Content about Hygiene

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Reckitt Benckiser on Monday supplemented its Mucinex and Delsym cough-cold portfolio with the addition of Cepacol from Combe.

Combe also announced the completion of its cough-cold and skin care businesses to the British conglomerate, along with its foot care brand Odor-Eaters to personal care company Blistex.

NEW YORK — Aubrey Organics, a maker of natural hair, skin and body care products, introduced in November new fragrances for its shave formula and glycogen protein balancing shampoo and conditioner.

For a silky-smooth shave, there's the new crème de la shave. The moisturizing formulas are available in five natural scents, including the new white tea and citrus and pomegranate scents. They join the existing lineup of toasted almond, orange cream and raspberry honey.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands —In a move that wasn’t exactly a surprise to many industry observers, Unilever announced plans to acquire Alberto-Culver for $3.7 billion in cash, a deal that significantly will boost Unilever’s hair care portfolio.

PLEASANTON, Calif. Grocer Safeway has unveiled its new natural personal care line called In-Kind.

The In-Kind line is comprised of lotions, body washes, shampoos, conditioners, facial products and hand soaps. The formulas are free of parabens, sulfates and pesticides, according to the company. Furthermore, the products are made with more than  90% natural ingredients.

NEW YORK Many consumers worldwide believe that personal care products formulated with natural ingredients are better for them; however, they still are concerned about product efficacy, and most consider themselves unknowledgeable when it comes to the impact of chemicals on their health, according to recent research by research-firm Datamonitor.

LONDON and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands Unilever is significantly boosting its hair care portfolio by acquiring Alberto-Culver for $3.7 billion in cash.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. A new hand sanitizer from Hardy Diagnostics has made its market debut.

AloeSafe contains aloe vera, vitamin E and lavender oil and is free of glycerin, artificial colors, propylene glycol and parabens, Hardy Diagnostics said. It does not cause drying, and leaves the hands feeling soft and silky, while showing a 99.9% kill rate of potentially infectious bacteria.

Supplier News

Carma Labs, the maker of Carmex lip balm products, is expanding beyond lip balm for the first time with the launch of its new skin care product line: Carmex Healing lotion and Carmex Healing cream. Carmex skin care products were available exclusively at all Walgreens locations in the United States and on Walgreens.com beginning in August, and will be available through Drugstore.com beginning in September. The suggested retail price is $5.99 each.

CHICAGO Many Hispanic women feel underrepresented in the beauty and personal care aisle and would like to see more products -- especially hair care products -- designed just for them, suggested recent research by Mintel.

"It can be a very daunting task for companies to hone in on the specific needs of their Hispanic customers," stated Leylha Ahuile, senior multicultural analyst at Mintel. "Latinas come in a variety of shades, so a wide range of products must be developed to cater to every pigment and hair type."