A new series of international summits that focus on sustainability in the beauty industry has been unveiled by Organic Monitor. The aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit (www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com) is to cover the major issues the beauty industry faces concerning sustainability, natural, organic, fair trade and ecological products.

The inaugural Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will be held in Frankfurt, 16-17th November 2009. The major themes of the first edition are market & industry developments, sustainability & CSR best-practices, and developing green formulations. Like prior events organised by Organic Monitor, it aims to bring together some of the leading and most influential organisations involved in sustainability in the beauty industry.

George Korres, founder and CEO of Korres Natural Products, will kick off the summit with an opening address titled ‘Building a sustainable future through natural cosmetics’. Korres Natural Products is one of the fastest growing natural cosmetic companies in the world, opening concept stores in Asia, North America as well as in Europe. Other speakers will be from leading natural cosmetic firms such as Weleda and Laverana. A key focus of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to give case studies of companies who have successfully met the ethical and ecological challenges.

The opening session of the summit will give an update on the global natural cosmetics industry. Mr. Amarjit Sahota, Director of Organic Monitor, will present the latest figures on the global market for natural & organic cosmetics and highlight the major trends & developments. An update will then be given on international natural & organic cosmetic standards by leading certification agencies. Details will be given of the Cosmos standard (now scheduled to be implemented in January 2010) as well as NaTrue, NPA, and NSF. Emerging standards in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific will also be featured. A leading German retailer will give its perspectives on cosmetic standards and eco-labels, followed by ethical consumer insights by the Boston Consulting Group.

The second session focuses on CSR and sustainability best-practices. The opening presentation will show how the environmental impact of cosmetic products can be reduced. Other presentations will look at ethical sourcing, biodiversity preservation, waste reduction and offsetting carbon emissions. Papers will be given from cosmetic and ingredient companies at the forefront of such sustainability and CSR initiatives.

With the success of beauty products largely dependent on their formulations, the third session focuses on green formulations. The opening presentation is by Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO), which will show how cosmetic products can get the much coveted Fairtrade Mark. A leading fair trade cosmetics company in Europe will then share its experiences in sourcing and using fair trade ingredients from developing countries. Other presentations will focus on some of the key technical & formulation hurdles companies face with natural and organic cosmetics. Cognis will look at the efficacy of green ingredients, whilst Dr. Straetmans will look at the preservatives conundrum. Other presentations will look at the latest developments in green chemistry and the growing use of food ingredients in cosmetics.

Food ingredients in cosmetics are the theme of a workshop on the first day of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit. High consumer demand for natural & organic cosmetics is leading many product developers to turn to the kitchen table for cosmetic ingredients. Led by Judi Beerling, Technical Research Manager of Organic Monitor, this workshop looks at the opportunities food ingredients provide, highlighting the technical and formulation challenges.

Also on the first day of the summit, a workshop assesses the business opportunities in the ethical cosmetics market. The workshop leader will give a detailed analysis of the global market for natural, organic and fair trade cosmetic products, highlighting the major competitive, marketing and product trends. Future growth projections are given and the business opportunities highlighted to new entrants and existing participants.

About the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit

The aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to cover the major issues the beauty industry faces concerning sustainability, natural, organic, fair trade and ecological products. The launch of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit follows the success of Organic Monitor's various seminars, workshops and summits. In 2009 alone, almost 500 executives from 5 continents have attended such events at various international locations that include Hong Kong, New York, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Munich and Nuremberg.

Further Information

More information is available from www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com

For more details on the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit, including conference programme, please contact:

Ms. Tina Gill
Marketing Manager, Organic Monitor
Tel: (44) 20 8567 0788
Fax: (44) 20 8567 7164
Email: [email protected]

About Organic Monitor

Organic Monitor is a specialist research & consulting company that focuses on the global organic & related product industries. Since our formation in 2001, we have been providing a range of business services to operators in high-growth ethical & sustainable industries. Our services include market research publications, business & technical consulting, summits, seminars & workshops. Visit us at www.organicmonitor.com