Being upfront and honest about challenges such as supply chain delays or price increases can also help reinforce trust. As supply challenges continue to plague the economy as a whole, customers have demonstrated their willingness to wait for their favorite brands and products.

2. Work with Trusted Suppliers

Working with trusted suppliers who are also transparent about their supply chain can help avoid tough conversations with customers on two fronts: product availability and ingredient transparency. Understanding your value chain and potential points of failure is key to forecasting and mitigating risk. Suppliers should be honest about any vulnerabilities in their supply chains and proactively communicate potential delays and/or quality issues. 

In addition, ingredient suppliers can help brands clearly tell the ingredient story by providing documentation surrounding efficacy, fair trade, and sustainability claims. The industry is trending towards an increased role of science and research, and brands will be held accountable for any and all claims made in their marketing. 

3. Dig into Hero Products & Ingredients

Across consumer goods, there has been a shift towards reducing excess. Personal care routines, closets, and cabinets are all being edited to the essentials. Focusing your messaging around popular products and ingredients can help cut through the clutter and highlight the unique benefits your customers are searching for. Tell a clear and transparent ingredient story and back it up with science, research, and data for even more stickiness. Highlight compelling founder and origin stories. Innovate, listen, follow trends and watch for opportunities to introduce your next hero product or product line. 

4. Monitor and Respond to Trends

According to the expert panelists, there are several current and emerging trends that are expected to have staying power through the coming year:

• Vegan Products & Ingredients
• Korean Beauty
• Mature Skin/Well-Aging
• Clean Beauty

And other market movers such as celebrity brands, TikTok, clinical ingredients, and fragrance are forecasted to remain popular. There are many opportunities to monitor trends and respond with accelerated product development cycles. For example, Natural Plant Products offers trend-focused guide formulations developed by our lab, complete with trend mapping and marketing points. We also monitor and report on personal care and beauty trends, highlighting what’s new on our website and on social media. 

While the future is uncertain, strong brands have weathered economic storms before by staying true to their mission and values, openly communicating with their customers, working with trusted suppliers, and continuing to monitor trends. 

The post 4 Strategies for Personal Care Brands to Help Weather Economic Uncertainty appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

The main focus of the glow skin trend is for skin to appear youthful, healthy, and perfectly smooth, which means no pores, no bumps, no divots, and no hair. The phenomenon started with K-beauty influencers as a backlash against the heavy make-up and overly matte, powdered faces of pre-pandemic life. Throughout and after lockdown, and with the increased use of masks, focus has shifted to looks that center more on natural skin and skin care regimens with makeup added sparingly. 

Glow skin trends fall on a continuum of shine, with glass skin and dolphin skin’s wet, reflective shine at one end, and cloud skin at the other end, with a more diffused, lit-from-within aesthetic. Achieving a smooth and radiant complexion doesn’t mean fewer steps or fewer products. For beauty and personal care brands, this opens an opportunity to introduce multi-step skincare lines to meet the growing demand. 

Recommended glow skincare routines include purpose-focused and customizable products, from pore-reducing cleansers and serums, to sheen-maximizing highlighters, foundations and lip glosses. As customers continue to look for ways to reduce their beauty budget, they may support brands that can offer results in fewer steps. 

How to Efficiently Add a Glow Skin Product Line

Brands are constantly innovating to create on-trend products.The chemists at the Natural Plant Products Formulations Lab have developed quick-start guide formulations that address this beauty trend’s key needs.  

Here is an example of a complete, multi-step glow skin routine: 

1. Cleanse: Melting Waterless Cleansing Balm. This solid balm melts onto skin as it is rubbed in and forms a milky layer when rinsing. The orange wax provides extra emollience while imparting a refreshing natural orange aroma. 
2. Tone: Hydrating Toner. A light toner  that hydrates and refreshes skin. Meadowfoam Seed Oil XPR offers a nice light texture and afterfeel with sodium hyaluronate to lock in moisture and witch hazel to soothe and soften.
3. Brighten: Brightening Booster Serum. This serum brightens, lightens and cools. Meadowfoam Seed Oil XPR and Daikon Seed Extract provide silky skin feel without greasiness. NaturePep Pea, a natural peptide derived from peas addresses dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
4. Moisturize: Hydrating Cold Process Gel-Cream. A light yet rich gel cream for the face, with a high oil load, quick absorbing, non-greasy. Use it alone or combine with Glow Face Oil (see below). 
5. Glow: 
   1. Glow Face Oil. This luxurious face oil offers rich emollience with vitamin C and ubiquinone  – all without greasiness.
   2. Multi-Use Glow Stick. A portable, multi-use, glow-enhancing stick that leaves a light shimmer on the skin to highlight and smooth pores.
6. Gloss:  Cushy Violet Lip Gloss. This nourishing lip gloss formulation contains a high oil load to add maximum shine without feeling heavy or sticky. 

Visit the Natural Plant Products Applications Lab for information on the latest personal care trends and to view our library of guide formulations. 

