More than 80 beauty industry professionals gather in Barcelona to move from declared sustainability to demonstrable sustainability at an event organized by Beauty Cluster
The cosmetics and perfumery sector has an increasingly established certainty: sustainability must be demonstrated. This was the idea shared by more than 80 professionals from the sector who gathered on Tuesday, 30 June, at the Sala Cotxeres of Palau Robert in Barcelona for Beauty Sustainability Day, the central event of Beauty Sustainability Week 2026, organized by Beauty Cluster.
During a morning-long programme, critical decisions for the sector were addressed from multiple perspectives: regulatory, technical and industrial.
A programme designed to move from theory to operations
The event began with an institutional welcome by Gerard Aymí, board member of Beauty Cluster, and Adrià Martínez, from Beauty Cluster, and was structured into five thematic blocks.
The first block focused on the new framework of requirements: what will be mandatory and how to prepare. Yolanda Martínez, from Marimón Abogados, and Mariano Lesser, from Blomon, opened the regulatory debate, focusing on the upcoming regulatory milestones that will affect the industry.
Next, the discussion turned to how to demonstrate sustainability: metrics, traceability and reporting. Ainhoa Salcedo and Laura Vallvé, from Provital, Daniel Subirana, from CAAE, and Jordi Oliver, from Inèdit, debated, moderated by Anna Escribano, CEO of Rafesa, the tools with which companies can certify their environmental impact beyond compliance. In this session, it was highlighted that sustainability can become a real competitive advantage for the beauty sector, beyond regulatory compliance and reporting, as well as a driver of innovation, transparency and long-term value for the entire industry.
After the coffee break, it was time to discuss ecodesign in formulation and to show that the alternative is viable. Maria Matesanz, from Quimivita, and Ariadna Simón, from Croda, analysed, with Marta Peraita, from Izzon Lab, as moderator, how to bring ecodesign into the field of cosmetic formulation.
The fourth block focused on conventional companies and organizations vs. born sustainable: real decisions that drive change. Drolma Lizcano, from Alqvimia, Luz Toro de Estrada, from Cobiosa, and Miguel Ayora, from Izzon Lab, shared the round table with Sandra Mercé, from Dilograf, who acted as moderator. One of the main conclusions drawn from this round table was that there is no single path towards sustainability, as each organization starts from a different point. It was also emphasized that certifications only have value when they reflect a real commitment.
The penultimate block of the event focused on sustainability and competitiveness: inspiring business cases. Joan Marc Claramunt, from Àuria, and Daniel Sánchez, Sales Director at Rafesa, presented real business cases, moderated by Jordi Oliver, from Inèdit.
To close the event, the final discussion focused on best practices and synergies between health and beauty. This last session featured Elisabet del Valle, from Onalabs, Montserrat Sala, from Medichem, and Mireia Ferré, from Dentaid, who focused on successful cases related to the health sector, thanks to the collaboration of the Catalonia.health cluster.
Sustainability as a lever for competitiveness
The cosmetics and perfumery industry is undergoing a historic transformation, in which sustainability plays a central role in business and legal strategy. This new paradigm demands radical transparency, driven by regulations that require brands to move from narratives to scientific evidence through auditable metrics and the future Digital Product Passport. The current challenge for the sector is to raise sustainability to the same level of excellence as brand positioning, integrating ecodesign and circularity criteria from the conception of the product to ensure that every packaging item is recyclable and that every environmental claim is specific, truthful and verifiable.
This commitment is materialized through innovation that challenges technical limits to create beauty with purpose and soul. The sector is redefining luxury through upcycling, transforming by-products from other industries into high-value active ingredients, and through the evolution towards formats such as solid cosmetics, which minimize the use of water and plastics. Beyond industrial efficiency and decarbonization, the future of perfumery lies in the creation of shared value, where ethics in the supply chain and social inclusion are integrated into the business model. The ultimate objective is inspiring: to demonstrate that maximum efficacy and sensory sophistication can coexist in perfect harmony with net-zero impact, inspiring consumers to become part of a positive change for the planet and people.
The event was supported by Provital, Rafesa, Biogründl, Izzon Lab, the Catalonia.health cluster, the Government of Catalonia and ACCIÓ, and forms part of Beauty Sustainability Week 2026, the week in which Beauty Cluster focuses on how the cosmetics and perfumery industry can move towards real, measurable and competitive sustainability.
