Calm the itch for sensitive skin products

Like a perfect date or the secret ingredient in grandma's pie, sensitive skin is hard to define.

Often, it's a subjective sensation that we self-report, because we know our bodies better than any clinical test. Some people are more prone to it if they suffer from a condition like rosacea or dermatitis.

Since we rely so much on self-diagnosis, rather than something objectively measurable, it’s difficult for skincare product formulators to meet our needs. Sensitive skin is now accepted as a major dermatological problem with physiological origins — and we're still totally mystified by it.

Thanks to all those intertwining factors, a sensitive skin claim for one person looks completely different on another.​​

Where are all the sensitive skin products?

A huge chunk of the population has sensitive skin. It manifests in so many ways for so many different reasons — but we have such limited choices when it comes to finding the right skin care products.

Hello, formulators!

This is where you come in. Sensitive skin products are in high demand. Reports are showing more and more consumer requests for products that address claims related to sensitive skin.

A Google Trends analysis by BASF shows that in the last five years, interest for the term “sensitive skin cream” more than doubled.

It's all about the money, honey

How do you know sensitive skin claims really matter to us as consumers? Here's a little secret: we're willing to pay more for them.

See this next graph? An analysis by BASF shows the price a specific product application can fetch when it has sensitive skin claims associated with it. Serums with sensitive skin claims top the list at around $100, followed by treatments, eye care and face moisturizers, which all sell for more than $50.

Those are higher than average prices compared to other claims (i.e. those unrelated to sensitive skin) in the same applications.

​Want to dig in even deeper?

Check out the top sensitive skin claims under each application and the prices they command in the marketplace.

Source: BASF big data analytics, 2018

Make your formulations werk, werk, werk

Now that you know what we consumers want (and the prices we'll pay to get it), here's the real challenge: formulating products that soothe, repair and protect sensitive skin.

It starts with fabulous ingredients. Your supplier should be an expert in selecting and sourcing gentle, high-quality ingredients that offer the benefits your customers crave — and they should know which ones to avoid.

Because sensitive skin problems are so subjective, it's important to choose the right test methods for each product. You should also keep an eye on new science and changes in your industry — just like you're doing now (keep up the good work)!

In case you're wondering, BASF Care Creations is here for all that. Our portfolio is a big, beautiful rainbow of products that help you formulate for sensitive skin claims in whatever fun and quirky formats you need.

We've got your back, babe.

As your partners in the formulating process, we're serving up the hot industry tea and technical advice you need to brew up gorgeous new sensitive skin products.

Click through our catalogue of sensitive skin products or have a chat with our friendly team to learn more.

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