Sun Care: Inside the IMCD UK Beauty Studio

At IMCD Beauty & Personal Care, we support product development through ingredient expertise and formulation capabilities. Sun care is one of four application areas at our Beauty Studio UK in Milton Keynes, alongside skin care, hair care and toiletries.

Sun care is one of the most technically complex categories in personal care, requiring the careful balance of proven photoprotection with exceptional consumer aesthetics. It is also the only cosmetic segment that directly addresses a public health concern. At our Beauty Studio, we offer an extensive portfolio of mineral, chemical and hybrid SPF formulations, featuring a wide range of textures designed to meet diverse market and consumer needs.

Our technical specialists bring extensive expertise in developing sun care products that maximise SPF efficacy while delivering outstanding aesthetics. Every formulation in our portfolio has undergone full stability assessment, as well as in vitro photoprotection testing at our dedicated French Skin & Sun care Excellence Centre, utilising advanced technologies including the Labsphere UV 2000S and Robot Spreadmaster.

Beyond providing a comprehensive selection of ready-to-evaluate formulations, our team works closely with customers to refine textures, optimise sensory performance and tailor formulations to specific project requirements. Whether the goal is a lighter skin feel, enhanced spreadability or a more premium consumer experience, our experts can support the journey from concept to final product.

In addition, we can extend this testing capability to our customers, providing valuable technical support and insight throughout the development process. This combination of formulation expertise, validated performance and specialised testing services helps accelerate development timelines and gives customers greater confidence in bringing successful sun care products to market.

To discuss a sun care project or arrange a visit to our Milton Keynes studio, get in touch with our team or speak to your IMCD account manager.