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No Boundaries! No Boundaries: How Gender-Neutral, Inclusive Personal Care and Cosmetics Brands, Formulators and Innovations Are Creating Opportunities As gender norms continue to break down barriers, beauty brands and their content must meet the growing demand for diverse personal care and cosmetics categories.

How Does Inclusivity in Personal Care and Cosmetics Impact Manufacturer Demand (and Expectations)?

The beauty and personal care industry has always been dynamic – changing and shifting toward consumer-centricity, evolving toward more universal approaches based on product definitions, how beauty products are categorized, and how we educate consumers to make choices best suited to their own beauty needs. In the past, the products manufacturers offered, their marketing efforts, or how they spoke with consumers had a gender-based, binary approach. Gender could also potentially limit or reduce the scope of how consumers viewed personal care and cosmetics products, concepts, or their beauty routines. People enjoy feeling beautiful. This is evidenced in global sales figures. Over the past decade, beauty product consumers in the United States have spent over 500 billion dollars on personal care and cosmetics products. Cosmetics rank second after dry goods in the number of products launched annually. American women spend approximately USD 3,756 annually on beauty services and products. Yet men are not far behind, spending just under USD 3,000 annually in the same product categories. According to The Economist, consumers in China are expected to spend over 100 billion dollars annually by 2024. Personal care and cosmetics often draw concept cues from fashion trends. We can say that the cosmetics industry determines its marketing strategies based on trend shifts we have seen in fashion in recent years. In a world where social media platforms have become educational entertainment, brands must position themselves toward inclusive beauty by adjusting language, visual identities, and color palettes for everyone. Moving away from traditional beauty norms and past definitions, consumers seeking to elevate their beauty regimens or find joy and artistic expression through cosmetics will now have an unprecedented range of options. The pressure on cosmetics manufacturers and formulators to meet this anticipated demand flow continues to increase daily.

A Historical Perspective: Beauty Has Always Been Inclusive

Historically, "beauty for everyone" is not a new or innovative concept. In fact, it extends back to ancient Egypt. Looking at sculptures, paintings, hieroglyphics, and other ancient Egyptian artworks, both men and women are frequently depicted with black kohl eyeliner and malachite eyeshadow. Additionally, Greeks and Romans of both genders were legendary for wearing clothing, face powders, and even lipstick. According to David Yi, author of "Pretty Boys: Legendary Icons Who Redefined Beauty (and How to Glow Up, Too)," Babylonian warriors knew the value of a great beauty routine, as they were often selected based on how "beautiful" they were and spent hours undergoing beauty treatments before going to battle. Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, we began to see a shift driven by social norms – or rather, a division. Beauty became associated with something only women could enjoy. Men were forced to distance themselves from anything seen as "too feminine," which expressed weakness and diminished masculinity. Moreover, while men were the dominant, "strong" gender, women remained in the back seat. The reflections of this social shift remain intact today. Since the late 20th century, as progressive attitudes toward beauty gradually shifted, fueled by gender-fluid pop culture icons like Little Richard, David Bowie, Prince, and Harry Styles, the lines continue to blur and fade. This beauty trend among cis-men is advancing even further today. At its core, wearing makeup is packaging joy – so why, centuries ago when both men and women were practicing beauty regimens, should consumers be limited to only gender-based options?

How Will Cosmetics Diversity, Formulation, and Strategic Brand Marketing Evolve?

