Natural Beauty Summit prepares for opening

Aimed at conventional firms considering a move into naturals and organics as well as established players, the three day beauty summit will be held at the Meridien Etoile in Paris 29 November - 1 December. The first two days of the summit will be split thematically into four conference sessions covering strategies and trends relevant to all professionals in the cosmetics industry and the final day will feature a half-day interactive workshop on formulation. The summit is organised by market research firm Organic Monitor and conference organiser ITEC France, which runs the cosmetics trade show Beyond Beauty Paris. Learning opportunity​ Building on the success of the Cosm'Ethics conference at Beyond Beauty this year, the Natural Beauty Summit promises to dig deeper. "The conference will equip existing natural companies with new ideas related to areas such as formulation, marketing and sustainability,"​ said Beyond Beauty spokesperson Sandie Jaidane. She added "the conference will also help companies understand and overcome technical issues such as the implications of REACH."​ The conference organiser said for conventional firms interested in launching natural brands, the conference will provide an in-depth introduction to the industry, answering questions about formulation and revealing opportunities by exploring trends and statistics. Organic Monitor recently valued the global natural and organic cosmetics market at $7bn and forecastes that worldwide sales would break the $10bn mark by the end of the decade. The Natural Beauty Summit was created in response to the speed of this growth and the fast pace at which the industry is evolving with more effective active natural ingredients being discovered every year and the range of natural and organic alternatives widening. "Over the years, we discovered a need to conduct a conference that not just educates delegates on this emerging market, but also addresses the key issues the industry faces,"​ said Organic Monitor spokesperson Tina Gill. The conference programme​ In terms of the details of the conference programme, the first day kicks off with two talks from the founder of Aveda who will tackle the question of sustainability, which is becoming just as important as natural and organic content in the minds of consumers. In the first session entitled 'Introduction to Natural Cosmetics and Sustainability' the potential of fair trade cosmetics will be discussed. Certification body EcoCert will introduce the principles and Groupe Lea Nature will provide a case study giving attendees an insight into fair trade, which taps into the emerging ethical trend. In the afternoon session on 'Formulation and Technical Issues on Natural Cosmetics', the question of regulatory harmonization will be high on the agenda. After meeting in Paris to discuss the development of a common certification system in Europe, the representatives of several major certification bodies will present a progress report. The second will feature a session on 'Marketing and Ethical Cosmetics' followed by an afternoon dedicated to 'Regulatory and Investment Issues." The implications of REACH in relation to natural ingredients will be covered along with financial options for expanding natural cosmetics firms, including a talk on ethical financing opportunities. Many natural and organic firms are small and need investment to become international brands. The President of Sanoflore, which was bought by L'Oreal last year, will give a talk on the advantages of consolidation for ambitious companies looking to expand. On the final day, attendees are invited to join an interactive workshop that will look at what constitutes natural and organic cosmetics and help R&D professionals and production managers overcome major ingredient and formulation challenges. The Natural Beauty Summit is the first in a series of conferences on the natural and organic market for both Europe and the US that are expected to be announced in the near future.