Top 5 most-read stories January 2022: L’Oréal hair loss patent, Garnier no rinse shampoo and Rituals B Corp

A round-up of CosmeticsDesign-Europe’s most-read news from January 2022 shows interest in L’Oréal patents and NPD, social media trends, Rituals’ B Corp status and beauty science in review.

L’Oréal patent and Garnier NPD​

L’Oréal filed an international patent on a method it developed that identifies the molecular signature of a person’s scalp in a common alopecic state. What this enabled, it said, was the prognosis or diagnosis of common alopecia and enough insight to develop efficacious cosmetic treatments for this type of hair loss.

L’Oréal’s Garnier brand also unveiled its latest NPD – a ‘no rinse’ conditioner that it rolled out across Europe. The goal of this product, the brand said, was to challenge consumers into re-thinking beauty routines and, more broadly, slash overall water use at mass scale.

Social media and scientific review trends​

Last year, Lush’s decision to close several of its global social media accounts caused quite a stir in the beauty world, but it was a move indicative of the direction the wider industry was headed in, according to a communications expert. Many beauty brands moving forward would start to favour more personalised and flexible consumer engagement – beyond the traditional social media channels.

A round-up of scientific reviews covered by CosmeticsDesign-Europe in 2021 also indicated some wider beauty trends and focuses, including investment in better understanding blue light protection, use of essential oils, active skin care and circular beauty ingredients.

Rituals CEO talks B Corp status​

Dutch beauty major Rituals also achieved B Corp status after three years of transformation and its CEO said the move formed part of a wider vision to blur the beautiful with the good. The work to achieve the certification had not been easy, the CEO said, but had enabled the company to take a more holistic view of overall wellbeing whilst keeping sharply dedicated to luxury, experiential beauty.

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