Paris sustainability summit approaches

Taking place in Paris on 28-30 November, the summit will bring together leading organisations involved in sustainability in the beauty industry to debate key industry issues. Rising oil prices and dwindling supply are leading many companies to turn to plant-based feedstock for cosmetic ingredients. However, this development raises many questions about sustainable harvesting, processing and use of such ingredients. Sourcing and Using Sustainable Ingredients session discusses such concerns. A conference session and workshop is devoted to Marketing & Distribution Innovations, while a detailed analysis of the European natural and organic cosmetics market is given in a workshop on day three of the summit programme, entitled Business Opportunities in the European Natural Cosmetics Market. The opening session of the summit – Sustainability Best-Practices – features some of the pioneering sustainability initiatives in the beauty industry. The first paper will give case studies of cosmetic and ingredient companies creating positive impacts on the environment and society. L’Oréal will discuss some of the challenges faced by large cosmetic companies when devising sustainability programmes. Continuing with the central theme of sustainable ingredients, Judi Beerling will host a workshop on green formulations on the last day of the summit. The Formulating with Green Ingredients workshop tackles the major technical and formulation issues when replacing synthetic surfactants, emulsifiers and preservatives in cosmetic formulations. With French legislation possibly banning the use of parabens in cosmetic products, the workshop goes through the green preservative options and assesses the related adoption issues.