Between 2-4th April, Paris hosted this year’s global In-Cosmetics Conference. For three days, over 10,000 cosmetic manufactures worldwide congregated to showcase, peruse and find inspiration from over 800 international exhibitors of ingredients, fragrances, lab equipment, testing and regulatory solutions.
We listened into the conversation, via social listening platforms, to tap into the conversation and understand what got the industry talking last week.
In just a few days*, there were over 2,200 online mentions in over 21 languages. Twitter and Instagram were the home to the majority of the conversation and people sharing their experience.
So from this, what were the key topics of conversation?
1. #Innovation
The topic on everyone’s lips was innovation. This was one of the most used words throughout the week. Within this, with a clear drive for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions, #veganbeauty and #vegancosmetics were mentioning in over 70% of the innovation-focused conversations. The innovations showcased in sun protection products were another focus with #sunscreen or #uvprotection being used frequently within this conversation.
2. The skin microbiome is here to stay
As reported by Cosmetics Design Europe – and we were already firm believers – the skin microbiome continues to grow as a focus in the industry. The opportunities that lie ahead for new ingredients, testing methodologies and wider R&D were one of the key discussions during the event. We, for one, are inspired by the future possibilities in this space and further exploration into what the skin microbiome can unlock across beauty and personal care.
Alongside this, Cosmetics Design Europe also reported a trend around the connection between beauty and the brain, including the role of hormones and wellbeing in personal care. While this discourse was first discussed nearly 10 years ago regarding the ‘brain-gut axis’, we await to see what lies ahead for this area of research. The final trend reported that caught our eye was biomimicry: the power of inspiration that nature brings for creating sustainable beauty solutions.
3. Empowering consumers
One of the stories that had the most reach last week, thanks to coverage by BBC News, is the invention of the CutiTron. The device can monitor the hydration of a person’s skin and other key factors such as temperate, geographical location to show how much product a person should apply.
For us, the most interesting consideration with this device is the wider trend of personalised cosmetics, visualisation of skin status and skin conditions, and empowering the consumer.
If we can monitor and visualisation our skin status, and have this knowledge at our fingertips (or in our phones!), we will be able to better educate ourselves and take a more informed approach in driving our own beauty treatment.
4. A touch of plastic-free sparkle
Last but not least, the first plastic-free glitter. Another fantastic example of the industry’s focus on sustainability. Made of out plant materials, the BioGlitter range was officially launched!
*Between the 1st April and 5th April of online public conversations mentioning In-Cosmetics and associated hashtags.
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