A Formulator’s Perspective: Working With AvenaPLex

What was your first impression of working with AvenaPLex?

I was quite impressed with how easy it was to work with. From a formulator’s perspective, you’re always looking at how an ingredient behaves in different systems as well as what it can bring to the finished product, and AvenaPLex ticked both boxes for me.

I particularly liked the skin feel it gave. It added a nice sense of comfort and nourishment to the formulation without making the formula feel too heavy or greasy. It’s one of those ingredients where, once you start working with it, you can see lots of formulation possibilities across different technology platforms and categories, whether that be skincare or colour cosmetics.

When developing a formulation with AvenaPLex, what consumer need do you think it addresses particularly well?

It really addresses the growing demand for skin comfort and barrier support without compromising the sensory experience. Consumers want products that feel soothing and nourishing, but they don’t necessarily want something heavy, greasy or overly occlusive.

That’s where I think AvenaPLex is interesting. It gives you the opportunity to build that “comforted, well-conditioned skin” proposition into a modern formulation, particularly for products aimed at sensitive, dry or stressed skin.

I also think it fits well with the move towards gentler, multifunctional formulations. Rather than simply adding another ingredient for a marketing claim, you can use it as part of a formulation strategy focused on improving the overall skin feel and supporting the skin’s natural resilience.

Which formulation formats do you think AvenaPLex is best suited to, and why?

I think AvenaPLex is particularly interesting in leave-on formats where you can really build the ingredient story around it. I’d look first at anhydrous facial oils, serums and balms and then emulsions or barrier-focused creams, where you have enough formulation flexibility to showcase the ingredient rather than simply using it as a supporting active.

One thing I am currently working on is a two-phase product that really highlights the warm honey coloration of this active, and with the other phase complementing it, it could evolve to become a facial serum or a skin mist. This is because sensory is becoming a performance attribute rather than an afterthought and the sensorial experience itself can contribute to emotional wellbeing.

I’d also consider cleansing formats, particularly more oil based facial cleansers, because oat-derived ingredients can work nicely where you’re trying to balance cleansing efficacy with a softer skin feel. It would work well in a transforming product like an oil-in-balm with emphasis on performance like microbiome, barrier supporting, delivery of actives and treatment preparation. Suncare is also another great application area for this active and I am currently trialling this in some different SPF formats, such as sprays, balms, and emulsions.

From a formulation perspective, I’d favour relatively simple, elegant systems rather than overly complicated formulas with lots of competing actives and noise. That gives AvenaPLex a clearer role in the formulation and makes it easier to optimise the sensory profile and overall skin feel and communication on the product.

My preferred choice would probably be a lightweight barrier-support serum or emulsion – something that combines a modern, high-performance texture with a clear soothing and skin-conditioning proposition. This is why I love my job as I get to play with these ingredients before anyone else!

Are there any formulation tips or best practices you’d share with other formulators using AvenaPLex?

I’d say the main thing is to really think about what you want AvenaPLex to bring to the formula rather than just adding it because oat is a great story. I like to formulate around the ingredient and give it a clear role, particularly in products where you want to support the skin barrier and give a more comfortable, conditioned skin feel.

From a formulation point of view, there is great supporting data available. Pay careful attention to the formulation guidelines and make sure you’re following the recommended addition method and any temperature precision. This active contains a high content of polar lipids, so it has the best miscibility with esters/oils that are of a similar polarity, and it will not mix with non-polar or low polarity liquids which is useful when choosing other compatible ingredients for the oil phase. An incompatible choice will be obvious and haze will be observed.

For me, the best results come when AvenaPLex is part of a well-balanced formula rather than trying to make it do everything on its own. I’d pair it with complementary emollients and barrier-supporting ingredients and then look at the finished product from a sensory point of view as well as the technical data.

And, as with any newer ingredient, I’d always make a few small lab trials first before scaling up to a larger batch.

If a brand asked you to create one hero product featuring AvenaPLex, what would you develop and why?

I’d probably develop a daily barrier-supporting moisturiser. Something that feels really good on the skin but has a clear, credible ingredient story behind it.

