in-cosmetics celebrated its 25^th anniversary by welcoming a record 8,578 unique visitors to Gran Fira, Barcelona, the highest number for any event outside of Paris, in the exhibition’s history. This also represented an impressive increase of 18 per cent (pre-audit) on last year’s show in Hamburg.

There were once again a large number of international visitors reinforcing the shows reputation as a global event. It also successfully tapped into the local market with domestic Spanish visitors accounting for 27 per cent of the total visitors.

The show welcomed 710 exhibitors from around the world with 105 companies exhibiting for the first time. This large number of first time exhibitors not only points to a thriving sector, but also the expanding influence of in-cosmetics, as the show cements its position as the place to be seen in the cosmetics ingredients industry.

Visitors were able to meet with leading global manufacturers from across the cosmetics ingredients industry including the likes of Evonik, Croda, Dow Corning, Lonza, BASF, Ashland, Lipotec and Lubrizol.

Also exhibiting was leading natural ingredient supplier Naturex, who discussed the importance of the show for cosmetics industry: “We attend in-cosmetics because it’s “the” place to be and the biggest show for cosmetic ingredients. It’s the number one, we have to be here,” said Karine Morel, Communications Manager for Naturex.

Visitors were also keen to praise the ingredients sourcing opportunities available with so many manufacturers brought together under one roof: “It’s the first time I’ve been to the show and it’s amazing. I’m here to find the latest and best raw materials and to talk directly to suppliers. in-cosmetics is incredibly important for the industry, there’s so much to be gained by having everyone in one place,” commented Sarah Molloy, Supply Chain & NPD Coordinator at Omorovicza.

This year’s Market Focus was dedicated to the second fastest growing beauty and personal care market, Turkey and the Middle East. The Turkey & Middle East Product Trail provided visitors with a guide to new products from Clariant, BRB and Mibelle Biochemistry, all of which were inspired by or sourced from the region. The show also saw more than 150 visitors from Turkey attend the exhibition – a 28% increase on 2014.

A Turkish Pavilion hosted exhibitors from the country including Surya Kimya and Manolya Dogal ve Aromatik Urunler Gida San. ve Tic.Ltd.Sti and provided visitors and manufacturers with an opportunity to source unique ingredients and raw materials, and discuss potential business opportunities within such an exciting and potentially highly valuable market.

Marketing Trends presentations, as part of the exhibition’s world-class educational programme, provided valuable insight on the Middle East, with presentations from Halal certification expert Dr. Yavuz Özoguz from m-haditec GmbH & Co on the potential of the Halal cosmetics industry and Mintel’s Director of Innovation & Insight, Beauty & Personal Care, Vivienne Rudd who discussed how brands can capitalise on changing beauty regimes throughout the globe, including the Middle-East.

The themes of Halal cosmetics and the potential of the Middle-Eastern market were key throughout the show, and not just in the presentation theatres. The show floor was a-buzz with companies talking about the market, including first time exhibitor Farhan Tufail, CEO at Halal Certification Services GmbH, who said: “I attended in-cosmetics as a visitor last year and talked to a number of exhibitors many of whom had a genuine interest in Halal, but didn’t know where to source information about certification. As a result we’re exhibiting this year and we’ve received overwhelming feedback from visitors. We’ve already signed up for a booth at in-cosmetics Paris.”

Other Marketing Trends speakers included Ramaa Chipalkatti, Senior Analyst at Datamonitor who presented Beauty Devices: Trends to Watch, Susanne Jentsch, Consumer Insights at Beiersdorf, discussing Insight based marketing and Vera Sandarova, Marketing Manager at Kline & Company who spoke about the global natural and organic cosmetics market.

The educational programme also included supplier-led Innovation Seminars with the likes of Lubrizol, Ashland Inc. and Solvay presenting their latest product developments and formulatory updates, and eight regulatory and scientific half-day Workshops moderated by leading experts and featuring presenters providing insight on subjects such as regulatory compliance, suncare research, haircare advances and formulation.

The show also saw the return of the popular Innovation Zone, which allows visitors to get up close and discover the latest product launches and formulations. Alongside the Innovation Zone were free-to-attend Live Demonstrations providing in-depth knowledge about innovations on offer from manufacturers exhibiting at the show.

The in-cosmetics Awards Ceremony took on an even greater significance this year with the introduction of a special award as part of the shows 25th anniversary celebrations. The 25 Years of Innovation Award was presented to Sederma, recognising its Matrixyl ingredient as the ingredient which has had the greatest impact on the personal care ingredients industry over the past quarter century.

For the first time, the show’s Innovation Zone Best Ingredient Award was split in to two categories, with Induchem receiving gold in the Active category for its Brightenyl product, a first generation active ingredient designed to be activated, upon application, by the skin microbiote. Dow Corning was awarded gold in the Functional category for 3901 Liquid Satin Blend, a fluid which creates a long-lasting feel of lubricity while delivering a stringy yet novel structure. The Green Ingredient award, in association with Organic Monitor, was given to Laboratoires Expanscience for Aqualicia, a natural ‘3-in-1’ active ingredient which entraps, distributes and limits water loss of the skin.

The winners of the Beiersdorf Innovation Pitch were also announced with Azelis, Silab and Symrise all given the opportunity to market their innovations with Beiersdorf.

in-cosmetics Exhibition Manager Cathy Laporte was delighted with the shows return to Barcelona: “I’m very pleased that our 25th anniversary show has been such a success. For an exhibition that plays such an important role in the cosmetics industry there is a community vibe about in-cosmetics which makes it such a pleasure to be a part of. It provides a real platform to do business and to find out more about global market developments.

“We have had such great feedback from both exhibitors and visitors and I’m sure in-cosmetics Paris 2016 will prove to be the most successful show in the exhibition’s history. I’m already looking forward to welcoming everyone through the doors next April.”

in-cosmetics Paris 2016 takes place from the 12-14 April 2016. To book a stand please contact Graham Earl, Head of Sales at graham.earl@reedexpo.co.uk.