Vietnam Roadshow

 The Roadshow was titled ‘Capturing New Products & Trends’ and began with a talk on global consumer trends from An Maria Fe Boo from Lubrizol. This discussion was based on the company’s concept of ‘Beauty in the Digital Age’, which focuses on three global macro trends (Citysumers, SENSE-able and YOUnique) related to this electronic revolution. The Lubrizol presentation studied the impact of these trends and offered suggestions for how to include them in formulations. Youn-Ki Cho, R&D director, ActivON then discussed the development of preservatives and sustainable ingredients. Because of increased issues with the characteristics of silicones and the skin irritation of surfactants as well as the environmental problems, recent cosmetic trends point to a higher demand for natural and green technology as well as biotechnology materials. The presentation looked at alternative products, from paraben-free preservatives to new sustainable ingredients derived from the fermentation of microorganisms as well as light wax products. The Keynote Speech came from Le Chau Giang, regional regulatory affairs director – Asia Pacific (Johnson & Johnson) and president of the ASEAN Cosmetic Association who discussed the opportunities and challenges for the Vietnamese cosmetic industry within the global economy. Vietnam became a WTO Member in 2005 and now participates fully in all ASEAN initiatives on economic integration. As such, Vietnam is fully incorporated into the global economy. This clearly brings opportunities and key challenges for more than 430 small and medium size cosmetic companies based in Vietnam. Efforts are required from both the private and government sectors with regard to infrastructure, know-how, product quality, safety and legislation. However, Le Chau Giang said that SMEs in the cosmetic sector can be winners if they capitalise on their knowledge of the Vietnamese consumer and the local environment.