As we enter a new year, we caught up with Dr Emma Meredith who is director-general at the UK beauty and personal care industry trade body, the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA), to discuss what’s on the agenda for 2025...
Cosmetics Design-Europe (CDE): What were the key issues for the beauty and personal care industry 2024?
Dr Emma Meredith (EM): In 2024, as for most years, the challenges facing the cosmetics, personal care and beauty industry were diverse, and impacted locally and globally. They could be distilled into: Regulatory uncertainty; Ingredient defence; Environmental Impact; Global trade.
It must be acknowledged that challenges are inevitable, and Trade Associations have a key role in tackling them. Throughout 2024, CTPA played a critical role in: influencing the regulatory landscape – both domestically and globally – through engagement with key stakeholders; protecting the industry’s ability to continue to produce safe, effective and essential products; promoting the essentiality of the industry, its products and its services; and leading on crucial issues that affect the industry, ensuring it is fully equipped to act responsibly for consumers and the environment.
CDE: What’s on the horizon for 2025?
EM: In 2024 CTPA launched its Agenda for Government, which is our call for action as we work with the new UK Government on the critical issues affecting the cosmetics, personal care and beauty industry. The key asks in the Agenda for Government are based on the pillars of Essentiality, Regulation, Science, Sustainability and Business, will direct the Association’s work in 2025.
Just a few of our topics of focus are:
UK EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) for Packaging
The EPR Regulation will have a significant impact on all companies and all sectors. CTPA is closely following all the developments and keeping members updated on this important topic. In particular, we are keeping companies informed on the reporting requirements, the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) and expected associated fees. We will also continue our engagement with the UK policy lead for EPR, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), and with the Scheme Administrator, to ensure the views and needs of industry are understood and considered, certainly with regard to timings, fees and future labelling.
We will also continue to lead activity on Take-Back Schemes, progressing towards concerted and industry-wide action.
UK REACH
The Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation is a horizontal chemicals regulation which aims to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, whilst enhancing the competitiveness of the chemicals industry. The REACH model operates in both the UK and EU; however, the systems are independent and chemicals must be registered and managed separately under both UK and EU REACH.
CTPA has actively engaged with Defra on UK REACH since 2018 and, while the regulation came into force on 1 January 2021, we continue to offer solution-led discussions to still outstanding issues.
With the first full registration date in October 2026 and having contributed to the Defra consultation on the proposed Alternative Transitional Registration model (ATRm), to reduce burden to businesses for re-registering substances that were already registered under EU REACH up to 31 December 2020, CTPA will continue with its actions and education on UK REACH throughout 2025.
NAMs (Non-animal New Approach Methodologies)
In early 2024, the then UK Government expressed its commitment to publish a detailed plan to set out how the Government would accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies to reduce the use of animals in science in the UK. Following a change of UK Government in Summer 2024, we are still awaiting the new Government’s position.
CTPA will, however, continue its in-depth work on championing the use and acceptance of animal-free scientific approaches with risk assessors, UK policy makers and international stakeholders.
International trade
We will focus UK Government attention on existing and potential critical trade barriers, and continue to be a strategic partner to the UK Government, supporting members in their export and import.
CDE: In early 2024, you were concerned about cosmetics regulations potentially taking an increased hazard-based approach, based on what was happening in the EU. Is this still a concern?
EM: In addition to the worries over a more hazard-based approach to chemicals in the EU, CTPA was also concerned about the outcome of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Product Safety Review (PSR) consultation.
The proposals within the PSR consultation directly impact the UK Cosmetic Regulation (UKCR). CTPA considers the UKCR to meet the objectives of ensuring consumer safety, supporting businesses though compliance, fostering innovation and promoting growth through domestic and international trade.
CTPA’s comprehensive response to the PSR consultation therefore requested that the UKCR be preserved. I wrote to the new DBT Minister, asking for assurances on this matter and was delighted to receive a reply from the Minister Madders, confirming the future of the UK Cosmetics Regulation.
We also continue to be reassured that the UK still promotes a risk-based approach.
CDE: Last year we also discussed ‘essentiality’ of beauty and personal care products. Do you think the UK government is gaining a better understanding of how ‘essential’ the cosmetics industry is to both industry and consumers?
EM: This is a constant message from CTPA, and one of the key pillars of the CTPA Agenda for Government is Essentiality.
While we will continue to demonstrate that our industry produces products that are absolutely critical to everyday life, I am very pleased to say that from my post-election engagement with the new Government Secretaries of State and key Ministers, I received positive replies acknowledging the importance of our sector.
CDE: What is important in terms of sustainability in 2025? Do you have any thoughts or advice for beauty companies on this topic?
EM: There is a critical need for companies and industry, as well as individuals, to commit to reducing the environmental impact of cosmetics and personal care products wherever possible. Additionally, it is important to understand that sustainable actions are not just a ‘nice to have’, there is a political, legal, as well as moral imperative to be taking action.
I feel strongly that sustainability must be at the heart of a business, and since 2018 CTPA has been championing more sustainable practices within the industry through its Sustainability Strategy: Driving Towards a Net Zero Cosmetics Industry.
A significant part of the CTPA’s work is offering members confidential one-to-one meetings, helping them wherever they are along their sustainability journeys. The learnings CTPA has taken from these meetings is positive and members are further along than they realise. It has been really reassuring to see how many brands are making that shift.
This is a trend we expect to see continue into the coming years, as companies of all shapes and sizes seek to expedite progress on the pressing challenge of our time.
It can, however, be quite daunting for companies to know where to start and where they should be focussing their efforts. The CTPA Sustainability Hub is a vital resource providing definitions, legal requirements and related guidance, both external and from CTPA, to help steer companies, of all sizes, towards making their own roles, products and businesses more sustainable.
Companies also need to include sustainable thinking into new product development, right from the concept stage. To help with this, this year will see the launch of the CTPA Sustainable Design Hub, to support this shift to long-term thinking - whether it’s when a new product is conceived, or an existing one is reformulated. This will have to happen, because ultimately the only companies that will be able to keep growing will be those that can do so sustainably.
