30 MARCH, PARIS: Leading scientists, R&D specialists, brand founders, and global beauty innovators will headline the in-cosmetics Global 2026 educational programme, spanning more than nine theatres and stages.
Educational, expert-led content explores the core themes of beauty science, innovation, sustainability, testing, and regulations across 230+ sessions, presentations, seminars, fireside chats, lab sessions, and roundtable discussions.
Designed to reflect the evolving priorities of the global personal care industry, this year’s programme will deliver a comprehensive blend of commercial insight, scientific advancement, and practical expertise, guiding beauty innovators through the journey from lab to launch.
The Marketing Trends Theatre will explore essential market intelligence, equipping attendees with a deep understanding of shifting consumer behaviours, market dynamics and the emerging trends shaping next-generation beauty development.
The Formulation Lab®, sponsored by Brenntag, will deliver live, hands-on laboratory sessions where participants work alongside experts to create formulations in real time, explore new techniques and translate innovation into products.
The Technical Seminar Theatre, sponsored by Azelis, will host over 125 Technical Seminars led by exhibitors, exploring new technical strategies and robust scientific data underpinning efficacy claims and the performance of ingredient innovations and formulation solutions, inspiring the new product development.
Meanwhile, the Sustainability Zone’s Forum and Theatre, sponsored by AAK and delivered in partnership with The Green Chemist, will provide forward-thinking guidance on responsible ingredient sourcing, sustainable best practices, and environmentally conscious approaches to formulation.
In its second year, the Testing and Regulatory Forum will return with sessions designed to unpack the realities of today’s beauty compliance landscape. It will cover everything from evolving legislation and claims substantiation to cross-border market access and emerging testing methodologies.
Beauty’s next trends take centre stage
The Marketing Trends Theatre will take centre stage with a future-gazing agenda focused on trends in 2026 and beyond, exploring inclusive beauty, longevity science, AI-driven innovation, and the global influence of Asian beauty efficacy. New topics will examine the rapid growth of nutricosmetics and the accelerating convergence of health, beauty, and wellbeing, signalling how wellness concepts are increasingly shaping the future direction of the beauty industry.
With the Inner Beauty Zone making its debut this year, dedicated sessions will explore the development of inside-out beauty. David Koo Hjalmarsson, Managing Director of The Good Pill Co™, will present ‘Inside Out Beauty: the science and market power of Nutricosmetics,’ examining the research, consumer demand and product development opportunities driving ingestible beauty solutions.
A panel discussion featuring Hjalmarsson alongside Christina Vegge, VP of Research & Development at Symrise; Rinki Pramanik, Director of Innovation & Product Technology at Urenew Beauty UK; Dominika Andrys, Beauty Brand Consultant & Cosmetic Chemist at Beauty Brand Formula Ltd; and Mallory Huron, Director of Beauty and Wellness at Future Snoops will explore nutricosmetic formulation challenges, ingredient innovation and future market potential in a session titled ‘From Gut to Glow: Scientific and Strategic Advances in Nutricosmetics.’
‘Beauty in the Age of GLP-1 – The New Beauty Opportunity’ led by Pia Fisher, Beauty Strategist at WGSN, will look at how GLP-1 medications are reshaping beauty, and how emerging science and shifting consumer priorities will influence skin, hair, fragrance and overall wellbeing, signalling a new strategic frontier for brands.
Global beauty powerhouse, The Estée Lauder Companies takes the stage with Lucas Nanini, VP Fragrance Innovation and Cristina Venturoni, Open Innovation & Fragrance Product Manager of L’Atelier, presenting ‘The Art of Scent Reinvented: How the Estée Lauder Companies Is Rewriting the Rules of Fragrance Innovation.’ The session offers a behind-the-scenes look at how fragrance creation is evolving through new technologies, shifting consumer expectations and sensory storytelling.
Over 15 additional sessions will take place across the three days, featuring insights from COSMAX, Kind to Biome, Covalo, Beauty Streams, Asia Cosme Lab and more.