AvenaPLex would be particularly interesting in a formula focused on skin comfort and barrier support, because that’s an area that consumers are increasingly looking for. I’d want to create something that’s suitable for stressed, dry or sensitive-feeling skin, rather than making it another complicated “does everything” product.

I’d probably go for a lightweight cream-to-gel texture, with AvenaPLex as the hero ingredient, supported by a carefully selected blend of moisturisers, emollients and barrier supporting ingredients. The sensory would be important – soft, silky and comforting, but not heavy or greasy.

I think that’s where a formulator can really add value. It’s not just about putting an interesting active into a formula; it’s about building the whole product around it so the consumer can actually feel the benefit when they use it.

And ultimately, I’d want it to be a product people reach for every day. If you can combine a strong ingredient story like AvenaPLex with a genuinely lovely texture and a simple, proven benefit, that’s when you have the makings of a great hero product.

Which of today’s biggest skincare trends do you think formulators should be paying the most attention to, and why?

I think one of the biggest things we should be paying attention to is the move towards optimising skin health rather than just treating a single skin concern. Consumers are becoming much more aware of the skin barrier, the microbiome and long-term skin resilience, and I think that’s going to have a real influence on how we formulate.

For me, it’s not necessarily about finding the next big hero ingredient. It’s about how we put ingredients together to create a formula that genuinely supports the skin. Things like barrier-supporting lipids, gentle emulsions, prebiotic or microbiome-friendly approaches, and reducing unnecessary irritation are all areas I find particularly interesting.

I also think multifunctional formulations are becoming increasingly important. Consumers want products that do more, but they don’t necessarily want a complicated ten step routine. So, the challenge is creating elegant products that can deliver several benefits while still feeling great on the skin.

Then there’s the sustainability side. I think we’re moving beyond simply saying a product is “natural” or “sustainable”. Formulators have to look at the whole formula – the raw materials, processing, packaging, water use, biodegradability and ultimately how the product performs. That makes formulation much more interesting, because you’re balancing performance, sensoriality, stability, cost and sustainability all in tandem.

We need to be much more thoughtful about formulation. Trends come and go, but good formulation fundamentals are here to stay. Understanding the skin, choosing the right ingredients and getting the balance of performance and sensoriality right will always be important. The exciting part is using new technologies and ingredients to push those fundamentals forward rather than just chasing the next trend.

Looking ahead, where do you see skincare formulation heading over the next few years?

I think skincare formulation is going to become much more focused on doing more with less. Consumers are becoming much more ingredient savvy, but at the same time they’re getting more sceptical of very complicated formulations and long ingredient lists. I think we’ll see a move towards more purposeful formulations, where every ingredient has a clear role and a more minimalist formulation build so less really is more.

From a formulator’s point of view, I also think skin barrier health is going to remain a major focus. We’ve moved beyond simply talking about moisturisation, and we’re looking much more closely at how products interact with the skin over time. That means working with combinations of ingredients to create products that support the skin rather than treating a specific skin concern.

Healthy ageing/skin longevity will continue to replace the traditional anti-ageing. Rather than simply focusing on ‘wrinkles’, the focus is on the resilience, architecture and long-term skin quality. There will be a focus on maintaining collagen and elastin, skin firmness and density, resilience of the skin barrier, preventative skincare and cellular health.

I think formulation will become more challenging from a sustainability and regulatory perspective. We’re being asked to rethink ingredients, packaging and manufacturing, while still delivering the same sensory experience and performance. For a formulator, that makes it much more about finding the right balance rather than simply replacing one ingredient with another.

And finally, I think sensory will continue to be incredibly important. Even when consumers understand the science behind a product, they still want something that feels beautiful on the skin. As a formulator, that’s one of the most interesting challenges – taking good science and turning it into a product that people actually enjoy using every single day. So overall, I see the future of skincare as more targeted, more multifunctional, more conscious and, hopefully, more scientifically meaningful — but without losing the sensorial side that makes people fall in love with a product in the first place.