xxxxxxxxxx xxxx 25 TEMA CENTRAL I MAIN TOPIC xxx xxx in innovation each year. The benefits of these investments extend to consumers: the sector has reformulated one in three products in the last two years to make them more effective, safer, and sustainable. Furthermore, 21% of employees in the cosmetics industry are scientific professionals, such as biologists, chemists, pharmacists, and others. To make a qualitative leap in its innovation capacity, the sector promoted the creation of Feeling Innovation by Stanpa, the cluster officially recognized as an Innovative Business Group (AEI) by the Ministry of Industry. Feeling Innovation connects companies, technology and research centers, universities, and value chain suppliers with the aim of anticipating the sector’s challenges, identifying innovative technological solutions, and facilitating strategic alliances that drive high-impact collaborative projects. Its new 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, co-created with the innovation ecosystem, establishes five key areas to lead the sector’s transformation: sustainability, water management, packaging, ingredients, and digitalization. The measurement and reduction of the industry’s water footprint, which has already adopted a proactive approach to contribute to the European Commission’s future European Water Resilience Strategy, has its benchmarks. In this regard, COSME Water Footprint is a pioneering project in Europe in which Feeling Innovation by Stanpa participates to provide the cosmetics sector with a digital tool that enables the automation of Water Footprint calculations in the perfumery and cosmetics sectors, facilitates the interpretation of results, and offers recommendations and reduction actions. Packaging is also moving toward packaging circularity, eco-design, the use of alternative materials, and packaging waste management through innovation. To foster this effort, Feeling Innovation by Stanpa is participating in the European EPIC project, which, through 10 partners from 8 European countries, seeks to develop innovative solutions to meet the EU’s 2030 recycling and sustainability goals, strengthening innovation capacities in less developed regions and engaging the entire packaging value chain. AI drives industrial transformation According to Mintel, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will help optimize many aspects of the beauty packaging manufacturing process. For example, Bastille Parfums uses AI and RFID technology to communicate transparently: its Eau de Parfum Paradis Nuit now features a QR code on the bottle that users can scan to learn the full lifecycle of all ingredients, including their origin, the names of the companies that manufactured the packaging, and the bottling date. AI has ceased to be a technological promise of the future and has become a tangible reality that is already transforming the industry. This was one of the conclusions reached by participants in the webinar”Factory with Artificial Intelligence: Reality or Future?”, organized by AINIA at the beginning of the year. AI is already present in numerous industrial processes, from production automation to quality control and product customization. The combination of AI with technologies such as sensors, robotics, and photonics is enabling supply chain optimization, improving food safety, and accelerating the development of new products. During the webinar, the case study of the company Montibello was presented. It has applied machine learning to improve flexibility in small-batch production, a common challenge in the manufacturing of professional hairdressing and beauty products. Furthermore, the vision for Artificial intelligence has become a key tool for quality control. AI is not only improving operational efficiency but also facilitating the personalization of products and services, allowing companies to anticipate market demands and improve their competitiveness. Despite the progress, AI adoption faces several challenges. A lack of technological skills, both at the operational and management levels, the integration of AI into existing systems, and proper data management are some of the obstacles mentioned. Sustainability above all In 2023, 41% of fragrance launches included ethical and environmental claims, up from 18% in 2019. And if sustainability is not clearly emphasized, it is also because consumers do not want sustainability to compromise the appearance of a potential luxury product, as indicated by Mintel. New fragrance launches are mostly presented in refillable containers; cosmetic refills also continue to enter the market, although they lack widespread consumer support, as consumers struggle to get used to the habit of purchasing them. Little by little, brands are promoting the recyclability of their products. One example is Charlotte Tilbury, which has introduced simple recycling programs for selected products. Customers simply access the online recycling portal, fill out the form to receive a free return label, and, upon completion, receive a 20% discount on a new refillable moisturizer. In Spain, Stanpa launched Belleza Circular Según un estudio de Forbes, el 75 % de los consumidores son más propensos a comprar a una marca con una narrativa sólida According to a Forbes study, 75% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand with a strong narrative ‘
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