The post What Does the Glow Skin Trend Mean for Beauty Brands? appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

Our Applications Lab is well respected for its development of consistently strong ON-TREND formulations using our Meadowfoam Seed Oil and Daikon Seed Extract.  Both of these natural emollients offer unique textures and amazing versatility across a broad range of personal care applications.  And, Meadowfoam Seed Oil brings the added benefit of being one of the most stable natural emollients available in personal care. This means MSO can provide a great and NATURAL way to add stability to formulations containing less stable popular naturals like jojoba, argan or avocado oil.

Guide Formulations to Inspire and Accelerate Development

While 2021 was far from a typical year for ANYONE, it was a busy formulating year for our chemists. Formulators globally leverage our formulation library to inspire and kickstart their own formulations. So, we wanted to highlight our SEVEN favorite formulations from 2021 to inspire your next formulation using our sustainably produced natural emollients.

Our Top 7 Formulations of 2021

1. MELTING WATERLESS CLEANSING BALM – This novel formula supports no fewer than 10 current trends including waterless, minimal ingredients and mask management. It provides a more substantive skin feel than a liquid oil cleanser. Leaves skin feeling moisturized, not dry, after cleansing.
2. COOLING BEARD SERUM – Leveraging the booming men’s grooming market and beard care in particular, this formulation is packed with ingredients to benefit hair and skin, promoting, shine, strength, growth, and non-greasy conditioning and moisturization with a cooling sensation.
3. SUN SHIELD STICK WITH ZINC OXIDE – A long-lasting, easy-to-apply, non-greasy formulation in a handy stick format. No white residue from zinc oxide, either! Meadowfoam Seed Oil XPR adds non-greasy nourishing hydration and oxidative stability (key for warm weather situations!) and Daikon Seed Extract gives a powdery feel while providing a nice glide for easy application. Other ingredients include a high transparency non-whitening zinc oxide dispersion and a long-lasting film-forming agent.
4. CUSHY VIOLET LIP GLOSS – Talk about looks AND personality! With a high oil load, this cushy shiny lip gloss is loaded with nourishing emollients but what makes it so unique is the texture. Unlike a lot of lip glosses, there is nothing sticky about this one. Just lovely moisture, gorgeous color, and irresistible shine, and a tingle of minty goodness.
5. 3-in-1 BRIGHT EYE CREAM – This formulation leverages popular ingredients in caffeine and sodium hyaluronate while highlighting the unique textural qualities and skin-feel of natural COSMOS-approved Meadowfoam Seed Oil XPR and Daikon Seed Extract. It feels GREAT on the skin and addresses common eye-skin concerns of dark circles, tiredness, and dryness. It supports numerous trends including clean beauty and well-aging.
6. CRANBERRY ORANGE HAND MASK / BALM – This creamy anhydrous balm melts onto skin as you rub it in. It can be used as a mask for a more intensive treatment or as a lovely, moisturizing balm. The orange wax provides extra emollience while also giving a refreshing natural orange aroma and cranberry seed oil helps to calm, soothe and moisturize. The result: skin feels moisturized yet non-greasy.
7. ZERO-WASTE WATERLESS SHAMPOO BAR – NO PLASTIC! This luxurious but gentle shampoo bar embraces both waterless and zero-waste trends. With two natural alternatives to synthetic emollients: Meadowfoam Seed Oil XPR imparts rich moisture to hair, and Daikon Seed Extract increases hair strength and shine. Plant-based, natural surfactants create a nice lather while gently cleansing hair.

A Complete Library of Inspirations

Feeling inspired? We invite you to explore our complete Guide Formulations Library for even more inspiration and to accelerate the development of your next commercial product in 2022 and beyond.

Happy Formulating!

The post Our Top 7 Formulations of 2021 appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

Certifications

We proudly have products that are extracted and refined according to Ecocert and COSMOS, NATRUE, and Orthodox Union approved standards for cosmetic ingredients. This means our products have been evaluated and approved by third-party entities that monitor and certify the production of ingredients used in personal care according to their respectively published standards.

Natural Claims

We are also proud to support the following natural claims in the production of our botanical oils:

• Non-GMO Derived
• Vegan
• 100% Natural
• Water Wise Crops
• Soil Friendly
• Bee Friendly
• Transparent Supply Chain

In combination, these are a BIG DEAL and differentiate our products from other comparable products on the market. Whether the concern is natural vs. synthetic, water used to grow the ingredients or farming practices that are soil and pollinator-friendly, consumers can rest assured that Natural Plant Products ingredients uniquely tick all the boxes listed above.

Regional Agricultural Partners

NPP is the manufacturing and marketing subsidiary of Oregon Meadowfoam Growers (OMG), a cooperative of multi-generational farms in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA. This relationship ensures that OMG growers receive a fair return for their crops and helps to preserve the regional agricultural community. The vertically integrated nature of the organization ensures the supply of NPP’s specialty raw materials, allows company personnel to implement multiple quality control procedures at each step in production, and guarantees operating transparency.  Additionally, our cooperative dedicates a staff agronomist to support, monitor, and maximize sustainable crop production.

