Go to main content

Access the Members Only Area

Back

Do cosmetics matter?

  • Last updated: May 31, 2017

Certainly, the cosmetics and personal care industry matters to the European economy – we are flagship European industry. But do our products themselves matter, in the sense of being important to people in a way that cannot be easily ignored?

There are some who seem to think the answer is no. Cosmetics and personal care products, in their view, are by definition superficial, ‘skin deep’, a nice to have, a frippery, a self-indulgence, dispensable vanity products which no one would really miss if one day they were all taken away. All in all, we shouldn’t take them very seriously.

‘Oh really?’ we in the industry think. No soap or toothpaste? Hygiene is not ‘vanity’. No sunscreen? Then people will burn.

But perhaps there is even more than meets the eye. What if cosmetics and personal care products improve people’s lives in other, less obvious ways – self -confidence and self-esteem, social interaction, well-being and quality of life in the broadest sense?
In the industry, we are sure this is true. We have seen for example the extraordinarily positive effects of cosmetic products for cancer sufferers in the global Look Good Feel Better programme.

But ultimately, the only way to really understand these benefits is to ask consumers themselves. At Cosmetics Europe, we set out to do so. We have surveyed more than 4000 consumers from across Europe, in all age ranges, and asked them exactly how they view cosmetic and personal care products. The results are revealing, and perhaps to some surprising. We will present them at our Open Forum meeting in Brussels on June 14th. On June 15th, we will look at the key new developments in regulation.

Together, we can confidently say that our Cosmetics Europe Week public events give more insight into every aspect of our industry than any comparable meeting. This year we will break more new ground.

An event, and an industry, that truly matters.

 

John Chave, Director General, Cosmetics Europe

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to our use of cookies. To find out more about cookies, how to block them or control their use by configuring your browser, read this page. Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of this website.

Close

Thank you for submitting your comment. This is a moderated blog. Your comment will be reviewed as soon as possible before posting. We may reserve the right not to post your comment if it is not compliant with our Comment Policy.