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Our new book: Untapping Innovation® out now
A clear Product Story provides the thread that holds the innovation together. It helps R&D, Marketing and commercial teams understand the user problem being solved, the role the technology plays in solving it and the experience the product is ultimately designed to create. When the Product Story is developed early, products become easier to explain, easier to remember and, importantly, easier for people to act on.
The conversation around innovation has become increasingly dominated by speed. Every organisation is looking for ways to shorten development timelines, reduce time to market and increase the return on every pound invested in innovation. Consumer expectations continue to evolve, retailers expect innovation to work harder than ever before, and R&D organisations are being asked to deliver more with the same, or fewer, resources. McKinsey recently described the challenge facing consumer goods companies as one of restoring product superiority while also rebuilding brand relevance, highlighting just how central successful innovation has become to sustainable business growth.
Dr. Chad McAllister and I do not come from the same world. He has spent his career in software and product management, and hosts the Product Mastery Now podcast. I have spent mine in FMCG, working inside R&D teams developing everything from antiperspirants to toilet tissue to skincare. When we sat down to record a podcast together, I was super curious to see how much overlap there would actually be.
Quite a lot, as it turned out. Three things in particular kept coming up from both sides, and we felt they are worth sharing because they hold across industries, not just in consumer goods.
Reformulation is one of the most constant and commercially loaded challenges in CPG R&D. Raw material costs shift, regulations evolve, packaging components are discontinued, and through all of it the expectation remains the same: consumers must continue to love the product and the business must continue to make money from it. Here are 10 things we have learned, working alongside R&D teams across beauty care, food and beverage, and consumer healthcare, about how to navigate that challenge without losing what matters most.
Reformulation can feel frustratingly inefficient, with functional teams pulling in different directions, costly iterations, and uncertainty around what really matters to consumers. Untapped’s Ideal Product Model Blueprint addresses this by giving R&D a clear, evidence-based framework to focus on what must be protected, where costs can be reduced, and how to avoid later rework. By connecting consumer jobs to sensory attributes, product mechanisms, and validation methods, it enables faster, more confident reformulation that protects both margin and brand equity.
At the Beauty & Wellness Law Summit in London, legal experts revealed how regulation, claims, and consumer trust are reshaping innovation in beauty. For FMCG R&D leaders, the message was clear: the future of product development goes far beyond formulation.
As FMCG and healthcare giants streamline and refocus, retailers are investing in immersive, experience-led “retail theatre.” But without insight-driven R&D, even the most dazzling store concepts risk becoming generic. This frontline perspective explores how R&D can elevate product stories, shape compelling claims and demos, and partner cross-functionally to turn scientific innovation into shelf-ready, story-led growth that wins consumers and retailers alike.
Cover image credit: Manchester Arndale, Space NK
As pressure on R&D teams continues to rise, the biggest gains often come from how we work day to day. These eight atomic habits show how small shifts in behaviour can strengthen commercial relevance and real-world impact in 2026.
The British Beauty Council’s “Future of Beauty” event this week was one of the most intelligently curated industry gatherings we’ve seen in quite a long time. Every panel was deliberate, with a mix of business leaders, founders, scientists and creatives who together told a story of an economically valuable industry, evolving faster than ever. For R&D leaders in FMCG, who don’t often get the luxury of stepping outside the business, there were some powerful takeaways on how consumer relevance, science, and creativity can work better together.
In volatile economic times, the organisations that will win are those that resist the temptation of premature numbers and instead base their early-stage decisions on clarity, deeper evidence, and meaningful human insight.
