From April 14 to 16, 2026, the R&D and sourcing team of Carmel Cosmetics Labs traveled to Paris, to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, for in-cosmetics Global 2026: the world’s leading event for cosmetic ingredients, formulation technologies and beauty trends. More than 1,000 exhibitors and 12,000 professionals gathered in the French capital to unveil the innovations that will shape cosmetics in the years ahead.
For a Moroccan cosmetics lab specializing in white label and private label like ours, this trip is more than a showcase: it is a strategic step to meet our long-standing ingredient suppliers, secure supply, audit quality at the source and, above all, select the next-generation actives we will build into the next formulations developed for our clients.
In this article, we share: our key meetings with partners, the major 2026 ingredient trends we saw at the show, the technologies we are adding to our catalog right now, and what this means in practice for the brands we work with.
Why in-cosmetics Paris 2026 matters so much for a cosmetics lab
in-cosmetics Global is the world’s largest trade show dedicated to cosmetic raw materials. It is where the specialty chemicals giants — BASF, Givaudan Active Beauty, Lubrizol, Evonik, Ashland, Croda, dsm-firmenich, Clariant, Symrise, Seppic, Solabia — preview the actives, polymers, surfactants and delivery systems that will define tomorrow’s products.
For us, it means:
- Auditing our current suppliers: traceability, sustainability, certifications (COSMOS, ECOCERT, ISO 16128, RSPO).
- Discovering nearly 250 new ingredients launched in the Innovation Zone in partnership with Mintel.
- Benchmarking prices and supply timelines, key to delivering competitive speed-to-market for our client brands.
- Anticipating the regulatory changes flagged by the experts on site (MoCRA in the US, EU fragrance allergens, PFAS…).
Key meetings with our ingredient suppliers
We held more than 40 structured meetings over the three days, focusing on the partners behind our skincare, haircare and body care formulations:
- Evonik: a first look at their new bio-identical peptides and bio-based film formers for suncare.
- Givaudan Active Beauty: early access to their skin longevity actives and smart hyaluronics.
- Ashland: review of new sensory chemistries for premium skin-feel textures.
- Lubrizol: validation of next-gen polymers for clean-clinical suspensions.
- Seppic & Solabia: a stronger partnership on green gelling agents and COSMOS emulsifiers.
- dsm-firmenich: deep dive into their award-winning actives (including ALPAFLOR® NEUROSOOTH).
Every conversation fed into our 2026-2027 product roadmap and secures supply for our client brands, even in a tense international context.
The 8 major ingredient trends we saw at in-cosmetics 2026
1. Longevity actives: healthspan cosmetics
The most influential trend of the show. Cosmetic ingredients no longer target only wrinkles or dark spots: they target the cellular mechanisms of aging.
- NAD⁺ and precursors (NMN): support for skin mitochondrial energy.
- Bakuchiol NAD⁺ BCR (Grant Industries / BCR) presented in the Innovation Zone.
- CALNEURIN® SENSE (RAHN AG) — Gold Award Best Active Ingredient.
- EXOVIVE™ LIFT (dsm-firmenich) and Peptid4® Light MB (Chemyunion) — Bronze Award.
How Carmel applies it: we are developing a white label longevity skincare range (serum + night cream) with an NAD⁺ + signal peptide complex, available for custom development from Q3 2026.
2. Biomimetic peptides & bio-identical collagen
Peptides are getting smart. The big announcement: Vecollage® Fortify P from Evonik, a bio-identical precision collagen polypeptide made through precision biotechnology (no animal source).
What does it do? It helps restructure, firm and plump without animal or marine collagen. A game-changer for clean and plant-based brands.
How Carmel applies it: planned integration into our new premium anti-aging serums and a white label body firming range.
3. Biotech, postbiotics and fermented actives
Biotechnology is now the leading driver of innovation in cosmetics. Postbiotics, ferments, plant-derived exosomes, microalgae: these ingredients deliver high performance with a smaller environmental footprint.
- SHISOME (NAEMOS) — Silver Award Best Active Ingredient.
- eternight™ biofunctional (Ashland) — Bronze Award Green Ingredient.
- Plant exosomes for skin comfort and appearance.
How Carmel applies it: expanding our library of fermented actives for microbiome-friendly ranges — especially in demand among dermocosmetic brands.
