MILAN, Italy—The Italian cosmetics and toiletries industry is booming. Worth a reported €9.1 billion, it is the third biggest in Europe, behind only France (€12.8 billion) and Germany (€10.5 billion). And with Milan’s reputation as the business fashion capital of the continent, it’s not surprising after seven years away, the city has been chosen to host the next installment of in-cosmetics, the personal care ingredients exhibition.
Promising to be as exciting as last year’s record-breaking event in Paris, the 2011 show will take place on March 29 to 31 at the Fiera Rho exhibition centre. Already the largest ever show in terms of floor space, the exhibition will play host to more than 500 suppliers of new and innovative cosmetic ingredients and services, as well as leading testing laboratories, software providers, industry associations and publishing houses.
Highlighting the importance of the event, all stand space for 2011 was booked on-site at last year’s event; however, the organizers have expanded the area to meet the demands of eager exhibitors, signaling a recovered and revived outlook for the cosmetics industry following last year’s recession. Industry heavyweights such as DSM, Croda, Dow Chemical and Rhodia will have a presence alongside smaller first-time exhibitors from China, Italy, India and South Korea. Key Italian distributors, such as Faravelli Group, L.F. Castelli and Variati will also be making the most of the exhibition taking place on home soil.
in-cosmetics Exhibition Director Lucy Gillam, commented: “Last year’s show was the biggest event ever, so we certainly set the bar very high; but we’re extremely confident that we will match if not exceed expectations for the Milan show. Our exhibitors are, as always, of the highest quality and the educational program is certainly shaping up well. We have a really compelling line-up of speakers already confirmed to present on some of the hottest topics, which will no doubt provoke some lively debate amongst visitors."
Dubbed a three-day ‘training centre’ for the industry, the show’s educational program will offer a wide range of presentations, workshops and features to enhance visitors’ commercial, scientific and technical knowledge. Regulatory, Scientific and Innovation Seminars will take place alongside Formulation Workshops and Marketing Trends Presentations while the in-focus and the Innovation Zone will once again be key features on the exhibition floor.