This annual event is organized by the Cosmetic Valley, and in 13 years of existence, the Perfumes & Cosmetics Congress has become a top priority for regulatory players in the cosmetics sector. However, less than a week after the Paris attacks, this 2015 edition was set in a very peculiar atmosphere… which did not prevent sectoral discussions from quickly prevailing.
Of course, Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of the Cosmetic Valley, started his keynote speech by paying tribute to the victims of the attacks in the French capital on November 13, as well as to the security forces that fight against terrorism. Then, he welcomed the fact that, despite a few last-minute cancellations, most congress visitors, including foreigners, maintained their presence to reach the number of 530 participants, 10% more than the last edition.
‘The Cosmetic Valley is doing well’, he went on, as he highlighted the fact that ‘safety must not be used as an alibi to prevent the free movement of the products’ (…) of an ‘innovative sector positioned in favour of environmental protection’.
Given the ‘European and global dimension of regulatory issues’, Marc-Antoine Jamet also called for the ‘union of all cosmetics players to face competition, and for cooperation with the authorities’.
Nevertheless, this last point does not seem an easy task, in particular given the complaints filed by Cosmetics Europe against certain Member States, on the grounds that they departed from the rules laid down in the Cosmetics Regulation. On the French level, the fact that the supervisory authorities (DGCCRF and ANSM) issued …
