Recently, the Independent Beauty Association (IBA) held its first Cosmetics Convergence, a digital two-day event showcasing educational sessions covering a wide range of industry topics, including regulatory affairs like environmental legislation, and how these topics can potentially impact small to mid-sized industry companies. As Eber Bodmer, IBA’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications explained, additional topics subject matter included everything from “regulatory compliance, to sustainability, safety risks, and the future of AI in beauty.”
In addition to attending the IBA’s Spring Cosmetics Convergence, CosmeticsDesign spoke with Bodmer as well as Akemi Ooka, Ph.D., Head of Global Supply Chain Resources at IBA, Meredith Petillo, Vice President of Technical-Regulatory Affairs at IBA, and Don Frey, IBA’s President and CEO, for their insights into the event’s key takeaways.
IBA Spring Cosmetics Convergence: Day One
The first day of the digital conference focused on two pressing topics for the cosmetics and personal care product industries: MoCRA, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). As Petillo explained, the MoCRA session covered “guidance for MoCRA registration and listing challenges, as well as insights into retailer responses and their requirements in the evolving regulatory landscape.”
In contrast, the EPR session instead highlighted “guidance for brands and manufacturers about a complex and rapidly evolving legislative and regulatory approach to addressing U.S. recycling infrastructure,” Dr. Ooka shared. The resulting “dialogue on sustainability-related compliance and retailer requirements shed light on emerging obligations and a variety of strategies for addressing them.”
IBA Spring Cosmetics Convergence: Day Two
Following the momentum of Day One, the symposium’s second day “delved deeper into critical topics such as the precedent that EU microplastic regulations may bring to the United States, emerging safety risks driven by new regulation, and the potential legal and regulatory pitfalls of AI in the beauty industry,” Dr. Ooka said.
Discussions in these sessions were led by subject matter experts “on microplastic regulation, gray market challenges, teens and tweens in beauty, and the role of AI—including why every company in the beauty industry needs an AI policy,” Dr. Ooka added.
IBA Spring Cosmetics Convergence: Overall takeaways
“Throughout both days, attendees learned directly from industry leaders and were able to leave with actionable insights to implement at their own businesses,” said Bodmer. The symposium also featured sponsored breaks “chance for participants to engage with leading service provider companies and learn about cutting-edge solutions and services to help companies navigate the topic areas,” she shared further.
Insights from “high-quality speakers from organizations like The Circular Action Alliance, The Honest Company, and Amazon,” provided much needed clarity and information for attendees, added Dr. Ooka. This is essential, said Petillo, as “compliance information and education on best practices in technical and regulatory matters should be accessible to every business in the industry, regardless of size.”
Moving forward, “we look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to provide a platform for collaboration, innovation, and growth within the industry,” Frey concluded. “Together, we will navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead, shaping a brighter future for all.”
For those unable to attend this year’s event, it is available for purchase on the IBA website. Following the spring symposium, the IBA will hold the fall edition of its Cosmetics Convergence on September 25-26 of this year.