4. Next-generation suncare and new UV filters
Suncare is a major work in progress. Between the pending FDA approval of Bemotrizinol, reef-safe requirements and new bio-based film formers such as TEGO® FILMSTAR BST1 (Evonik), labs need to rethink their SPF formulas.
Special mention: Next-Gen Suncare by ALPOL Cosmetique, Gold Award at the 2026 Sensory Bar.
How Carmel applies it: we are finalizing a 2027 SPF roadmap compliant with EU and US (MoCRA) regulations and reef-safe, available for custom development for our client brands.
5. Upcycling and the circular economy
The show’s new Upcycling Hub spotlighted ingredients made from agricultural by-products — olive pomace, grape seeds, coffee grounds, citrus peel — turned into high-performance actives.
This trend fits perfectly with our local Moroccan sourcing: argan, prickly pear, nigella, pomegranate oil, akar fassi… which we already source through traceable supply chains.
How Carmel applies it: launch of a 100% Moroccan upcycled line in white label, formulated with Moroccan agricultural by-products turned into cosmetic actives, available Q4 2026.
6. Nutricosmetics and Inner Beauty
A first this year: the Inner Beauty Zone with an award-winning Taste Bar. Beauty-from-within supplements — Verisol collagen peptides (Gelita), SkinAx² (Activ’Inside), plant-based lactoferrin (All G) — are emerging as a growth driver for skincare brands.
How Carmel applies it: feasibility study to extend our private label offer to ingestible beauty boosters (sachets, gummies, shots), with our nutraceutical manufacturing partners.
7. Sensoriality, textures and emotional experience
Formulation is no longer won on efficacy alone: it is also won on texture, slip, fragrance and ritual. The innovations at the Make-Up Bar and Sensory Bar confirm the trend.
- OleoVeil Care (Solabia Group) — Gold Award Make-Up Bar.
- ViscoPure® (PolymerExpert / Solabia) — Gold Award Best Functional Ingredient.
- Silkaress: a silk-inspired ingredient for second-skin textures.
How Carmel applies it: updating our in-house sensory panel and training our formulators on the new texturizing systems, available to every brand in custom development.
8. Functional perfumery and strategic fragrance
With the new European labeling rules arriving (80+ fragrance allergens by the end of July 2026), perfumery becomes a strategic lever. The Scent Bar Award, new in 2026, went to Matcha Delight by Parfex.
How Carmel applies it: a complete overhaul of our fragrance palette with our perfumer partners to guarantee compliance and a distinctive scent signature for each of our client brands.
What we are adding to our white label and private label products now
These innovations will not stay theoretical. Here is exactly what Carmel Cosmetics Labs is rolling out over the coming months:
- ✅ Adding the NAD⁺ + peptide longevity complex to our white label serum catalog (Q3 2026).
- ✅ Gradual switch to Vecollage® bio-identical collagen for all clean formulas.
- ✅ New postbiotic and fermented actives available in our ingredient library.
- ✅ Launch of the 100% Moroccan upcycled range (argan, prickly pear, nigella) in white label.
- ✅ Overhaul of our 2027 SPF roadmap, EU / MoCRA compliant and reef-safe.
- ✅ Inner Beauty extension study: private label beauty gummies, sachets and shots.
- ✅ Full update of our sensory and fragrance palette, compliant with the 80+ EU allergens.
What this means for our client brands
As a cosmetics lab based in Morocco, our mission is simple: give our client brands — D2C brands, dermocosmetic brands, retailers, international groups — access to the same advanced ingredients as the biggest beauty houses, with the agility, responsiveness and price competitiveness of a close-knit partner.
In practice:
- Faster speed-to-market: direct access to new ingredients without the usual long wait.
- Differentiating formulations: your products feature the actives making headlines in the beauty media in 2026.
- Secure supply: direct partnerships with the world’s leading ingredient suppliers.
- International compliance: EU, US (MoCRA), Canada, UK, Gulf — our formulas are designed ahead of new regulations.
- Powerful storytelling: every new active becomes a strong marketing argument for your brand.
Launch your brand with the most advanced ingredients of 2026
Preparing a brand launch, a range extension or a product overhaul? Want to include one or more of these next-generation ingredients in your next formulation brief?
Our R&D team puts its expertise, its supplier network and its first-hand insights from in-cosmetics Paris 2026 to work on your project. Let’s talk.
→ Contact our team for a custom development brief
This article is part of our News & Trends series — see also our guide to the 12 beauty trends that will dominate the market in 2026.