International representatives of the natural and organic cosmetic sector met once again in-person at another successful edition of VIVANESS, the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care, which took place in Nuremberg from 14th to 17th February. Together with BIOFACH, the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Organic Food, the four-day event gathered together 20% more exhibitors compared to the summer edition and attracted almost 36,000 trade visitors from 135 countries.
Meetings, gatherings and networking: NATRUE at VIVANESS 2023
The entire NATRUE team travelled to Nuremberg to participate in one of the most important fairs for natural and organic cosmetics: VIVANESS. Over the four days, the NATRUE team had the opportunity to:
· See old friends again and meet new ones: VIVANESS was a great opportunity to talk to some of the NATRUE Label Users who were present in the fair. Among others, we met colleagues from Santaverde, Primavera, Nakt, Jabones Beltrán, 4peoplewhocare, cosnature, naturalis, Hemptouch, Velvety and oceanBasis.
· Introduce NATRUE to German politicians and social media influencers: the main objective of NATRUE is to promote and protect natural and organic cosmetics for the benefit of consumers all around the world. As an association, it is important to explain the current situation the natural and organic cosmetics industry is facing: currently, there is no official definition of what “natural” and “organic” mean when it comes to cosmetic products. This situation opens the door to greenwashing, since some brands are using marketing tricks to position their products as “natural” or “organic” when in reality they are not. NATRUE believes it is important to inform consumers, but also to work hand in hand with decision makers and relevant stakeholders. Changing things is in everyone’s hands!
· Discover new trends: Shoppers are focusing on green and natural products and the market is working hard to meet these green demands. Solid cosmetics, biodegradable packaging and two-in-one products were some of the solutions presented at VIVANESS. However, several newcomers do not just have their own sustainable production on their agenda, some of them goes beyond:
o The start-up NATRUE brand Rose und Ann uses green electricity from renewable sources, monitoring and continually reducing its power consumption;
o Nakt, another NATRUE Label User, uses 100% plant-based ingredients for its make-up removal cloths;
o 4peoplewhocare is committed to protecting biodiversity on its doorstep, and with every product sold, the NATRUE certified brand reinvests in nature which provides precious raw materials, working with various partners to plant flowering meadows throughout Germany.
VIVANESS Congress: NATRUE as a reference
During the trade fair, NATRUE shared three presentations:
- “Evolving legislation: In 2023 what’s impacting natural cosmetics and you?”
If you wanted to know more about European regulations, eco-design for sustainable products, green claims or the “anti-greenwash” proposal, this was the presentation for you! On Tuesday, Dr. Mark Smith, Director General of NATRUE, evaluated the changing EU and international cosmetics legislation impacting the natural and organic sectors, addressing hot topics such as green claims substantiation and product environmental footprinting, requirements for fragrance allergens labelling, and microplastics.
- Panel discussion: “Natural Cosmetics Supply Chain Impacts”
The continuing political and economic uncertainty created by the Ukraine war has affected supply chains. On Wednesday, Dr. Mark Smith and Dr. Bernhard Irrgang, Head of R&D, Weleda AG, and the President of NATRUE, and Mr. Ralf Kunert, Managing Director of naturamus GmbH, talked about the direct and indirect impacts of current geopolitical factors upon the natural sector, from risks to raw material supply chains, climate change impacts and rising production costs, through to the downstream consequences affecting consumers and their choices.
- “Cleanwashing: the rise of misleading clean beauty claims, and how certification helps brands and consumers”
On Wednesday, Dr. Smith together with Barbara Novak, Head of Development for Hemptouch, a NATRUE-certified brand from Slovenia, plus representatives of COSMOS, discussed two of the current hot topics: the difference between organic and natural, and the origin of misleading clean beauty claims. Barbara Novak explained how the NATRUE certification benefits businesses and consumers.
More about VIVANESS:
For four days:
– A total of 2,765 exhibitors from 95 countries gathered at BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023 – 222 of them specifically at VIVANESS – in order to showcase their diverse product ranges and share new philosophies, ideas and strategies that strive to develop products that are natural and sustainable.
– Dominica and Liberia, as well as Ghana and Zimbabwe, were some of the new countries participating this time.
– Visitors, media and exhibitors were invited to help shape the future of the organic food and natural and organic cosmetic sector by joining a programme of 124 high-calibre sessions (three of them conducted by NATRUE!)
– The event gathered 20% more exhibitors compared to the previous Summer Edition.
Save the date: VIVANESS 2024 will take place from 13th to 16th February!