COSMETIC 360: driving regeneration across the industry

Held under the theme ʺRegenerationsʺ, the twelfth edition of this major autumn industry event reflects the sector’s shift towards a model with a resolutely positive footprint. Both a showcase and a laboratory for European innovation, the event aims to help shape a beauty industry that gives back more than it takes, as its Director, Franckie Béchereau, explains.

Franckie Béchereau

Deputy CEO

Cosmetic Valley

Director

COSMETIC 360

By

Mathilde Brosseau

How will the concept of ʺRegenerationsʺ translate into practice?

As the overarching theme of the show, ʺRegenerationsʺ encompasses environmental, societal and even skin-related dimensions. It has become a major direction for the industry and, very likely, a sine qua non for its long-term sustainability. It reflects a paradigm shift towards generating a positive impact through business activity. Achieving such an ambition requires not only strong commitment, but also time, human resources and financial investment. Reducing impact is now fully embedded across the industry; regeneration represents the next step. This year, around 50 of our 260 exhibitors are directly connected to this approach. A significant proportion of the exhibition is therefore actively promoting positive impact.

Which assessment methods are helping to define regenerative approaches?

Measurement tools enable companies to quantify their impact, rethink their practices and take action. EcoBeautyScore and Fairglow, for example, analyse an ingredient’s life cycle, while Elysia Bioscience is developing a scoring methodology for skin regeneration designed to support claims substantiation. In another field, Swiss irrigation management specialist Weatherbound assesses plants’ requirements so that exactly the right amount of water can be supplied, avoiding both water stress and waste. This approach reduces water abstraction from groundwater reserves and rivers, thereby supporting their replenishment.

Which projects are not to be missed?Intact, based in the Loiret region of France, produces alcohol from yellow peas, a crop that has until now been relatively underused. By capturing carbon and limiting chemical inputs, its production process enriches and revitalises soils, illustrating the principles of regenerative agriculture. From a societal perspective, farmers also benefit from guaranteed prices and multi-year contracts, providing greater protection against market and climatic uncertainties.

Dutch company Primegreen B.V., meanwhile, is valorising the Licuri palm in Brazil. It extracts a plant oil from its kernel with a silicone-like skin feel, while leaving the fruit pulp available to local wildlife, particularly the Lear’s macaw, an endangered blue parrot species.

French start-up Lemna Labs regenerates soils and minimises waste with SpiroForm, a texturising agent based on RuBisCO, the key enzyme involved in photosynthesis. The enzyme is extracted from upcycled leafy biomass such as duckweed, an invasive plant found in waterways, as well as agricultural co-products including alfalfa and sugar beet leaves.

Contract packer TPC will also be exhibiting. This purpose-driven company promotes societal regeneration, with 75% of its workforce made up of people with disabilities. It deliberately and proactively integrates individuals who often face barriers to entering the labour market. I like to say that COSMETIC 360 is a high-quality show without being elitist. Everyone, at their own level, can improve things, be creative, differentiate themselves and create value.

Greentech’s ʺBiotechs 2045ʺ capsule is returning. What can we expect from this second instalment?

Designed as a three-part initiative spanning three years, this foresight project led by Greentech together with experts from a range of disciplines – climatologists, sociologists, ethnologists, biomimicry consultants and others – is intended to encourage collective reflection. Last year, the first chapter focused on understanding the challenges ahead and exploring a range of credible biotechnology futures over the next twenty years, presented as a decision tree.

This year, the aim is to show what those futures might actually look like. Through a series of videos, visitors will be immersed in the six scenarios selected by vote in 2025. In 2027, we will move on to experimenting with those scenarios. If you loved Act 1, I think Act 2 should appeal to you just as much.

How does COSMETIC 360 maintain its distinctive positioning?

Over the past 12 years, COSMETIC 360 has established a clear niche positioning in the strictest sense of the word: innovation. Complementary to other trade shows, the event comes into its own when a company has something genuinely differentiated to communicate, providing it with international visibility. It is a meeting place for industry decision-makers who need to anticipate change in order to develop tomorrow’s offer.

What will truly set this 12^th edition apart?

We are continuing to build on our core DNA – innovation, internationalisation and the industry ecosystem – while becoming increasingly demanding in the way we fulfil our role. This year, we are renewing the institutional dimension of the event by developing a new public-affairs approach, designed to bring key industry issues, such as export competitiveness, to the attention of policymakers.

Last year, this initiative led to genuine dialogue with Stéphane Séjourné, then Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. Cosmetics is the second-largest contributor to France’s trade balance, yet policymakers are not always fully aware of the sector’s scale.

In addition, The Value of Beauty, an association advocating for the interests of the beauty industry at European level, will attend the show in person for the first time. We will also celebrate international cooperation with the tenth anniversary of the Global Cosmetic Cluster, our worldwide network of partner clusters.

Why are you opening a dedicated nutricosmetics area?

The boundaries between different fields are becoming increasingly porous. Far more than a trend, nutricosmetics is a structural shift and a genuine growth driver, capable of opening up new opportunities for cosmetics, and vice versa.

Through this new dedicated area, which will also feature forward-looking content, our aim is to raise awareness among professionals, clarify the challenges involved and explain the type of support required to move from intention to implementation. Four companies with complementary expertise will therefore be present: Nutrikéo for marketing and communications, Roelmi HPC for ingredients, Phytéo for formulation and Pharmanager Development for regulatory affairs.

How do you measure the success of the show?

The fact that the show sells out year after year, continues to generate interest and attracts growing visitor numbers while maintaining a high-quality professional audience is already an important indicator. Then there is the feedback from participants.

For example, a meeting between a hair-device expert and a specialist in acoustic testing led to the development of a brush fitted with sound sensors. By analysing the sound produced by the hair, the device can assess its condition and provide personalised recommendations.

On another occasion, a manufacturer of packaging-line equipment met a marketing director who was looking for machinery fitted with pistons tall enough to fill specific bottles. The supplier adapted its equipment and returned the following year with a redesigned solution, which subsequently enabled it to secure numerous contracts.

These encounters embody what makes COSMETIC 360 different. We act as a facilitator: the show is both a showcase for innovation and a place where decision-makers can jointly shape the beauty industry of tomorrow.

Finally, the start-up village continues to grow, despite participation representing an investment of several thousand euros. In the early days, there were only around twenty start-ups. Today, we have 38 participants. These companies, all less than five years old, often have limited resources, but their increasing presence reflects genuine enthusiasm. They have understood both the show’s positioning and the added value it can offer.