Driven by the needs of the customer to combine health and wellness with appearance in everyday consumption, a new convergent industry is emerging. It is the Cosmetictextile industry--the fusion between the cosmetic and the textile industries. Far from being revolutionary, the technology supporting this convergence is basic and is represented by “micro-encapsulation.” When microcapsules are incorporated into fabrics, the friction between the fabric and the skin triggers the release of cosmetic properties from the microcapsules in the fabric. The first converging products in this industry were simple scented fabrics. Subsequently, companies have started to insert “real” cosmetic properties such as cellulite reducing, slimming, energizing, and moisturizing in their fabrics.

Several companies are expanding into this convergent industry. Lanxess is a spin-off from the German chemical multinational, Bayer, offering Cosmetictextile products such as Bayscent Aromatherapy and Bayscent Neutralizer. Lytess, a French company, is offering its customers not only a particular kind of collant (“collants minceur” or slimming leotards) that can drain and slim legs, but is also offering many other textile products (e.g., jeans, pants, and t-shirts) that are able to release other cosmetic properties (e.g., anticellulite properties). To produce and sell Cosmetictextile products, Lytess combines its competencies with Sederma, a French company producing active products for the cosmetic industry and with Micro Capsules Technologies having encapsulation technology skills. Cognis, a spin-off from Henkel, is offering many “active textile” products, including a product line called “Skintex.” Skintex is a serum made up of retinol and chitosan. Retinol is used in many skin-care products to stimulate collagen production, while chitosan has been used to decrease fat absorption in the stomach. Skintex offers also a wide range of other “Cosmetictextile” products, some of them devoted to relaxing (relaxing aroma in the fabric) or protection (with effective mosquito repellent in the fabric). Another product, “cyclofresh,” is a fabric that releases perfumes or “smell catchers.” Finally, Lycra is another firm in this emerging industry that has incorporated micro-capsules with cosmetic properties in its fabrics. These firms are tapping into customer need for abstraction by addressing a social emotion of looking healthy and an individual emotion of experiencing a wellness feeling while wearing Cosmetictextiles. Source: Secondary data.