The in-cosmetics Formulation Summit 2018 set the agenda for the new, rapidly growing and exciting area of personalisation, which saw delegates from over 24 countries gather at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London to gain an insight into the world of bespoke beauty.

The hot-topic theme of ‘Up Close and Personalised’ attracted 140 attendees – of whom 73% travelled internationally from countries including Canada, Indonesia, South Africa, Iceland and Thailand – to benefit from cutting-edge insight and scientific analysis of personalised beauty. A line up of more than 20 industry experts examined how brands need to respond to this growing trend in order to keep pace with competitors, how best to tap into this trend and how to customise their own product innovations in order to capitalise on this phenomenon.

The two-day conference was opened by Chair Dr Barbara Brockway, Director, Personal Care, Applied DNA Sciences, who offered an introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality in the beauty arena.

Vivienne Rudd, Director of Global Innovation and Insight, Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel, followed, delivering an eagerly anticipated and well-received presentation that outlined the trends in personalisation in all aspects of beauty and offered a glimpse of what will come next.

A firm highlight from the programme was  ‘Exciting innovations in personalised haircare’ delivered by keynote speaker Lauren Bowker, alchemist and Founder of The Unseen. Bowker gave her insights into what personalisation means, while explaining how she blends art, design and science to create a ‘magical’ product. Her session coincided with the launch of the company’s latest products, including a colour-changing hair dye and a blusher that blushes with the wearer, which wowed everyone in the room.

Richard Oliver, CEO of The Unseen, said the Summit was the perfect forum in which to launch and demonstrate the company’s exciting new products due to its global and targeted audience, all of whom are working to push the boundaries of formulation and innovation. He said: “The conference is a melting pot of creativity and ideas where influential people are able to gather and connect.”

Another popular presentation, delivered by Rogier van der Heide, Chief Strategist at Curiosity Group, was entitled ‘Formulating the Customer Experience’. Van der Heide’s engaging and thought-provoking talk covered the digital disruption of the skincare market and how companies can best embrace the new opportunities this disruption brings. He highlighted that through the use of data, skincare brands can offer more relevant products and personalised services to their customers.

Shifra Liba Klein, Senior Scientist, Johnson & Johnson said about the event: “The Formulation Summit was fantastic – I learned a lot! The conference had a good structure and covered relevant topics, offering a brilliant introduction to AI with perfect insight offered by the speakers. I was really impressed with the innovative approach and attending was definitely worthwhile.”

Chair Brockway added: “This year’s event was a huge success and highlighted how personalisation is one of the key upcoming trends in the cosmetics and personal care industry. Our speakers showed how exciting products can be created to provide consumers with bespoke beauty – and brought the concept to life. The Summit provides the perfect place for those at the forefront of industry evolution to share and build on ideas that will ultimately lead to the creation of future innovations.”

Roziani Zulkifli, Exhibition Manager, said: “The Formulation Summit always aims to be ahead of the curve, and this year’s theme of personalisation hit the mark. While still in its infancy, it is a rapidly growing phenomenon that beauty industry professionals cannot afford to ignore. The conference draws like-minded, ambitious cosmetics and personal care professionals to one place where they are able to connect with peers and inspire one another.”

The Formulation Summit will return to London for its fifth year in 2019, with dates to be announced soon.