Hot on the heels of a successful European Sustainable Cosmetics Summit last month, Ecovia Intelligence, a specialist research, consulting, and training company focused on global organic and related product industries like cosmetics and personal care products, has announced the return of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Latin America following a five-year hiatus. The Summit, which will take place in São Paulo, Brazil on November 23 and 24, 2023, plans to feature topics including circular beauty, green ingredients, and biodiversity impacts, according to the press release regarding the announcement.
To learn more about the highly anticipated event, including anticipated key takeaways, CosmeticsDesign spoke with Amarjit Sahota, Founder of Ecovia Intelligence for his insights.
Upcoming event topics
This year’s Summit will be the seventh Latin American edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit, an event which has been addressing sustainability issues in the cosmetics and personal care product industries worldwide since 2009. In previous Latin American editions of the event, shared Sahota, “we have had 100-120 senior executives from the Latin American beauty industry attend,” and “we are expecting a similar number for this edition.”
The one of the focuses of this year’s event is to “encourage cosmetic companies in the Latin American region to develop products for circularity,” he said, and to accomplish this, the event will feature “case studies on how brands can change product design so there is no waste.” As detailed in the press release announcing the event, this is the first time that circularity will be addressed as a topic at the Summit, and will include a keynote from “Carla Tennenbaum, Co-Founder of Ideia Circular Brazil, who will explain why brands need to move away from conventional design approaches.”
Other aspects of circularity will include a discussion surrounding “upcycling, and how it can be a source of innovation in the cosmetics industry,” as well as “waterless cosmetics and how companies can move to zero waste systems,” he added.
Another focus of the event will be biodiversity, shared Sahota. As “Brazil is home to the Amazon, the most biodiverse place on Earth, and although much is documented about deforestation and the shrinking of the Amazon,” he explained, it is essential “to highlight the business opportunities the region provides in terms of being a rich source of natural raw materials” as part of the Summit.
As detailed in the press release announcement, this section will feature “an update on biodiversity regulations from Anita Pissolito Campos from Nascimento e Mourão Advogados,” and “Natura Brasil, the largest cosmetics company in the region, will share its experiences in setting up ethical sourcing projects for its ingredients.” Added Sahota, “by giving positive case studies, we would like to encourage cosmetic brands and ingredient firms to invest in ethical sourcing of raw materials.”
Other topics for discussion during the Summit will include Green Ingredients, marketing and consumer trends, and consumer perceptions of cosmetic ingredients, the release detailed.
Looking ahead
The Summit hosts are looking forward to bringing together “key stakeholders in the cosmetics industry, including cosmetic brands, followed by ingredient suppliers, packaging firms, and other operators such as distributors, retailers, NGOs, industry associations, etc.,” said Sahota. By encouraging and fostering discussion surrounding the latest research, development, and innovation in the cosmetics space, it is hoped that attendees will leave the Summit with a refreshed outlook on the ethical considerations of sustainable cosmetic ingredients.
Moving forward, “after this Latin American edition,” said Sahota, “we will be hosting the next North American edition in New York on 4-6 June 2024.” Additionally, he added, “we will also be hosting the next European edition in Paris on 28-30th October, and then the Asia-Pacific edition in Hong Kong on 13-14th November.”
