Innovation Insight: Boscia Tsubaki Oil-Infused Exfoliating Powder

This week Gama takes a look at an in-vogue category in the health and beauty industry  – exfoliant powders – with the debut of Boscia Tsubaki Oil-Infused Exfoliating Powder.

Boscia Exfoliating Powder, a new launch available in markets including the USA, Canada and Malaysia, is an illustration of the growing interest in powder exfoliants as an alternative to more traditional scrubs and gels. One of a series of products from Boscia based on tsubaki oil – also known as camellia or tea seed oil – it is described as “thorough, yet extremely gentle” and consists of grains of adzuki beans and rice bran that are dried and then coated in tsubaki oil. Once activated with water, the tsubaki oil is released and treats the skin, according to the company’s promotional material.

The growth in popularity of exfoliating powders can most probably be put down to a combination of factors. Firstly, powder products, by virtue of their use of plant-based exfoliants, can typically position themselves as a more “natural” choice than conventional exfoliants which often contain plastic microbeads. These microbeads have increasingly been a target for environmental groups over the alleged damage they cause to marine ecosystems, to the extent that major manufacturers such as P&G have recently promised to phase them out of their product ranges.

A second advantage for powders is that they can be portrayed as “fresher” than a ready-prepared product –powder exfoliators often boast of ingredients that are “activated” on contact with water, giving the impression of greater potency than traditional products. In addition, many contain “infused” functional ingredients such as vitamins or plant extracts, conveying added natural health value.

A third benefit – at least in the case of Boscia Exfoliating Powder – is customization: by using more or less water to create a thinner or thicker paste, consumers are said to be able to“adjust” the level of exfoliation. The claim demonstrates how customizable features are becoming increasingly  prevalent in all areas of the consumer goods world, but especially in health & beauty, as individual consumers track down products that they can tailor to their own preferences.

The popularity of exfoliating powders hints at how “fresh”, “natural” and “right for me” could increasingly become the bywords for success in health and beauty innovation.