Twenty Ingredients Shortlisted for in-cosmetics Asia 2026 Awards

Twenty personal care ingredients will compete for the in-cosmetics Asia 2026 Innovation Zone awards, split evenly across two categories: functional and active. A panel of 12 independent industry experts will judge the shortlist ahead of the ceremony in Bangkok on 3 November.

The shortlist is a snapshot of where formulation science is heading. Suppliers from Elementis to Vytrus Biotech have each put forward one nominee, and the spread of chemistries tells its own story.

What made the functional category?

Ten ingredients earned nominations:

• Spraymulse – Alchemy by Elementis
• Effisin Em Natural Multifunctional – Ashland
• Emulgade Verde PE – BASF
• Eclipsogen CAP Duo Z – Clariant
• Dowsil EL-9400 Hybrid Elastomer Blend – Dow
• TEGO Filmstar BST1 – Evonik
• Protecticire MB – Gattefossé
• SensoTrue DM5 – Givaudan
• Coffea Regenera – SAES Chemicals
• Solagum X+ – Seppic

The mix runs from hybrid elastomer blends to naturally positioned multifunctionals. BASF appears twice across the two categories, and Dow's nomination carries a named product code, EL-9400, suggesting a specific commercial launch rather than a concept.

Which actives are in the running?

The active category also fields ten nominees:

• NeoHelix Regenerate – BASF
• Glycare SK Renew – DSM-Firmenich
• PrimalHyal NeuroYouth – Givaudan
• Glintarine – LipoTrue
• Synatis – Naemos
• Illumeta – Sethic
• Bloomlight – Solabia
• BioNia – Viablife Biotech
• Ignilyte – Vytrus Biotech
• Toleroxyl – Vytrus Biotech

Vytrus Biotech holds two of the ten active slots. That double nomination is the only such concentration in the category, and it marks the Barcelona-based biotech specialist as one to watch on the night.

Several names signal positioning claims the manufacturers want tested: PrimalHyal NeuroYouth points Givaudan at skin ageing and neurocosmetics territory, while Glycare SK Renew from DSM-Firmenich suggests a skin-renewal mechanism. The organisers have not published the supporting efficacy data, so those claims remain unverified until the judges' review.

What does this change for formulators and salon brands?

The Innovation Zone itself will hold 120 innovations launched within the last eight months, according to the organisers. That volume matters more than the trophy count. Formulators attending Bangkok get a concentrated view of what raw material suppliers will pitch for the next product cycles, and the shortlist flags the ten ingredients judged strongest by a technical pre-screen.

Event director Sarah Gibson framed the shortlist around familiar problems. "What's interesting about this year's Innovation Zone is the different ways suppliers are approaching familiar formulation challenges," she said.

Gibson added: "We're seeing new research into skin ageing alongside technologies that are changing how ingredients are sourced, developed and used."

She also said: "It's exciting to look at the science behind the products consumers will be using in the future."

Note what the event has not released: no judging criteria, no shortlist rationale and no launch dates for the nominated ingredients themselves. The awards ceremony on 3 November will close that gap, and the winners typically gain distribution attention across Asian personal care supply chains in the months that follow.