The Flash Cosmetics Pitch feature invites early stage entrepreneurial companies or startups with transformative beauty innovation or technology to participate in the feature.
Johnson & Johnson Innovation, a leading consumer goods multinational in health care and personal care, is offering participants the chance to:
- pitch to an exclusive panel of industry experts from Johnson & Johnson Innovation
- win 5,000 Euros and be part of the in-cosmetics Global awards ceremony
- gain ‘an extraordinary level’ of PR and exposure for their company
The Flash Cosmetics Pitch event takes place at the upcoming in-cosmetics industry show, to be held 4 - 6 April in the ExCeL centre, London. We caught up with Emma Kohring of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, to hear what they’re looking for and why.
Hunting for beauty innovation
Kohring explains that Johnson & Johnson Innovation is the the open innovation team for Johnson & Johnson, whose role is to go out and look for great new technologies outside of the main organisation across all sectors, including beauty.
“I’m exceedingly excited to part of this,” she says, noting that it’s a great opportunity for Johnson & Johnson Innovation to foster new talent and technology in the industry.
Kohring explains that the idea for the Flash Cosmetics Pitch was inspired by the success her team has had with similar pitching events in other categories, pharmaceuticals and biotech areas.
“It’s such a great way of identifying and accessing great new technology and startups, and helping to partner and nurture those young companies with the experience and support that a company like Johnson & Johnson Innovation can offer them.”
What are they looking for?
Johnson & Johnson Innovation are inviting applicants across six core categories.
• Anti-ageing
• Devices
• Digital beauty
• Microbiome
• Naturals
• Personalisation
“What we’re not looking for is 27 new lipstick shades,” explains Kohring. “We want to find new science new technology things that are game changing really novel innovation and this is a great way for us to network into that eco-system as a company that is one of the largest and most diversified healthcare companies in the world.”
Why now?
Kohring says that now is the perfect time for this kind of initiative in beauty, due to the incredible pace of innovation the industry is currently witnessing.
“The last few years have seen phenomenal growth in the beauty industry, and not just driven by innovation but also enabled by innovation,” she asserts.
“That pace of innovation is really driven a whole new startup mentality in this industry that has previously only really been seen in tech or biotech companies, and so we want to be able to nurture and tap into that, accessing global innovation in a way that was never possible before.”
Cathy Laporte, head of the in-cosmetics Global team, also voices her excitement about the feature.
“It’s really refreshing to be working with a company like Johnson & Johnson Innovation, who would usually be visitors to the show, on a project like this, and actually help them find the right innovation for them. We are all very excited at in-cosmetics.” Find out more here.