What Matters

We believe how we produce our ingredients is as important as what we are producing and that is reflected in every aspect of our operations. Learn more about our high integrity raw materials, our farming practices, and supply chain transparency on our What Matters page.

The post What Matters: Intentional Botanical Crop Production appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

Lip, Body, Face but mostly HAIR!

Four main product types using Meadowfoam Seed Oil seem to be hitting the market right now:

• Lip care and color cosmetics
• Body applications
• Face creams and well-aging products
• Haircare products

Of these, we are seeing *a lot* going on in the haircare space, particularly. Here are a few of our favs.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil (MSO) is a featured ingredient in Dr. Organics’ line of Calendula shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, and baby products.

Masks, masks, EVERYWHERE!

Another key product category for MSO is hair masks and hair conditioning treatments. We are delighted to report that recently Aveda’s Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Mask (made with MSO) tops the Guardian’s list of “Ten of the Best Hair Masks” list (posted October 3, 2021). Another notable hair mask using MSO is KMI’s Noughty To The Rescue Intensive Moisture Treatment for frizzy and damaged hair.

Guide Formulations using MSO

If you are looking to develop your own hair mask product, our Applications Lab has developed a lovely guide formulation for a Natural Botanicals Hair Mask using both our MSO XPR and Daikon Seed Extract (DSE) (both Ecocert/COSMOS Approved). This formulation provides just the right level of moisturization, strength, shine, and detangling without weighing hair down. It’s a game-changer for many different hair types. We also have additional guide formulations for healthy hair, beard, and scalp care to jumpstart haircare product development.  Check out our Hair and Body Guide Formulations Library as well as our  Hair, Beard, and Scalp Wellness Guide.

Pin Us!

If you’d like to learn more about commercial products using either MSO or DSE, make sure to pin our Natural Plant Products Pinterest page.  We add new pins frequently so check-in often to learn more about some of the exciting products using Meadowfoam Seed Oil that are hitting the market. And, if you have a commercial product using MSO or DSE that we missed, let us know at [email protected] and we’ll add it to our boards.

The post Commercial Product Roundup – What’s Trending for Meadowfoam Seed Oil? appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.

Cleansing Balm searches up 37.5% year over year

According to CEW/SPATE, this trend is the biggest increase in searches for the facial cleansing category and one we’ve been noticing for a few years now. In fact, in our Guide Formulation Library, you’ll find no fewer than three cleansing balm formulations.

Our Melting Waterless Cleansing Balm is our newest cleansing balm formulation and maps to no fewer than TEN of beauty trends including minimal ingredient, waterless, and mask management. It’s also one of our new favorites. This delightful cleansing balm includes Daikon Seed Extract which provides smooth, silky feel. Meadowfoam Seed Oil adds a substantive texture and skin feel as well as oxidative stability. This cleanser also includes upcycled Orange Wax for added emollience and a light citrus fragrance. SonneNatural® Select Meadowfoam Seed Oil Enhanced provides a natural alternative to petrolatum.

Our tried-and-true Solid Cleansing Oil Balm and PEG-Free Solid Cleansing Balm actually melt onto skin as you rub them in and, upon rinsing, form a milky layer. The result: skin feels conditioned and clean, yet non-greasy. These novel formulas provide more skin feel than a liquid oil cleanser. Meadowfoam Seed Oil contributes substantive texture/after-feel. Daikon Seed Extract balances any potential greasiness for a smooth feel. Botanically-based preservatives include honeysuckle extract and honeysuckle flower extract.

The other trend we wanted to highlight from the CEW article was:

Cleansing Sticks – 370.6% search increase since December 2020

On-the-go cleansing has become a familiar norm and having cleansing options that are non-drying AND effective cleansers are common consumer requirements. Mask management continues to pose a range of skin challenges and our cleansing stick works really well to keep skin feeling clean and moisturized without greasiness.

Multi-functional and travel-friendly, our Facial Cleansing Stick, provides a unique cleansing delivery system made with Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Daikon Seed Extract, and Coconut Oil. It has a high oil load and is packaged in a solid stick form. This easy-to-apply second step in a double cleanse routine simultaneously dissolves makeup, dirt, and impurities. It also creates a lot of creamy lather, leaving your skin feeling soft and silky-smooth upon rinsing.

Keep Pace with Evolving Trends

Consumer trends continue to evolve as we move through what seems like a revolving door of “new normals”. Having guide formulations to accelerate your formulation developments and help you keep pace with the latest consumer trends is key.

Make sure to check out our complete Guide Formulation Library for the latest formulations from our Applications Lab. Our chemists are adding new formulations often to help you stay in tune with whatever beauty search trends emerge in the days ahead.

Happy formulating!

The post Keep Pace with Evolving Cleansing Trends appeared first on Natural Plant Products, LLC.