In this month's summary of the latest innovations from the personal care industry, condoms are looking to attract eco-friendly consumers with the debut of a new vegan 100% natural latex range. Meanwhile, in bath and shower products novel formulations include a three-in-one product infused with pheromones and a debut for stevia, as the in-vogue sweetener expands its reach beyond food and beverages.
Starting in the US, Sir Richard's Condom Company Lubricated with Receptacle Tip Condoms is a new product promoting a range of ethical benefits. The condoms are claimed to be free of dairy product casein and are thus vegan-friendly, as well as being made from natural latex. In addition, the company claims that for each condom purchased it will donate one to a developing country. While not the first vegan condoms on the market, the product does promote a wider range of ethical claims that are not typical for the category, in addition to branding and packaging that appears to have a different target demographic than most male contraceptives.
Meanwhile, another male-oriented personal care product promoting a plethora of benefits is Hey Dude Dude Wash, described by producer Hey Dude Skin Care as a "double pheromone-infused 3-in-1 body wash, shampoo & shave gel." The product is claimed to be suitable for all skin types and is able to "drive in and retain moisture" in the skin, in addition to its "active pheromone" formula. Despite their obvious marketing potential, pheromones remain relatively rare in toiletry formulations, and are predominantly used in fragrances and deodorants, which makes this "pheromone-infused" body wash and shampoo somewhat unique.
In Slovakia, another innovative bath product formula is Sonnentor Presladka Stevia Bath Herbs, an organic product containing dried stevia leaves with a "high content of various glycosides." Whether the appearance of stevia in a personal care product owes more to fashion than to function remains to be seen, although this launch is at least further evidence of the spread of stevia across all manner of consumer goods.
Another novel launch from Slovakia, this time in the cosmetics category, is Gosh Eyes Eyeshadow Palette from Glamour Slovakia. Sold in Plum, Brown, and Black varieties, the eyeshadow comes in a palette of four shades, numbered down the side of the pack, and displaying a diagram indicating how the different shades can be combined around the eyes. The inclusion of a numbered diagram that acts as a tutorial on how to apply the makeup is an interesting use of packaging, and one that could make the product more accessible and appealing to non-professional consumers.
Moving finally to hair care, a noteworthy launch in Russia from Henkel Rus is Schwarzkopf Palette Colorant Mousse, which departs from convention with the use of eye-catching plastic tub packaging rather than the more standard paperboard box. The mousse is created by combining a developer lotion and a sachet of color in the tub and then shaking vigorously; the mousse can then be applied directly from the tub. Although a similar design was seen in Japan a few years ago, this appears to be the first time a "cup" design of hair colorant has been adopted by a European manufacturer, and rival producers may be waiting to see how the market responds to this design and formulation.