Interview with Vinay Singh By Elijah Stone
We interviewed our head formulator Vinay Kumar Singh to ask some questions about the cosmetics and personal care industry. He shared his thoughts on how things have changed, and provided some insight on natural ingredients… How long have you worked in the cosmetics industry? In what ways has the industry significantly changed over the years? Mr. Vinay Kumar Singh has worked in the cosmetics industry for 36 years now. He reported that the biggest change he’s noticed in the industry has been the media boom. With technology evolving and the liberalization of the economy, consumers have become more informed, leading to a change in demand for more specialized products. He also noted that local brands have grown significantly (in India), as opposed to in the past where most of the final products were produced by a select few national brands. This then led to many consumers resorting to imported brands from different regions of the country. What are some of the biggest challenges working as a formulator? Vinay stated that “Catering to a constantly changing demand has been challenging.” Formulators will start a project based on consumer demand, but oftentimes, the demand for the product will change by the time the formulation process is completed. He also noted that new rules and regulations have been challenging. For example, animal testing has been outlawed, and human subjects are more costly and time consuming to test on, though he believes this regulation change was a positive step forward for the industry overall. The demand for natural ingredients has increased over time; has it been challenging for yourself and other formulators to create natural ingredients to replace active ingredients? Formulating natural ingredients has proven challenging. Mostly due to the instability of many natural ingredients, ranging from efficacy to the consistency of the quality of the supply. Do you think there is a bright future for bioferment ingredients? What are the best uses for bioferments in formulations? The demand for bioferments has increased significantly, as has the demand for natural ingredients in general. Vinay noted that bioferments are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients, making for a great addition to many formulations. These ingredients maintain balance in the skin microbiome and get absorbed quickly by skin, as the molecules are smaller with increased bioavailability. He stated that because of these properties, bioferment ingredients have great potential in anti-aging formulations & multiactive products. He further mentioned that bioferments reduce skin irritation and are available without quality variation. Tweet more insights Share the Post: