Society has a highly-gendered approach to beauty. However, as we explored in our previous blog post, interest in — and consumption of — gender neutral cosmetic products is at unprecedented levels, and is set to soar further in popularity. Masculine marketing, in particular, is becoming increasingly incompatible with many consumers. This has opened up significant ‘white space’ for new and exciting cosmetics product lines.
So, if you’re part of an R&D team and looking to occupy this gap in the market, you’re in the right place. At O&3, we help brands to create products that tell a unique, compelling story to their target audience. Let’s talk through some of the interesting ingredients that formulators can take advantage of for their next gender neutral product development campaign.
How to create gender neutral cosmetics — Innovative ingredients are key
The creation of a gender neutral product needs careful planning and execution. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in the performance of the formulation, and their selection needs thought, knowledge and insight.
That’s where we can come in! Whether you’re a seasoned formulator or you’re new to the game, as a wholesale oils expert and supplier with over 40 years’ experience, we’re here to help.
For some inspiration, here’s an example formulation of innovative, quality selected ingredients for a gender neutral pre-shave oil. We’ve provided the percentages of each component.
50% — Jojoba Seel Oil Golden, Cold Pressed
Gender neutral cosmetics place an increased emphasis and importance on quality and performance. That’s why a natural, premium, non-greasy lubricating oil like this is a fabulous major ingredient for a pre-shave oil — cold-pressed so the innate emolliating goodness of the source material is maintained, this oil nourishes, moisturises and cares for the skin.
28% — Olive Squalane Oil
With excellent stability and ease of use, this olive oil-derived ingredient absorbs excellently in the lipidic layers of your skin. Olive squalane helps to prevent moisture loss whilst aiding the restoration of the skin’s suppleness and natural glow.
20% — Coconut Oil, Unrefined (Virgin) Organic
This ingredient offers silkiness, stability and smoothness — it practically melts into the skin! As a virgin (untouched) ingredient, this lubricating oil is packed full of the emolliating goodness of natural coconut. A crucial component for a high-quality, gender neutral pre-shave oil.
1% — Vitamin E (Tocopherol 70%)
It may only represent a small percentage of your formulation, but this dynamic ingredient plays a big role. As well as offering antioxidant qualities, calming the skin and preventing the attack of free radicals, Vitamin E acts as a preservative to extend your formulation’s shelf life. Never a bad thing!
1% — Your favourite essential oil blend (for fragrance)
To complete your gender neutral formulation, you’ll need no more than 1% of your favourite essential oil.
If you’re looking for a recommendation here, we’d point you in the direction of something like our Frankincense (Boswellia Carterii), Essential Oil. This ingredient provides your formulation with a rich, premium fragrance which can be enjoyed by both genders. That’s not to mention the oil’s incredible skin-calming, anti-inflammatory properties — just the ticket for a pre-shave product.
Gender neutral — an open goal for beauty brands
It makes sense, right? Consumers are increasingly open-minded about beauty products that do away with tired notions of hyper-masculinity, femininity and gender categorisation. Quality and performance are the name of the game!
At O&3, we make things happen for cosmetics brands. Take advantage of our huge portfolio of innovative, natural ingredients — as well as our state-of-the-art on-site bottling facilities — to create a gender-neutral product line that leads the way. With over 40 years’ experience in the wholesale oils game, we can suggest and recommend ingredients to help you to perfect your next product formulation.
We’ve got every ingredient and all the insight you could possibly need. Drop us a line to start your gender neutral journey with O&3.
Please note that the views/opinions expressed in this blog are solely our own. It is the responsibility of our clients to conduct the necessary testing to substantiate any claims and ensure compliance with industry standards for every ingredient. We will not accept any liability for claims made based on our content.
