In-Cosmetics - It's a record

In-Cosmetics 2006 was truly buzzin with visitor numbers hitting an all time high.

A total of 4723 individuals visited In-Cosmetics in Barcelona over the three days of the show, a 58% increase on In-Cosmetics 2005 in Berlin. Including revisits the figure rises to 8491, again a 58% increase on last year. It's also a 31% increase on the busiest ever In-Cosmetics, previously Paris in 2003. Almost all the exhibitors we spoke to were thrilled with the number and quality of visitors this year, while visitors were generally equally excited by what was on offer.

Of these visitors, 78% came from Europe. This breaks down to: UK 7%, France 12%, Italy 6%, Germany 8%, Spain 23%, Europe-EU other 14% and Europe-Non EU 8%. Other visitors came from: Asia & Pacific 8%, North America 5%, Middle East & Africa 5% and South America 4%. So of the total, 74% were international visitors.

Uniqema's 6th New Ideas Run/Walk for Charity also attracted a record crowd with 220 people turning out on the second morning of the show and helping to raise over €4000 for Look Good...Feel Better; SPC is a long standing supporter of this event.

There was certainly no shortage of new ideas at this year's In-Cosmetics and there were definitely a few clear trends. There has been a huge interest in natural ingredients for a number of years and this looks set to continue indefinitely. The choice of the Amazon as the topic for the show's first In Focus showcase was a timely one and the stands in the In Focus section were buzzing. The feature, supported by a conference programme, invited visitors to discover new exotic ingredients, challenge the limit of natural formulation and embrace fair trade and sustainable development. Both design and content of the feature were well received.

Also hot this year were ingredients offering anti-ageing properties, but also the newer area of ingredients targeted to treat older skin, reflecting the increasing development of ingredients with particular functionalities. And skin lightening introductions seem to go from strength to strength.

Of this year's visitors, a massive 68% were interested in actives and extracts and 61% in other functional raw materials. Of other sectors asked about: 47% were interested in surfactants, 45% in preservatives, 45% in thickeners/rheology modifiers, 41% in waxes and fats, 40% in colour pigments and dyes, and 40% in fragrance. A total of 60% of visitors reported that they had purchasing authority.

Next year In-Cosmetics returns to Paris (17-19 April 2007) and already the organisers have had to expand the exhibition area to accommodate interested exhibitors; phenomenal on-site rebooking levels were reported.