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In Depth and In Focus at in-cosmetics

By: Katie Schaefer

Posted: April 29, 2009

Although the aisles of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Munich, Germany, were less crowded for in-cosmetics 2009, attendees were more focused, driven and dedicated to their goal of absorbing information about cosmetic formulating in the 21st century.

As attendees swarmed in to the event’s gates on Apr. 21, 2009, they were greeted with traditional alphorn players. Afterward, various members of the press gathered in the international guest reception room for a panel discussion on the impact of the global economic turmoil on the beauty industry. The panel discussion was led by Heide Hildebrand, head of beauty and health at InStyle Germany. The panel members also included Sian Sutherland, co-founder of Mamma Mio; Nicole Stollenwerk, partner at KPMG Cologne; and Richard Hesk, group exhibition director for in-cosmetics.

The panel had a number of insights into the current state of the beauty care market. According to Stollenwerk, although the body care market is quite flat with a gain of only 2% in 2008, decorative cosmetics has seen a large growth with a 7% gain in 2008. She added, “75% of consumers say they are not cutting down while 25% of consumers will shop more. However, many consumers report they will become more price sensitive.” Hesk added that while the market is flat there “seems to be optimism in the ingredients market” as there has been growth in the end of 2008. Sutherland found that the recession is an opportunity for small brands to grab market share as being nimble is necessary in a recession. Sutherland advised product manufacturers to “stop thinking as a brand and start thinking as a woman.”

For 2009, she encouraged brands to question everything, to innovate, to be realistic and to above all be transparent. Stollenwerk added that naturals will become increasingly popular in 2009 and Sutherland agreed, adding that wellness goes up in times of a recession. “This is a time of foundation, as women want flawless complexions,” added Sutherland. In terms of retail channels, Sutherland’s online business has been growing, and she believes that brick and mortar retail is going to suffer. Stollenwerk agreed, adding that products purchased though home shopping networks is growing in popularity.

The education at the exhibition continued with in-focus 3d. The theme for 2009 was Designing Beauty Architecture, which was highlighted at the in-focus’ workshop program. Bruno Bernard, head of hair biology group, advanced research, life sciences direction at L’Oréal; and Frédéric Leroy, head of the department of physics, advanced research, direction of material science at L’Oréal, lead the workshop, “Architecture of Skin and Hair, for Irrefutable Proof of Efficacy in Cosmetics.” Bernard introduced both transcriptomics and proteomics, two processes that he found complementary to study the skin. According to Bernard, “Through transcriptomics and proteomics, genuine bar codes can be assigned to skin conditions.” He added “If you want to study skin as a whole, you have to look at the living and the dead parts.” He explained that transcriptomics can assign a specific response signature to skin surface aggression in reponse to mechanical stress. Though transcriptomics, his team has discovered that old skin heals differently than young skin, and that a 25 gene signature characterizes the differentce in response. Conversely, proteomics assigns a specific signature to the stratum corneum (SC). The SC is comprised of nearly 700 proteins, and this process can identify protein signatures specific to young and old skin.