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Fresh from NYSCC Suppliers’ Day, host Victoria Meyer shares key updates on the changes shaping personal care. This episode covers top takeaways for chemical suppliers, manufacturers, and value chain partners—featuring on-the-floor conversations with Neslihan Utkan of Croda and Syensqo’s Jennifer Zientek and Tom Brophy.
Victoria highlights how companies are responding to demands for better performance, more sustainable products, and resilient supply chains. Insights from Neslihan, Jennifer, and Tom show where the industry is headed: multifunctionality, sensory impact, local sourcing, and the rising influence of global innovation. The episode also covers regulatory breakthroughs, such as approval of the first new US sunscreen filter in 25 years, and what faster ingredient approvals mean for suppliers and brands.
Listen in for insights on:
- Product innovation: Multifunctional, sensory-focused, and bio-based ingredients
- Realigning supply chains for resilience and local sourcing
- New regulatory approvals and their impact on market opportunities
Killer Quote: “It’s all about innovation and we need to focus on really innovating to meet the unmet customer requirements and needs.” — Neslihan Utkan, Croda
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Watch The Suppliers’ Day Recap Here:
5 Signals Shaping Beauty Ingredients | NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026
What’s next in beauty and personal care? Each year, NYSCC Suppliers’ Day brings together leading companies, innovators, and thought leaders to explore how the business is changing. In this episode of The Chemical Show, Victoria shares actionable insights gathered from the 2026 event—highlighting five trends that matter most to chemical suppliers, ingredient manufacturers, and professionals across the personal care value chain.
Victoria at NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026
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Multifunctionality: The New Baseline
A recurring theme at Suppliers’ Day is that consumers and formulators expect more from every product. Victoria emphasized that conversations again and again circled back to multifunctionality. Industry leaders are focused on delivering products that offer greater benefits per use—combining enhanced performance, improved sensory experience, and expanded claims, often within tighter cost targets.
Neslihan from Croda underscored that today’s customers want high performance, but they also want their products to be more sustainable and offer lower total costs. It’s no longer enough to have a single benefit or compelling story; companies must substantiate a broad set of claims with data and stay ready for robust scrutiny from customers and regulators.
Supply chain resilience and local sourcing were also key talking points. Representatives from Syensqo, Tom and Jennifer, described how they are pulling supply chains closer to home and developing versatile ingredients that can work across multiple product categories. As Victoria summarized, multifunctionality is becoming a practical solution for simplifying supply, reducing ingredient complexity, and building stronger business relationships.
Sensory Experience as a Market Differentiator
Today’s beauty and personal care products need to do more than function, they need to feel great in use. The sensory experience, from texture to fragrance to the emotional impact of application, is now a competitive advantage. This year, exhibitors and attendees highlighted how the “feel” and “story” matter as much as the result.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are at the center of this shift. At Suppliers’ Day, Cosmo Fragrance International’s “Scent of Mind” exhibit explored how younger generations use scent for personal storytelling and mood. It’s clear that these generations seek emotional connections, valuing experiential products over traditional, utilitarian solutions.
Cosmo Fragrance International – Scent of Mind Exhibit
Global Innovation Reshaping the Landscape
Formulation trends no longer stop at borders. Social media and global retail innovation have made it possible for trends to leap from one continent to another almost instantly. K-Beauty remains a strong influence, sparking widespread adoption of new ingredient concepts and formulation methods across the industry.
Companies introduced an impressive array of bio-based innovations at the show, with formulas and ingredients inspired by wellness, science, and biotechnology. From snail mucin to surprising additions like salmon sperm, brands are looking for ways to bring new science-backed solutions to consumers.
Bio-Based Innovation and Upcycling
Sustainability is here to stay, and upcycling is one of the most significant ways this focus is being put into action. Conversations on the show floor highlighted how companies are sourcing ingredients from waste materials. Syensqo, for instance, showcased a haircare peptide derived from upcycled coffee grounds. Instead of discarding spent coffee beans, they break down the proteins to create functional polypeptides for scalp and hair.
This approach blends environmental responsibility with technical merit—offering new claims, supporting wellness and longevity trends, and helping companies differentiate by advancing both efficacy and sustainability.
Regulation: The Gatekeeper of Innovation
Regulatory shifts can speed up or slow down access to new markets and technologies. One of the most talked-about milestones this year was the introduction of a new UV filter, parsol shield, from dsm-firmenich. It’s the first new UV filter approved for the U.S. market in a generation, illustrating how FDA approvals shape what ends up on store shelves.
The discussion on regulatory pace isn’t limited to sun care. Companies across the board are calling for faster approval timelines and clearer standards. The connection between regulatory progress and business opportunity has never been closer.
dsm-firmenich Booth on The Showfloor
The Bottom Line
Personal care is now being defined at the ingredient level. Companies with the ability to combine high performance, strong consumer experiences, credible sustainability, and regulatory readiness will define the next wave of industry leaders. Suppliers’ Day 2026 made it clear: the industry is moving fast, and those who turn these trends into business strategies will be the ones to watch.