Economists, like, lawyers, rarely seem to agree on much. But there is one iron law they can all accept: without innovation, there is no growth.
Constantly improving products and processes drives our economy forward. And companies, if they are to remain competitive, must refine and re-invent. Failure to innovate means loss of competitive position, or even extinction.
Innovation is fed by knowledge. Nowhere is this truer than in the cosmetics and personal care sector. That is why the European cosmetics industry employs more than 26,000 scientists. That is why we spend more than 1.25 billion a year on research and development.
But innovation in our sector comes with an additional challenge: our overriding goal is to make sure our products are safe. To create something new is not enough – our customers must have absolute confidence that they can use our products without harm.
There is one area in particular where our industry is pushing forward the boundaries of scientific knowledge – an area of huge importance not just in our sector, but in others too: we are finding new ways to ensure products are safe without testing on animals.
Cosmetics Europe and its members have been investing in the science of alternative to animal testing for more than two decades. Just this year we embarked on our Long Range Science Strategy, a multi million euro project which will build on our previous cutting edge research in this area.
As with most ground breaking science, progress is incremental. But we are optimistic that in future, alternative assessment tools which allow us to prove safety of ingredients and are widely accepted will become the norm.
We will only be fully successful in this if scientific efforts are accompanied by continuous exchange with stakeholders worldwide, including the regulatory community, validating agencies, interested public and academia, and partners for commercial exploitation.
Cosmetics Europe Week Science Day is therefore a perfect opportunity to bring our community together. On June 16th we will be both showcasing progress and new discoveries, and exploring the challenges before us, all in the spirit of scientific cooperation and the pursuit of knowledge.
Economists and lawyers are of course welcome.
Other events will take place during Cosmetics Europe Week "Personal Care in a Changing World" from 13-17 June at The Hotel, in Brussels. To register and for more information:www.cosmeticseurope-conference.org/coseuweek16
John Chave, Director General, Cosmetics Europe