Formulation Lab®
One of the event’s most immersive experiences, the Formulation Lab® will deliver three days of practical, hands-on sessions in which participants actively formulate alongside experts, creating finished personal care applications while exploring ingredient functionality, texture development, and formulation techniques.
Led by experts from companies including IOI Oleo GmbH, Roka Furadada, IMCD and Siltech Corporation, the sessions will focus on formulation applications such as multifunctional systems, elastomers, and SPF formats.
Sponsored by Brenntag and managed by Enkos Development, the Lab will provide over 20 exclusive, closed sessions for formulators and R&D experts, offering the opportunity to work directly with raw materials, explore new textures and refine techniques under expert guidance.
Among the programme highlights, the session ‘Ultimate Performance Unlocked: Next-Gen Rheology for High-Performance Sunscreens’ will be led by Rita Figueiredo, Technical Service Manager at Elementis. The hands-on training session will explore how advanced rheology systems can enhance stability, performance, and sensory appeal in modern SPF formulations, addressing rising expectations for both efficacy and elegance in sun care.
Lena Hansen, Innovation & Technology Specialist at Brenntag Holding, will lead ‘Make-Up Remover Balm to Milk – Where Botanical Luxury Meets Modern Skincare Science,’ which will showcase how botanical ingredients can intersect with modern skincare science to create indulgent, balm-to-milk formats that meet contemporary demands for performance and experience.
Carole Corvez, Global Formulation Director at Lucas Meyer Cosmetics by Clariant, will lead the session ‘Pickmulse™: Elevating Skincare with Gellified Sensory Science and Sustainable Performance,’ and will demonstrate how innovative emulsification and gelling technologies can deliver transformative textures and an enhanced well-being experience for consumers.
Dr. Nilkanth Maradia, VP Scientific Affairs at KSM-66 Ashwagandha, will lead the session ‘From Stress Biology to Serum: Building Neurocosmetic Skincare with Adaptogenic Botanicals’. This interactive formulation session will explore how adaptogenic botanicals such as KSM-66® Ashwagandha can support skin resilience to stress, with participants formulating an Urban Stress Resilience Serum that translates neurocosmetic science into a practical skincare application.
Technical Seminars
Technical Seminars led by exhibitors, sponsored by Azelis, will explore new technical strategies and research studies to inspire product formulation. Covering multifunctionality, biotechnology, longevity science and advanced delivery systems, the theatres will present innovation grounded in robust data and real-world application.
Among the many highlights, ‘What If One Ingredient Could Do It All? Smart & Sustainable Multifunctionality with O-LEEN 26’ will be presented by Markus Nahrwold, Technical Director, at Minasolve, who will explore how multifunctional ingredient O-LEEN 26 can streamline formulations while reinforcing sustainability and ethical commitments.
Biotechnology will feature in ‘Where Nature Meets Biotechnology: Fermentation Technology Powers Multifunctional Ingredients Beyond Conventional Limits’, led by Isabel Alvarez-Martos, CEO and Co-founder, and Samantha Rosa, Application Manager, both of Cellugy ApS, who will examine how advanced bio-processing techniques are unlocking a new generation of nature-derived polysaccharides for personal care, enabling solutions that transform nature into reliable, industrial-scale performance.
The industry demand for longevity will be addressed in Innovative Well-Ageing Materials for Longevity and Healthy Ageing, presented by Jinwoo Min, R&D Centre Director at GFC Life Science Co., Ltd., and will outline how cutting-edge ingredients are being designed to support long-term skin health alongside visible anti-ageing benefits. Other sessions will be led by specialists from Eurofragance, Lubrizol, Technicoflor, Vantage Personal Care, Lipotrue and many more.
Sustainability Zone Forum and Theatre
As sustainability continues to reshape the global beauty agenda, the Sustainability Zone will serve as a central hub for responsible innovation and forward-thinking, conscious practices. More than 50 sessions will offer insights covering legislation, trends, functionality and more, from companies including SEPPIC SA, Provital, Givaudan and Cargill.