From a technical standpoint, makeup is gender-neutral. Cosmetic formulators typically focus on performance requirements and applications when starting a new project. Gender differentiation only impacts whether the marketing brief requires it and usually centers around fragrance. "When I start formulating something new, it's a blank canvas and I develop the product around the desired texture and performance properties," says Alex Walther, Senior Chemist at Univar Solutions. "But after developing the formula base, I add color and fragrance. Actually, it's more accurate to liken this to a gender-neutral norm – essentially I'm taking a gender-neutral, neutral formula and 'gendering' it. However, it's really interesting how gender-based fragrances can be perceived, because in reality there is no scent that is inherently masculine or feminine. I believe a lavender or floral scent should be viewed as pleasant rather than feminine." "Gender-neutral," "unisex," and "gender-neutral" are popular designations found in modern product marketing. But what does this mean for the future of inclusivity? Previously, the majority of global beauty industry revenue belonged to established companies in the beauty sector – most notably L'Oréal and consumer goods giant Unilever, with 2021 global sales of USD 35.64 billion and USD 24.17 billion, respectively. However, the beauty retail landscape is changing rapidly. More digital local independent startups (like ManiMe, Shampora, and By Humankind) are offering specialized, niche product lines focused on eco-friendly and natural ingredients. These brands also leverage technology to help consumers make the best product choices for their specific beauty needs, reduce product waste, and support sustainability. With new and increasing competition entering the beauty landscape, it is crucial that brands have the right formulation strategies, messaging, and marketing support to target younger customers with less emphasis on gender. Interactions with content mentioning non-binary, transgender, and gender-fluid beauty terms have increased by over 50%; while 25% of millennials say they know someone who identifies with gender-neutral pronouns, 35% of Gen Z say the same. The reality is that while beauty diversity and inclusivity have made progress, there is still progress to be made. While some perceive the term "gender-neutral" as the erasure of gender, it is really more about opening the conversation to provide access to everyone who wants to participate. Continuing with gender-specific marketing tactics has become outdated among most younger consumers, and non-inclusive messaging and imagery are potentially perceived as offensive and no longer make business sense. Younger generations (millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha) helped shape the development of social media, and demographic changes are redefining societal rules in the name of these new values. According to the iGen Beauty and Consumer Report from the National Purchase Diary Panel, 40% of adults aged 18-22 show interest in gender-neutral beauty products. Efficacy has no gender – it's about linking product performance and benefits to consumer needs. Formulators will benefit by focusing on developing products that solve consumer problems, meet a need, and inspire everyone to express their individuality.

How Does Inclusivity Pave the Way Forward for Brands, Content, and Product Formulation?

The future will continue to focus on product efficacy, but the importance of beauty inclusivity will also depend greatly on the authenticity of brands and manufacturers that claim to be inclusive beyond their messaging. From smart packaging that is functional for people with disabilities to content transparency and safety, truly inclusive beauty brands will have significant opportunities to connect better with diverse consumers. However, brands must substantiate inclusivity with refined approaches, championing a new era of beauty. For example, eczema-prone skin care or thinning and gray hair treatments should not be viewed as atypical or abnormal conditions by the language that positions them as such. Customers should not feel alienated because they need more specialized skin or hair care solutions; they should be welcomed and included in discussions about beauty standards and new product development. Gender-neutral and niche beauty spaces will only be strengthened by beauty's sprouting journey toward the metaverse. As the metaverse's impacts on the beauty world continue to unfold, inclusive beauty brands will have limitless opportunities to connect with consumers with fewer real-world constraints. Metaverse shoppers may further blur gender lines through avatar creation or wish to replicate experimental metaverse style and applications to their real-world counterparts. In 2017, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty makeup brand broke records with its 40-shade foundation line (now expanded to 50) and became a pivotal achievement for beauty inclusivity. From the beginning, Fenty Beauty has been inclusive while celebrating all genders, orientations, body shapes, and skin tones, while also involving members from relevant communities in developing and improving its products. However, brands must also be careful and only emphasize beauty inclusivity if their efforts are sincere. If brands' inclusivity efforts are insincere or only profit-driven, they open the door to potential backlash. Manufacturers and beauty formulators wanting to refresh their approaches should not forget that inclusive initiatives start from scratch – from content choices (vegan, halal, upcycled, etc.) to marketing guarantees and product positioning targeting consumers. Brands sometimes donate a percentage of profits to causes that promote equality to build more credibility as inclusive organizations.

A "No Boundaries" Approach to Formulation and Beauty Ingredients

Through our network of Global Solution Centers, Univar Solutions has formulated inspiring prototypes to help guide our customers on their inclusivity journeys. Our "No Boundaries" content kit helps brands break down gender and other long-standing barriers to highlight innovative formulas, textures, and colors inclusive of all beauty types.

Your Next Beauty and Personal Care Innovation Starts Here

Our global footprint and first-class supply chain enable us to respond quickly to your specialty and commodity ingredient needs. Connect with our technical teams and begin on your next transformative idea. Sevinç Yazılıtaş Technical Sales Manager Beauty and Personal Care Univar Solutions Pınar Yeşim Doğan Technical Sales Manager Beauty and Personal Care Univar Solutions