'A business look': Clean & Ethical Beauty 2020 video series launches

Are we finally at a point where we can define clean and ethical beauty? What are the key drivers behind this burgeoning movement? And how are brands and suppliers in the field operating to create these clean and ethical beauty products hitting shelves?

The CosmeticDesign global editorial team has brought together innovation consultants, consumer experts, brand owners, formulators, regulatory experts and futurologists from all over the globe to address these questions, and so much more, in a series that aims to dissect the opportunities, challenges and future of clean and ethical beauty.

Over six 30-minute episodes, the series will start tomorrow June 16 with our opening episode ‘Why It Matters’ – focusing on why clean and ethical beauty is a particularly timely topic today and looking at how has this ‘why’ has evolved in recent years, both for industry and consumers.

Clean & Ethical Beauty – Does it matter more today?​

Kacey Culliney, editor of CosmeticsDesign-Europe, will open our Clean & Ethical Beauty video series with presentations and interviews from two experts in the field: Chris Sherwin, director of sustainable design and innovation consultancy reboot innovation, and Lia Neophytou, consumer analyst at data analytics and consulting firm GlobalData.

Sherwin has worked in sustainable design for more than 20 years, consulting large consumer packaged goods brands and observing and analysing market evolution. Neophytou has consulted large beauty and personal care brands, manufacturers and suppliers for several years on important consumer data and trends in the category.

Asked why this series will be important for the beauty and personal care industry, Culliney said: “Today, more than ever, it’s critical industry has its finger on the pulse. Clean and ethical beauty has been a burning topic for some time now, but the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has thrown the importance of this category to the fore. Consumers now, more than ever, are looking for products that are safe for them and safe for the planet, and they want to know more about the provenance of ingredients and sustainability of packaging.”​

“There’s a huge amount of noise around the consumer side of clean and ethical beauty but we’ve yet to run through the A to Z of doing business in the space. This series has been designed to do just that,”​ she said.

Clean & Ethical Beauty business questions answered​

After the opening episode, the CosmeticsDesign team will start to dig deeper into the topic – speaking to brands innovating in clean and ethical beauty and formulators and supply chain experts working hard to develop appropriate formulations and sourcing programmes that tick all the necessary boxes. The team will also speak to regulatory and marketing experts about how brands can get the message right around clean and ethical beauty, working within certain guidance and laws, and we’ll also hear from futurologists to get a sense on what the future might look like.

Do we need a clear definition of clean and ethical? Should formulators be working with natural or synthetic ingredients? Are supply chain certifications an absolute must? What language is allowed when marketing clean beauty? What exactly are consumer looking for in ethical beauty products? And have ethical brands succeeded in the market? These are just a handful of the many questions set to be addressed in the Clean & Ethical Beauty online video series.

Here's a breakdown of what to expect:

• Episode 1: Why it Matters​ (June 16th 2020) ​– An expert overview of why clean and ethical matters in the wider environmental context and insight on consumer trends that align with this. Featuring exclusive presentations and insight from Chris Sherwin, director of reboot innovation and Lia Neophytou, consumer analyst at GlobalData.

• Episode 2: Behind the brands (​June 23rd 2020) ​– Insight from beauty brands with ‘clean’ and ‘ethical’ ways of working, hearing about the opportunities and challenges they have experienced in the market. ​Featuring exclusive presentations and insight from Jo Chidley, founder of Beauty Kitchen and Johanna Monange, founder and CEO of Maison 21G.

• Episode 3: In the lab (​June 30th​​ 2020) ​​– A deeper look behind the scenes on the formulation work that goes into developing clean and ethical beauty products, spotlighting different ways of working (natural versus synthetic) and how to overcome hurdles. Featuring exclusive presentations and insight from Luciana Coutinho, founder and chief product officer at luluble and Alison Cutlan, co-founder of biophile skincare.

• Episode 4: Getting the message right (July 7th 2020)​– Expert insight on regulations to consider when communicating and claiming on clean and ethical beauty products, with thoughts on tailored messaging that consumers can relate to. Featuring exclusive presentations and insight from Dr. Mojgan Moddaressi, regulatory expert and safety assessor at Personal Care Regulatory and Aleni Mackarey, COO of Base Beauty.

• Episode 5: From farm to face (July 14th 2020) ​– A look along the supply chain and thoughts on how industry can truly develop a clean and ethical beauty brand from A to Z, from COSMOS certification to tracking ingredients more closely. Featuring exclusive presentations and insight from Emma Dawes, technical specialist at the Soil Association and Yve-Car Momperousse, CEO and founder of Kreyol Essence.

• Episode 6: Brainstorming the future (July 21st 2020)​ – We hear from forecasting experts about what the future of clean and ethical might look like and some ideas on areas that might be best focused on. Featuring exclusive presentations and insight from Helga Hertsig-Lavocah, senior futurologist at Hint Futurology and Dave McCaughan, chief strategy officer at Ai.agency.

Each episode will be available to watch across all our global websites – CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com, CosmeticsDesign.com and CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com – and will be sent out in dedicated newsletters straight to your inbox.

So, if you haven’t already – be sure to subscribe and keep plugged into our social media channels for more information in the coming days and weeks. Track updates by following our dedicated hashtag: #CleanAndEthicalBeauty​