Worldwide the natural cosmetics market continues to post significant sales growth, invariably at well into double digit percentage figures, despite the fact economic difficulties have led to stunted growth for other categories within the industry.
However, despite the high growth, the conference organizer, Natur Kosmetik Verlag, claim the natural cosmetics market is in a ‘flux’, bought about by the fact that the category has developed rapidly, but often without clear barriers or product definition.
Responding to consumer behaviour
The conference programme has been defined around this pretext, giving it three principle areas of focus: the cosmetics industry's response to a shift in customer behaviour; the impact of the consumers' main concerns for product safety; and health and wellness on the entire cosmetics market.
Spanning over two days, the programme will include presentations on the future of natural cosmetics, trends, cross marketing, raw materials, credibility and authenticity, marketing natural cosmetics and best practice.
The speakers will include an array of industry professionals with specific experience to the industry, including key speakers Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, who will talk about trends in the US, as well as Karin Frick, from the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute in Switzerland, who will talk on the subject ‘lifestyle to healthstyle’.
Korres Cosmetics, Lea Nature and Whole Body
Meanwhile, the speaker list includes George Korres, founder of Greek natural cosmetic brand Korres, Jeanne Christensen, marketing director of Lea Nature Group, Uldis Iltners, director of Madara Cosmetics and Ines Hermida, Whole Body Coordinator, Whole Foods Market, London.
As well as the presentations, the programme also includes two discussion forums, the first entitled ‘What Consumers Really Want’, and the second entitled ‘Retail Branding – What is important for retail positioning?’
The conference programme will be in German and English and will include a simultaneous translation for all the attendees, who will include manufacturer and private label companies, research and development professionals, raw material suppliers and retailers.
This is the first time this annual event will take place in Berlin and to mark this the organisors have arranged a sight seeing trend tour for all the conference delegates and attendees, during the afternoon of the day before the conference starts.