28 FEB | 7th Beauty Innovation Days were held

  • The Beauty Cluster returned to face-to-face events with the 7th Beauty Innovation Days, gathering in Barcelona nearly 250 attendees.
  • More than 50 presentations with a 360º vision of the industry: science, trends and innovation.
  • The first edition of the Beauty Innovation Days Awards was held.

Barcelona, 28 February 2022. The Beauty Cluster returned to face-to-face activity with the celebration of the seventh edition of the Beauty Innovation Days, the annual meeting on innovation, with a 360º and international focus, of the entire value chain of the cosmetics, perfumery and personal care sector. Due to the context of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, a hybrid format was chosen, alternating online and face-to-face sessions. On 23 and 24 February, around 250 professionals from the sector gathered at the Barcelona School of Management.

The institutional welcome was given by Eva Lluch, CEO of Lluch Essence and president of the Beauty Cluster, who stressed the fundamental role of innovation in our sector and, of course, within the cluster: “Innovation is 1 of the 4 main values that the Beauty Cluster has in its DNA (innovation, internationalisation, training and digital transformation). But innovation is not isolated. Related to digital transformation, this year for example, the Beauty Cluster and the Innovation Department are promoting a project for cosmetics and perfumery companies to apply Blockchain technology for the first time in Spain“. She was followed by the Vice-President of the IFSCC Congress, Ana Rocamora Gutiérrez, and the President of the Organising Committee, Juan Lemmel Montoya, who presented the 33rd edition of the congress to be held in Barcelona from 4 to 7 September 2023 under the slogan “Rethinking Beauty Science“.

As has been the case in previous editions, every detail of the programme was taken care of in order to provide maximum value to the attendees. In this way, presentations of innovation and new launches alternated with more educational and inspirational content, and of course, with dynamics dedicated exclusively to strengthening ties within the industry. Around 40 companies presented their innovations and new launches in areas such as skin care, hair care, technology, cosmetic manufacturing, testing, packaging, sustainability and fragrances. Ilos cosmetics and 4Mediks presented their beauty projects in the framework of the third edition of the ‘Investor’s Forum’, with the aim of seeking partners and/or funding.

Once again this year, Mintel was in charge of showing us where our sector is heading. There is no doubt that sustainability and values will continue to mark the path of the industry, but with the rise of technology and new forms of communication, other challenges will arise that we will have to face. Beyond the trends, the room was flooded with inspiration with presentations by Òscar Expósito (Vytrus Biotech) talking about skin sensoriality, and Alex Corrella (Montibello) introducing us to how to apply Agile Innovation in the development of a new product.

The programme was rounded off by presentations on how to protect innovation in the digital age, with Samuel Alonso (Sothis), and how to approach sustainability from a bioecological perspective, with Romuald Vallee (Codif Technologie Naturalle). Dr. Laurent Misery, professor of dermatology at the University of Western Brittany, brought the event to a close with the brain-skin axis and the new frontiers that are emerging in the field of dermatological cosmetics.

The novelty this year came from the ‘Beauty Innovation Days Awards’. These awards were created with the aim of promoting and highlighting the efforts of all those companies that promote innovation and science within the beauty sector. Bella Aurora Labs, AntalGenics, Foreo and Inquiaroma were recognised for the most innovative Technology, Start-up, Company and Strategy, respectively. In addition to recognising the work of the companies in promoting continuous improvement in products, processes and services, the collaboration between companies was also recognised, thus rewarding the magnificent symbiosis between Ilos Cosmetics and HP. And of course, the companies’ commitment to the environment was also rewarded, with Arlés Ibérica‘ “UNU” project being recognised on this occasion.

For the fourth consecutive year, the ‘Packaging Competition’ was held for students of the professional degree in Design at the University of Barcelona. All attendees had the opportunity to vote between two disruptive and innovative candidates, whose central theme was sustainability. On this occasion, the winner was the project “Liège Make Up”, a packaging for colour cosmetics, made of cork and in a stackable and refillable format.

The industry was eager to meet and it was not only noticeable in the number of attendees, but also in the magnificent reception of the different networking activities. Both face-to-face and online, participants were able to schedule meetings through an innovative and interactive platform to connect and establish business relationships during the on-site event.