Indeed, sustainability has become an integral part of the beauty and personal care industry and the issue now weighs significantly on ingredient providers and formulation professional.
Reflecting this, in-cosmetics Global is this year introducing its Sustainability Corner concept to the show floor at the ExCel exhibition space, when the event opens its doors for three days from the 4th of April.
How important is sustainability to the industry?
With a little over five weeks to go until the doors open, Cosmetics Design spoke to Cathy Laporte, exhibition director at in-cosmetics to find out more about Sustainability Corner and what it will mean for both exhibitors and visitors.
“Sustainability is a multi-industry issue and, across sectors, we’ve seen growing concern for how things are made and consumed,” said Laporte.
“Businesses and consumers are both looking more closely at their environmental and social impacts. In cosmetics, the need for eco-responsibility has been widely reported with calls to ban certain ingredients and to manage the biodiversity and sourcing of others.”
A helping hand for R&D professionals
Laporte believes that the Sustainability Corner will serve to help research and development professionals network and discover new partners that can help them to enhance the environmentally-friendly credentials of the products and services they develop.
“The Sustainability Corner will bring the very best examples from across the globe so visitors can discover and develop sustainable innovation,” said Laporte who went on to also explain about the associated presentations to highlight what is going on in the area.
“It is free of charge to attend the sessions and manufacturers will leave with an enhanced understanding of the most recent and innovative developments in sustainability within the cosmetics industry.”
What the concept will look like
So what other features will the new Sustainability Corner have and what will it look like?
Laporte explains that it will be an interactive space made from renewable materials featuring 24 “pod” display units containing different ingredients and formulation solution that have been developed with enhanced sustainability in mind.
“BASF, Clariant, DSM Nutritional Products, Earthoil Plantations and Kolb are just some of the companies to confirm their participation. Additionally, over three days, there will be a series of presentations from leading suppliers highlighting their approach to sustainability. Key beauty brands will also present case studies,” Laporte said.
Will the concept grow?
The show organisers say that since announcing the Sustainability Corner, reaction to it has emphasised the importance that manufacturers and suppliers are placing on trying to improve their credentials and reputations in this crucial area.
The first Sustainability Corner at in-cosmetics Global is likely to be a testing ground to determine how popular it may prove.
Indeed, the one to follow would be the Formulation Lab concept, which was so well received that it has now been rolled out at all five of the in-cosmetics events worldwide.