These sessions will cover the full product lifecycle, from responsible sourcing and green chemistry to circular business models, providing attendees with practical guidance to reduce environmental impact and strengthen sustainable product development. The sustainability forum and theatre are sponsored by AAK and delivered in partnership with The Green Chemist.
This year’s Forum programme will open with a keynote led by Breanna Lujan, Head of Sustainability and Community Fair Trade at The Body Shop, ‘Building on Our Legacy: A New Era of Sustainability at The Body Shop’, which will offer insight into how The Body Shop is redefining its sustainability strategy for the next generation. The session will explore how its strategy is combining heritage and innovation to drive lasting sustainability impact.
Challenging industry assumptions, ‘Is All Upcycling Created Equal? Waste vs Cosmetic,’ led by Anna Crovetto, Community Lead at The Upcycled Beauty Company, examines the rise of upcycled ingredients, questioning definitions, and considers how trends are shaping decision-making.
Packaging innovation will also take centre stage as Gergely Zámbó, Managing Director at Respray Solutions Kft, will lead the ‘Refilling the Future: How Resprays & Refillable Packaging Can Cut Waste and Cost at Scale’ keynote. It will explore scalable refill models and the operational, environmental, and economic considerations, using real-world retail data.
Testing and Regulatory Forum
As the personal care sector continues to grow year on year, testing, safety, efficacy and the regulations governing them are becoming increasingly central to the industry’s evolution. With regulatory demands intensifying worldwide, more products require rigorous substantiation and compliance, making testing services essential not only to product safety but also for successful launches and global market access.
Taking place on Thursday, 16 April, the Testing & Regulatory Forum will address these challenges with expert insights to ensure safe and compliant product innovation. Regulatory specialists, testing experts, and scientific leaders from companies such as Mérieux NutriSciences, IKA and 2OpenBeauty will provide clarity on evolving global frameworks while examining the techniques shaping claim support.
The keynote, ‘European Cosmetics at a Turning Point: Revision of the Cosmetics Regulation and New Sunscreen Framework,’ will feature the insights of Caroline Bassoni, Regulatory Affairs Director at COSMED, who will explore the implications of upcoming legislative changes for formulators and ingredient suppliers.
Complementing this, ‘From Lab to Label: Regulatory Barriers to Launching Cosmetic Ingredients Globally’ will bring together experts, including Mojgan Moddaresi, Scientific Advisor; Seoyeon Kyung, Senior Researcher at COSMAX; Seongmin (Mike) Sohn, Regulatory Technical Advisor at Wynngate Consulting; Laurent Milet, General Manager at COSMOS-standard AISBL; Peter Luebcke, CEO at Valogen Biosciences Ltd; Heather Bustos, Managing Partner at Bustos Law Group; and Andrea Maltagliati, Secretary General at EFfCI AISBL.
Reflecting the continued rise of longevity-led beauty, María Galán Lozano, Founder at 2Open Beauty, will present ‘Focus on Anti-Ageing Claims and the Way They Are Evaluated in Asia’, examining how claims differ across Asian markets. Meanwhile, ‘From Cells to Claims: Redefining Skin & Hair Longevity Evaluation,’ led by Alain Moga, Head of Dermocosmetics at QIMA Life Sciences, explores advanced biological testing models and the link between laboratory data and consumer-facing claims.
Andy Mather, Event Director of in-cosmetics Global, said: “The 2026 programme has been carefully curated to inspire and inform the global personal care community, supporting every stage of the journey from lab to launch.
Insight and collaboration both lie at the heart of the industry, and in-cosmetics Global provides a space where formulators, brands and suppliers can learn, exchange ideas and build connections. This year’s programme is scientific, innovative, and forward-looking, equipping attendees with the knowledge to navigate today’s rapidly evolving beauty and personal care landscape.”
in-cosmetics Global 2026 will take place from 14-16 April at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, France. Find the full conference programme here. For more information or to register to attend, visit the website here.
