The evolution of personal care: from complexity to conscious choices
The personal care industry is at a turning point. In recent years, it has seen an explosion of new products, ingredients and elaborate skincare routines. Serums, toners, boosters, essences and facial mists, all offering the promise of perfect skin. But this abundance is increasingly at odds with the changing consumer needs.
Today, simplicity is making a strong comeback. Consumers are more critical, better informed and on the lookout for meaningful, sustainable solutions,  even in their daily beauty routines. Using fewer products with better results? It may sound contradictory, but that is exactly what the skinimalism trend is all about. A trend that speaks not only to aesthetics and convenience, but also to scientific credibility, multifunctionality and skin health.
For personal care professionals, this movement opens new doors in the way they formulate ingredients. And companies like Oleon, which develop functional ingredients based on renewable sources, are subtly helping to drive this innovation forward.

Skinimalism: minimal products, maximum results
Skinimalism is a blend of “skin” and “minimalism” and is more than a passing hype. It is a philosophy that embraces authenticity, simplicity and efficacy. Consumers are choosing fewer products but expect more from each of them. Transparency, well-being and performance are at the core.
Where traditional routines often featured five to ten products per day, nowadays daily routines typically revolve around three essentials: a gentle cleanser, a hydrating serum or cream, and an SPF. However, each of these must do more than its classic job. The cleanser should also hydrate, the moisturizer should protect, and the SPF ideally also offers anti-ageing benefits.
This trend hasn’t emerged in isolation. It aligns closely with broader societal movements: the rise of clean beauty, demand for transparent ingredient labels, and increasing attention to mental well-being. Skinimalism fits naturally within the concept of slow living which means the need for slowing down and consuming more consciously.
Brands are responding with multifunctional formulas and hybrid products: makeup with nourishing benefits, serums that double as primers, or cleansers that nourish as they cleanse. It’s all about smart innovation based on real consumer needs, and that requires a shift in mindset among suppliers and manufacturers alike.

One product with multiple claims and science as the standard
With fewer products in the routine, the pressure on each formulation increases because they must appear simple yet deliver exceptional performance. In the world of skinimalism, vague claims are not accepted. Consumers and buyers demand measurable and scientifically supported benefits.
Linking ingredients and finished products to clinical data or clear performance claims are now essential. Multitasking products must demonstrate efficacy in each of their intended functions. As a result, efficacy testing, in vitro and in vivo studies, and well-documented, transparent claims have become key priorities.
For R&D teams, this means closer collaboration with ingredient suppliers. Think of emollients that not only soothe but also improve skin texture and sensory appeal. Or cleansing agents that not only clean but also contribute to skin radiance.
Oleon Health & Beauty is working on multifunctional ingredients, offering for example both cleansing and hydration properties.  It perfectly illustrates skinimalist innovation in action: fewer ingredients, greater performance.

Multifunctionality: the hero of skinimalist formulation
In a skinimalist approach, every ingredient must earn its place. Formulators increasingly favor multifunctional ingredients with broad performance profiles to create simple yet powerful products.
Think of cleansers that not only remove impurities but also hydrate and respect the skin barrier. Or moisturizers that offer antioxidants, soothe irritation and improve skin texture. Ingredients that combine multiple sensory and functional roles are in high demand. These may include actives that reduce pigmentation while strengthening the skin barrier, or natural emollients that hydrate, protect and leave a soft finish without greasiness.
This kind of multifunctionality offers benefits not just for end consumers, but also for buyers and product developers: simplified supply chains, shorter INCI lists and more efficient formulation processes.

More skin balance, please
One often underestimated benefit of skinimalism is its positive effect on skin health. By using fewer products and especially fewer harsh or irritating ones, the skin has more opportunity to restore its natural balance. The skin barrier, which protects against dehydration, pollution and harmful microbes, is disturbed less frequently.
Many consumers have come to realize that over-exfoliating, over-cleansing and over-layering can do more harm than good. Instead of bombarding the skin with high doses of actives like retinol, AHAs and vitamin C, they now prefer mild, supportive formulations that work with the skin rather than against it.
Skinimalist products focus on prevention and long-term support rather than short-term correction. By using multifunctional products that cleanse, hydrate and protect in one, the skin is less overloaded, allowing it to function more naturally and healthily.

Maximum benefits – for skin and planet
Skinimalism isn’t just about aesthetics or practicality, it offers real, measurable advantages on two levels: for the individual consumer, and for the world they live in.

For the consumer: simplicity that pays off

For the planet: sustainable and considered

The future of personal care is conscious and efficient
Skinimalism is not a hype. It reflects a fundamental shift in how consumers relate to skincare and consumption at large. The future of personal care doesn’t lie in more products, but in smarter, products with better results.
The skinimalism trend is an open invitation for collaboration across the value chain: between brands, suppliers and researchers. By choosing ingredients that deliver more with less and by clearly communicating why and how a product works, we are shaping a new beauty standard. One that brings skincare back to its essence.
Just as we all felt that a return to normal was imminent, the world was hit with a double whammy: the unprecedented cost of living crisis coupled to the fallout of the war in Ukraine.
Cosmetic, personal care and chemical manufacturers are heavily invested in the development of a sustainable sector. It is this approach that could hold the key to unlocking positive climate strategies across the industrial manufacturing value chain. In a sector ripe for disruption, it is the major players, including oleochemical manufacturers and suppliers, who will drive momentum!