From anti-aging to functional longevity

Three questions for:

Global Insight Manager:

Ingredients at Euromonitor International

Interview by

Véronique Louis

In the longevity ingredient space, what are the strongest signals today — and what is mostly noise or marketing-driven hype?

The strongest signal in the longevity ingredient space is the move away from anti-ageing as a promise of reversal toward longevity as functional healthspan. In beauty, this shows up clearly as skinspan and increasingly hair healthspan, referring to the ability of skin and hair systems to maintain barrier integrity, resilience, recovery, and quality over time. Skin and hair are converging around the same biological logic. Hair is being actively skinified, with the scalp treated as living tissue rather than just a surface for cleansing. As a result, ingredients linked to foundational biology such as ceramides and ceramide-like lipids for barrier support, niacinamide, peptides, antioxidants, and microbiome-supporting actives are gaining long-term relevance across both skincare and haircare.

A particularly strong signal is that these ingredients are no longer positioned as hero innovations. They are becoming formulation baselines across mass, dermocosmetic, prestige, and professional haircare. That level of embedded demand is a far more reliable indicator of longevity relevance than novelty. Promises around reversing ageing, permanently restoring hair, or activating miracle pathways remain largely marketing-driven when they are not supported by science backed and clinical evidence human data or linked to everyday functional outcomes. Longevity built on transformation narratives tends to be short-lived; longevity built on maintenance and resilience scales.

How are consumer expectations evolving around longevity, and what types of scientific proof or claims will matter most for ingredient adoption?

Consumer expectations around longevity have become more pragmatic and informed. People increasingly understand that well-ageing of skin and hair alike is cumulative and preventive, not something that can be fixed later through dramatic interventions. In beauty, this translates into growing demand for products that support daily comfort, recovery, strength, and resilience rather than visible age reversal alone. In haircare, this is evident in the shift toward scalp comfort, reduced inflammation, fibre strength, density maintenance, and slower visible ageing of hair, rather than instant regrowth promises.

As a result, the proof that matters most is also changing. Human clinical or in-use evidence, even at a modest scale, is becoming essential. Claims linked to function such as improved skin or scalp barrier, reduced sensitivity, faster recovery, reduced breakage, or improved fibre resilience carry far more weight than abstract anti-ageing language. Ingredients whose biological role can be clearly explained, such as ceramides addressing age-related barrier decline in both skin and scalp, are easier for consumers to trust and adopt.

Which ingredient categories or innovation areas offer the most promising long-term opportunities for beauty and wellness brands over the next 5–10 years?

The most promising long-term opportunities lie in foundational longevity systems across skin, scalp, and hair rather than short-lived ingredient trends. Barrier and integrity ingredients including ceramides, ceramide-like lipids, cholesterol, and supporting actives such as niacinamide and panthenol will remain central because barrier decline is one of the earliest and most universal features of ageing across skin and scalp. Ingredients supporting inflammation control, oxidative stress management, and repair pathways will continue to gain importance as longevity is framed around resilience and recovery rather than youth.

Hair longevity will increasingly be built through scalp-first formulations, optimisation of the follicle environment, and fibre resilience, rather than cosmetic masking. In parallel, gut–skin–hair connections and systemic inflammation will open further opportunities in wellness and beauty-from-within. Asia-Pacific will play a defining role in this evolution. The region combines rapidly ageing populations with a strong cultural emphasis on preventive care, scalp health, and gentle daily maintenance, alongside deep credibility in blending traditional ingredients with modern validation. This positions Asia-Pacific as a key driver of scalable, function-led longevity innovation across both skin and hair.

Please note:

Ina Dawer, Global Insight Manager: Ingredients at Euromonitor International will be speaking at in-cosmetics Global on ʺThe Longevity Ingredient Opportunity: Signals vs Noise,ʺ in the Marketing Trends Theatre on Tuesday 14 April from 10:00.