Live form ATC Americas - Day Two

Attendees at day two of ATC Americas were unrelenting as question/answer sessions and round table discussions held open the door of opportunity to interact with speakers and industry experts in both the skin and hair tracks.

Skin track: Virginia Lee (Euromonitor) rolled out day two of the skin sessions with her discussion on the global market for skin care. She examined the latest trends and developments within the global skin care industry in 2005. Accoridng to Lee, skin care is the largest of the global cosmetics and toiletries segments with “anti-agers” driving growth. Premium products as well as natural and organic items are increasingly becoming favored by consumers. China’s rapidly emerging middle class also is expected to bring strong growth to the sector.

Harry Elden covered friction testing by swinging string, followed by David Steinberg's (Steinberg & Associates) discussion on global regulations and their impact on formulators. He described the many critical changes in cosmetic regulations that have been made, including: California Cosmetic Regulations; Canada’s new ingredient listings and labeling requirements; the impact of the European Union’s (EU’s) 7th Amendment; new preservative and UV filters in Japan; and more.

Steve Schnittger (Estée Lauder) presented Preservation and Microbial Testing of Cosmetics to the skin care track, and Nalini Kaul (Hill Top Research Inc.) covered antiaging skin care products, methodologies and claim support.

Rounding out the skin session, Skin Session Chair Johann Wiechers (Uniqema) highlighted how the cosmetic industry has discovered the benefits that cosmetic products may bring to our mental well-being. The use of these products, said Wiechers, can improve our Quality of Life; however, concepts such as well-being or Quality of Life are no longer physical concepts on which a meter can be placed to measure an improvement. He posed the question to attendees of whether there is real science behind such "mind" claims.

Hair track: David Steinberg (Steinberg & Associates) opened the hair track with a discussion of how changes in cosmetic regulations affect hair care formulating.

Virginia Lee (Euromonitor) spoke to the hair track attendees on the global market for hair care. According to Lee, hair care is the second largest of the global cosmetics and toiletries segments, with age and product segmentation driving growth. Emerging regions such as Eastern Europe are major contributors to growth and new customers for the industry.

Following Lee, Tony O'Lenick (Siltech LLC) presented Silicones: What's Old is New, and described how interest in the field of silicone polymers is pervasive within the personal care industry in relation to hair care. Sigrid Ruetsch covered sun damage and hair, and Professor Robert Lochhead (University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymers & High Performance Materials) re-appeard on the hair track, this time covering Recent Advances in Polymers in Hair Care.

The day closed with a lively round table discussion.

Both days of the event featured book signings by reknown experts David Steinberg, Nadim Shaath, Ph.D., and Tony O'Lenick. For more information on their published works, visit our book store. To plan your attendance at the upcoming ATC Barcelona, held in conjunction with in-cosmetics, click here.

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