Cosmetics are as old as humanity itself. Ever since prehistory, men and women have sought out ways to adorn their bodies. Various objectives have driven personal care over the centuries: from safeguarding the environment to camouflage to rituals to pure vanity. Even in prehistoric times our ancestors would decorate their skin, at times to appear healthy and attractive and at times to draw near to the divine. The earliest cosmetics were of natural origin: oils, resins and extracts from leaves and flowers that achieved harmony between humans and the cosmos.

Centuries later, nature continues to help us care for our skin and our appearance with solutions that are safe and sustainable for the planet. Scientific research and cutting-edge technology are at the service of modern cosmetics and provide us with products that have a low environmental impact but are also effective, for an ethical approach to beauty and personal care. This trend has been in the making for years, radically transforming the market, and has characterized the product launches at the most recent editions of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna.

OWAY

OWAY is the world of agricosmetica® - meaning circular agriculture - and a sustainable lifestyle. For over ten years, it has been cultivating officinal plants and herbs with biodynamic methods on his Ortofficina estate, on the hills around Bologna, to obtain essential oils, hydrolats, and pure extracts, which become the active ingredients of Oway certified biodynamic treatments. It is also empowering producers who share the same attention to sustainability, spreading healthy and circular agriculture. agricosmetica® for Oway means using only glass and aluminum since 2013 for their packaging, 100% recyclable indefinitely, without plastic and extra solutions. It means also choosing eco-design and manufacturing in a carbon-neutral company concentrated products, rich in active ingredients and to be used without any waste. agricosmetica® is a way of thinking, a lifestyle, a conscious choice.

ANNABELLE MINERALS COSMETICS

A longtime presence in Hall 21N – historically the most eco-friendly Cosmoprof area – the Polish makeup company ANNABELLE MINERALS COSMETICS uses natural minerals and ingredients to bring out the beauty of each individual. The brand has recently focused its attention on the search for new packaging solutions, seeking out valid alternatives to plastic. After testing several materials, the company rediscovered the most reusable, recyclable, and degradable product that humanity has had access to over the centuries: paper. Packaging for the new ecological collection is made of uncoated, non-colored paper chosen to safeguard the planet while preserving the safety and quality of the product.

DAVINES GROUP

DAVINES GROUP is a family-owned company founded in Italy in 1983 and currently present in 90 countries that specializes in professional skin and hair care products with the brands [ comfort zone ] and Davines, respectively. In 2016 the company became a B Corp and in 2019 a Benefit Corporation. The company's statute clearly underscores the effort to work not just for profit but also for the good of the community and the planet. Management has set 95% sustainability as its objective, and the staff participates in 1,248 hours of volunteer work globally. The company has been carbon neutral since 2018: controlling, reducing, and compensating 100% of CO2eq emissions from Group activities.

These are just some of the examples of Cosmoprof exhibitors who have adopted a “return to nature” in their philosophy for future development. Discovering the past opens the doors to a future full of new opportunities for growth. Because from prehistory to the next millennium, from the Earth to the next trip to Mars, one thing remains certain: we will continue to care about our appearance and to take care of ourselves.