Barcelona, November 11, 2025. The Beauty Cluster and IQS held the 4th STEMBeauty Scientific Conference, an event that brought together around 100 professionals from the cosmetics industry and academia to analyse the sustainable future of plant stem cells and their growing role in industry innovation. The conference, sponsored by Provital and Biogründl S.L., has established itself as a benchmark in the scientific calendar of the beauty industry.
Under the title “The Sustainable Cosmetic Future of Plant Stem Cells”, the programme explored how nature continues to inspire new cosmetic solutions. The ability of plants to adapt and survive in extreme conditions opens the door to the development of more effective, safer and environmentally friendly active ingredients. In this sense, plant biotechnology is positioned as a key tool to move towards more sustainable production models and protect endangered species.
The day began with a welcome speech by Núria Vallmitjana (IQS), followed by a series of scientific presentations addressing the regulatory framework, technical challenges, and industrial applications of plant stem cells. Speakers included Celia Campos (Muttulab), Dr. Martí Lecina (IQS – Universitat Ramon Llull), David Manzano Alias, PhD (Provital) and Miquel Vilafranca i Tello (Biogründl – IQS), who shared real cases of sustainable production, advances in cell cultivation, and new developments for the cosmetics industry.
After a networking break, the programme continued with talks by Cristina Thiebaut Estrada (Cobiosa), Cèlia Etxeberria García (Croda) and Óscar Expósito (Vytrus Biotech). These experts delved into the potential of plant biotechnology to unlock hard-to-access metabolites, optimise processes and transform stem cells into innovative and high-value cosmetic actives.
The event concluded with a multidisciplinary round table, highlighting a common message: collaboration between universities, research centres, and companies is essential to accelerate the development of sustainable ingredients and advance towards more responsible cosmetics. Attendees agreed that the synergy between academic knowledge and the industrial capabilities of the private sector provides direct benefits to both society and the ecosystem.
From the Beauty Cluster, we thank IQS for hosting this edition, Provital and Biogründl for their sponsorship, and all collaborating entities — Muttulab, Cobiosa, Croda, and Vytrus Biotech — for contributing their expertise to the success of the event. Once again, STEMBeauty demonstrates that the future of the sector lies in science, innovation, and a firm commitment to sustainability.
