The ninth edition of Beauty Innovation Days concluded with great success after two intense days on 20 and 21 February at the MGS Auditorium in Barcelona. The event brought together 300 professionals from the cosmetics industry, including international experts, research teams and representatives from leading companies, who shared knowledge, trends and technological advances that are redefining the future of the sector.
The first day began with a networking atmosphere, after the institutional welcome by Elena Grau, Founder and CEO of EG Actives. Victoria Lovelle, Innovation Specialist of Beauty Cluster, started the lecture part by offering the attendees the latest news in cosmetic innovation and skin care, as well as hair care. Silvia Martínez, Marketing Manager Personal Care Spain & Maghreb at BASF, presented ‘Regulatory Challenges: Barriers and Opportunities for Innovation’, in which she explored how regulatory frameworks, often perceived as obstacles, can be transformed into catalysts for innovation.
Next, Yann Chilvers, founder and Co-CEO of Covalo unveiled the results of an exhaustive analysis of more than one million formulator searches in the presentation ‘Uncovering Trends: What formulators’ ingredients searches tell us about trends in Spain and beyond’. Chilvers presented emerging trends and key challenges shaping the future of the cosmetics market, both in Spain and internationally.
One of the most anticipated moments of the congress was the speech by Jorge Calvo, Deputy Dean and Professor of Strategy at GLOBIS University Graduate School of Management in Tokyo, as well as Academic Director at ESADE, who spoke on ‘Artificial Intelligence: Present and Future in the Beauty Industry 2025’. Calvo addressed the current and future applications of artificial intelligence in the cosmetics industry, highlighting the results of the AIM-DDI study, which evaluates the degree of maturity in the adoption of this technology in the sector.
Following the networking lunch, James Webb, Chief Commercial Officer, Epidisease presented ‘From Genes to Glow: The Role of Epigenetics in Cosmetic Innovation’, where he discussed how epigenetics influences gene expression and its relevance to the development of personalised cosmetic products. Webb highlighted how these solutions can improve product efficacy, address specific skin concerns and promote healthier skin care.
The day closed with a presentation by Aishwarya Rajpara, Health & Beauty consultant, Euromonitor International, who in her talk ‘Trends and Innovation: Redefining the Beauty Industry’ examined the performance of the beauty and personal care sector, emphasising the increasingly important role of sustainability as a driver of innovation.
The first day's programme was rounded off by numerous elevator pitch sessions, where leading companies and event partners presented their latest innovations: Active Ingredients (I): DKSH, RAHN, EG Actives Cosmetics, THOR, amitahc and Lubrizol.
- Actuate Ingredients (II): Ricardo Molina, Indermal by Nanovex and Summit Cosmetics.
- Actuate Ingredients (III): Inquiaroma, KAO and Merck.
- Actuate Ingredients (IV): Zschimmer & Schwarz, Delta Technic and IQS.
- Technology & Services: Presentations of Special Chemicals, Berry, Quadpack and AIMPLAS.
Also it had the stood out participation of the squads of investigation of the University of Barcelona, led by the doctors Pere Picart, Elena Sánchez and Adriana Maddaleno, those who presented the last scientific advances in the care of the skin and the hair.
During the second day has maintained the tall level of the interventions. Lieve Declercq, PhD, Chief Scientific Advisor and Vice-president of the Proya Europe Innovation Center, offered an only vision of the cosmetic market Chinese in "Beauty Innovation - To unique Chinese market perspective". Declercq Explained how the fierce competition and the innovation accelerated in China are promoting to the companies to intensify his endeavours in R&D to satisfy to consumers increasingly demanding.
Later, Samantha Dover, Category Director of Beauty and Personal Care in Mintel, accosted in "Mintel's 2025 BPC Trends" how the personalización, the sustainability and the conscious beauty are transforming the industry. Dover shared practical strategies to boost the loyalty of the consumers and differentiate to the marks in a highly competitive market.
The day completed with new rounds of elevator pitches, where presented key innovations:
- Final Product & Beauty Tech: Dentaid, Foreo, Lacer, MartiDerm and Montibello.
- Actuate Ingredients (V): Lipotrue, Croda, Roka Furadada, Carinsa, Vytrus, Monteloeder, Provital, Essences Moles and Eurofragance.
The event concluded with the delivery of the prestigious Beauty Innovation Awards - 3ª edition, a recognition to those companies that promote the innovation through technology of avant-garde, business strategies stood out, sustainable development and collaboration with university squads of investigation. The winners for each category were:
- Best Collaborative Innovation Project: Aimplas
- Most Innovative Technology: Lipotrue
- Best Innovative Strategy: Provital
- Best Sustainable Innovation: Phergal Laboratories
- Most Innovative Start-up: Roka Furadada
- Most Innovative Company: Merck
- Most Innovative Final Product: Dermofarm
- Most Innovative Scientific Project: Photo Allergens Research Group
With a full program of skilled knowledges, proposals disruptivas and a favourable environment for the networking, the 9º Congress of Innovation has reaffirmed his position like an indispensable date for the cosmetic sector. This edition no only has served to analyse the present of the industry, but also to trace the path to a future where the innovation, the sustainability and the technology will be the key pillars.