Building Collagen, Boosting Immunity and Returning to Nature: In-Cosmetics Paris

By: Katie Schaefer and Rachel Grabenhofer

Posted: April 21, 2010

Black pepper berries, anyone? How about bitter greens, manilkara leaf, corn, or a little stevia? These are among the numerous resources into which raw material suppliers have tapped to design new solutions for finished cosmetic and personal care manufacturers. These and other inventions were presented during In-Cosmetics Paris, held April 13–15, 2010, but not before show organizers initiated bigger picture talk on the industry’s direction overall to get the creative juices flowing.

Innovation Debate
Formulating controversy, the show opened with a press conference to debate, "Is Innovation in the Cosmetics Industry Dead?" The panel discussion was led by Bertil Heerink, director general of COLIPA, and included industry experts: Eric Perrier, executive vice president of R&D for LVMH; Elisabeth Azoulay, director of Editions Babylone; Nica Lewis, head consultant of Mintel Beauty Innovation; and Patricia Paneau, director of research communication for L'Oréal.

To delve into this topic, Heerink opened the debate by first asking panelists to define innovation. Perrier noted, “Innovation is a discovery that meets customers' needs.” He added that visitors to In-Cosmetics, including himself, attend the show to find innovative ingredients. Perrier also commented on the perception of regulations and their impact on innovation. “Regulations provide a framework within which you can be very innovative.” He illustrated this concept by comparing regulations to the frame surrounding a piece of art; the painting itself being cosmetic innovation.

Paneau noted, "For us, innovation is to observe consumers and come up with material and life sciences to meet their expectations." She added, “Investing in research and innovation will open new fields that are unknown or immature."

Lewis remarked, "Innovation is not dead, [and a prime] example of one opportunity for innovation is [creating for]  the emerging generation of mixed race individuals."