On September 7^th, 2023 during the last day of the 33^rd IFSCC Congress, the Sociedad Española de Químicos Cosméticos (SEQC) and supported by L’Oréal Research & Innovation will be hosting a “Sustainable Challenge” from 12h to 14h in the CCIB.

If you are a cosmetics and beauty innovator and have a sustainable technology, engineering, or design solution that meets the needs of responsible cosmetic, we invite you to this Challenge!

We are looking for tomorrow’s sustainable solutions! Meet cosmetic research stakeholders and reinforce your industrial network at IFSCC 2023.

Show the international cosmetic ecosystem your innovation in action. This is an opportunity to promote your work, suggest options and potentially find future partners for investment.

The Challenge will close for entries on June 30^th.

Chosen finalists will be invited to present their innovation in the Sustainable Challenge on Thursday September 7^th in Barcelona and will receive an exhibitor pass to the Congress.

This will be an informal, interactive, hands-on session, where finalists will have the opportunity to present their innovation and discuss in person with delegates visiting the area and convince the jury.

A panel of judges will select one entry to be the Challenge winner.

Entry Criteria
The challenge spans everything from ‘Research to Retail’, with a sustainable benefit. Whilst we anticipate many entries will be pre-launch, we would also welcome new launches where the entrants have introduced a new technology, design or manufacturing process that can be demonstrated to best meet the future needs of the cosmetics industry.

Your entry should demonstrate innovation in cosmetic products and/or technology or a novel facet of design or production engineering.

Types of entries which will be considered when providing significant sustainable improvement with:

• A new ingredient sourcing (raw material, cultivation…)
• A new transformation process (green chemistry, biotech, ingeneering process…)
• A new formulation design (active ingredient concentration optimization…)
• A new packaging and delivery approach (lower water footprint, environmental impact, new technology..)
• A new way of usage (concentrated product, solid, using artificial intelligence, device, smart tech…)
• A new evaluation method (diagnostic tool for personalization…)

Panels
Selecting entrants to be invited to the Showcase on September ⁰⁷th will be evaluated by a jury led by Mr. Marc Solans (SEQC). The winner selection will occur after the finalists presentation by a jury that include sponsors and representatives from the industry, led by Mr. Marc Solans with the support of Dr. Isabelle Castiel (L’Oréal R&I).

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Entrants should be available to attend the IFSCC Congress in Barcelona on September 07^th.

The entry should have elements that can be demonstrated on the day – either using prototypes in a tabletop space* and ideally could be supported by a video or presentation.

1. The showcase competition is organized by the 33^rd IFSCC Congress host society, the Sociedad Española de Químicos Cosméticos (SEQC) and supported by L’Oréal Research & Innovation.
2. The competition is open to start ups (companies founded from 2012 and with a maximum turnover of €10 M), academics and individuals with technologies or inventions relevant to the cosmetics and personal care industry with a sustainable benefit. i.e: natural sourcing, green formulation, process, improved environmental profile, water saver.
3. By entering the showcased challenge all participants and winners agree to the entry criteria.
4. The entries will be interpreted by the judges, decisions on shortlisting and winners will be final and binding.
5. The organizers reserve the right to amend, modify and change these rules and interpret the entries as they see fit.
6. By entering the showcase challenge, all participants and winners agree to have the legal capacity to enter the showcase and agree to the entry criteria.
7. The showcase challenge will start on the 1^st of May and close on 30^th of June 2023. All entries must reach the organizers within the stipulated period.
8. Participants have the chance of winning an opportunity to showcase and present their entry to the judging panel in person during the last day of the IFSCC 2023 Barcelona Congress.

*Innovations that are not suitable for tabletop space can be entered via other formats such as digital media. The entry should provide their own device to display and present the innovation.

Prizes:
– 8 Finalists will receive an exhibition area day pass to the IFSCC Congress 2023 to present their Innovation Showcase and one announcement on IFSCC Barcelona congress social media.
– 1 Winners will receive a one-year access to the Sociedad Española de Químicos Cosméticos (SEQC) which give them also access to the IFSCC, a full registration ticket to the IFSCC 2024 Congress in Brazil and an additional post, winner announcement on IFSCC Barcelona congress social media.

Requirement for selection:
Comply with all the Terms & Conditions stated above.
A PowerPoint presentation of 7 slides maximum by company is required to register in the sustainability challenge.
The PowerPoint presentation should include:

• A summary of the founders and size of the organization
• The objectives of the product/technology as well as its originality (+visuals)
• The level of development
• The feasibility of the project
• Expected challenges
• The next steps planned

Grading criteria:
Anonymous jury (consisting of 4 members) will have to visit each booth of the 8 finalists and rate them from 1 (best) to 8 each.
There will be one winner announced based on the jury’s classifications.