Key takeaways
- Pet care is rapidly evolving toward derm‑first, functional, and premium product positioning.
- Beauty brands are entering the category to meet consumer demand for safer, higher‑quality products.
- Formulating for pets requires unique expertise in safety, pH, sensory experience, and oral‑exposure considerations.
- Regulatory expectations are increasing, requiring compliance with global standards.
- CDMO partnerships can accelerate commercialization with faster formulation, regulatory support, and operational excellence.
As beauty brands look to unlock new revenue streams, pet care is emerging as a natural extension, says innovation partner and CDMO Cohere Beauty.
As pet care is evolving toward derm‑first positioning, functional benefits, and premium sensory experiences, Jami Mitchell, who is Director of Research & Development at Cohere Beauty, explains more.
Hi Jami, what market forces are driving beauty brands to expand into pet care, and why is this crossover accelerating now?
As pets are considered full members of the family, pet owners are constantly looking for products that match the same level of quality, safety, and sensory experience they expect from human beauty brands. The market is seeing significant growth in premiumization, functional benefits, and “derm‑first” positioning, where pet care products go beyond basic hygiene to support skin‑barrier health, sensitivity, and overall wellness. This crossover is accelerating as pet parents invest more in elevated solutions that deliver real, noticeable results.
Cohere Beauty helps brands leverage this trend by applying our 150 years of combined experience across hair care, skin care, and body care to pet‑safe products, ensuring they can meet these consumer expectations while entering this growing market with confidence.
What are the most critical formulation differences between human beauty products and pet care products that brands often underestimate when entering the category?
Formulating for pets is fundamentally different from formulating for humans. There are three main areas brands must consider:
- Oral exposure: Pets groom themselves and may ingest products, so every ingredient must be safe for ingestion.
- Sensitivity: Pet skin is more sensitive and has a different pH than human skin. Some ingredients that are benign for humans can be irritating or toxic to pets.
- Format and performance: Products need to rinse clean, perform consistently on different coat types, and remain stable in a variety of conditions.
Many brands assume a human formula can simply be adapted for pets, but this often leads to safety or performance issues. Cohere Beauty applies our “beauty‑grade” approach to pet care, combining formulation, stability, and sensory expertise to ensure products are both safe and enjoyable for pets.
How are regulatory, safety, and quality expectations evolving for pet care — and what do beauty brands need to know before launching in this space?
Pet grooming products are subject to a complex set of regulatory and quality requirements that are often misunderstood. In the past, pet products without active ingredients fell into a gray area and were considered “unregulated,” which led to inconsistency in the market. Today, manufacturers need to ensure products comply with FTC, TSCA, and GMP standards in the U.S., CLP regulations in the EU, and human‑use cosmetics regulations globally.
Cohere Beauty helps customers navigate the industry’s highest regulatory, quality, and market standards. Our state‑of‑the‑art product lifecycle management (PLM) system streamlines formula and ingredient screening for regulatory compliance, accelerating time to market. Unlike many manufacturers that leave regulatory processes to their customers, we take the lead, working directly with retailers and third parties to ensure seamless document management.
As pet owners increasingly expect “beauty‑grade” sensory and premium experiences, how is premiumization reshaping pet care product development?
Premiumization is driving brands to rethink textures, fragrances, and formats in pet care. Just as human consumers appreciate a luxurious feel and sensorial experience, pet owners now seek elevated grooming products that offer similar tactile and aromatic qualities. This trend goes hand‑in‑hand with functionality, as owners want products that are not only beautiful but also deliver real benefits for skin, coat, and overall wellness.
Cohere Beauty leverages our R&D expertise and testing environments to create pet products that combine performance, sensory delight, and safe ingredients. Our team includes 15 degreed quality‑control chemists and engineers, 16 research and development formulation scientists, and 2 PhD scientists, with decades of industry‑leading expertise in trend watching, product research, complex formulation, technology transfer, formula cost reduction, and replicating established formulas.
What operational challenges do brands typically encounter when moving from concept to commercialization in pet care, and how can a CDMO partnership help accelerate speed to market?
Brands often face three key operational challenges when entering pet care:
- Formulation complexity: Ensuring safety, performance, and sensory quality across different coat types and sensitivities.
- Supply‑chain execution: Managing ingredient sourcing, stability testing, and scaling production while maintaining consistent quality.
- Time to market: Pet products are sold across multiple channels — from e‑commerce to big‑box and specialty retailers — and market trends are evolving rapidly. To stay competitive, brands must be able to deliver products to market with speed and precision.
Partnering with a CDMO like Cohere Beauty can mitigate these challenges. Our extensive formulation library and rapid sample turnaround — typically one to three weeks — allow brands to move from concept to commercialization faster. Our in‑house regulatory, quality, and production expertise ensures products are market‑ready with minimal risk.