The 55th edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is in the books. Over 3,000 exhibitors from 69 countries participated in the four-day event, spanning the entire cosmetics and personal care industry supply chain, consumer brands, beauty tech, the professional sector, and more.
In his remarks to the press, Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere expressed gratitude “for the support and presence of the institutions and numerous representatives of the Italian Government. The support of ITA – Italian Trade Agency has been particularly strategic,” he says, noting that, “for this edition ITA involved over 70 offices to invite delegations from the main markets. Thanks to synergies with institutions we hosted top buyers from 113 countries.”
As Calzolari suggests, the beauty industry is an important economic driver globally, regionally, and locally. Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is itself Made in Italy; and that place-based-branding calls attention to the value that the country adds to our industry, not just during the show but year-round: Over 60% of cosmetic products on the market today are Made in Italy. Individual manufacturers make strong contributions to beauty as well. Ancorotti Cosmetics, for instance, is credited with producing 25% of all mascara sold globally. And these figures don’t even touch on the ingredient innovators, packaging design and manufacturers, machinery specialists, or brush companies whose products bear the Made in Italy label.
Brand Highlights
My time at this year’s show was split among several projects: serving on the Cosmopack and Cosmoprof Awards jury, moderating a session of the CosmoTalks educational program, hosting this year’s CosmoFactory initiative, and networking with Ingredients Zone and Cosmopack exhibitors. So I did not spend as much time visiting with brand leaders as I have in previous years.
Still, these brands caught my attention:
Regenerative Beauty – Microbiota Vitality Cream
but maybe not for the obvious reasons…microbiome beauty is hugely important and concepts like vitality that come with a promise of living well, longer are both relevant now and very future-forward…
What struck me most about this product, however, is it’s incredibly comprehensive approach to sustainability, which includes zero-kilometer sourcing for 89% of the ingredients, water-free formulation, cold-extraction and cold-production processes, and the use of regenerative farming (agricultural practices that improve soil conditions and biodiversity). The packaging is PCR recycled—and I suppose flaws can be found in that choice. But to my knowledge, no one has hit upon the holy grail of sustainable packaging.
from Byfemme S.R.O.
is formulated to address atopic dermatitis as well as to relieve dry, itchy skin more generally.
What is remarkable here is the brand’s unabashed non-vegan ingredient choices. This cream is formulated with both mealworm and grasshopper oils—and the insects are fed a specialized diet to ensure oil quality. “The oil is derived from Korean edible insects bred in the country’s Jirisan mountain region and fed with maclura ferment enzyme…so their oil is effective in easing atopic dermatitis.”
Other notable ingredients are Cypress water (a popular water alternative in Asian countries, and increasingly in the West, that also reportedly provides skincare benefits) and 4 seaweed extracts.
from GOSHU
The hero ingredients in these product lines are waters sourced from Toyama, Japan, a city that within a relatively small geographical area (a few dozen kilometers) has mountain altitudes 3,000 meters above sea level and an ocean bay with a depth of 1,000 meters.
Like many efficacious and enchanting beauty ingredients, Toyama Quality Waters have applications in other industries. The waters are sold as bottled mineral water for drinking as well as in the functional food and beverage market.
a clean skincare brand, based in İstanbul, Turkey, founded in 2021 by Gulsah Onel
This is an indie brand very much of the moment—it’s small batch, gender agnostic, focuses on sustainability, natural ingredients, transparency through communication, and takes a wholistic approach to skincare.
The brand’s name the concept it symbolizes are particularly relevant for beauty going forward, as leading-edge brands, ingredient companies, industry researchers, and consumers are intrigued by biohacking, all things longevity, and reverse-aging science.
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