Italy is a major power in beauty, even though France, Germany and the UK hog most of the limelight in Europe.
A huge 67 per cent of makeup produced in Europe is made in Italy. In 2021, Italian beauty exports soared 13 per cent to 4.7 billion euros (AUD7.011 billion) and total beauty sales reached 11.7 billion euros (AUD$17.45 billion). More than 36,000 people are employed in the Italian cosmetic and personal care industry.
To punch home the message that Italy is one of the Big Four European cosmetic players, the first Milano Beauty Week will run from May 3 to 8. To make things easier for overseas visitors, the event will open directly after the closing of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna on May 2.
Australians still need to produce a vaccine pass or negative antigen test to enter Italy, but strict Covid regulations will end before Milano Beauty Week. From April 1, vaccine passes and negative PCR or rapid antigen tests will no longer be required for hotels, shops, cinemas, theatres, museums or when using public transport. Restaurants and nightclubs will no longer need to check details from May 1.
The goal of Milano Beauty Week, organised in partnership with Cosmoprof and Esxence, the leading international niche fragrance event, is to position cosmetics and fragrance as a major industry in Italy alongside fashion, design and wine, says Renato Ancorotti, president of Cosmetica Italia, the country’s national association of beauty companies.
More than 100 companies have already confirmed they will attend Milano Beauty Week, which is free and open to the public. The event will be held in the Palazzo Giureconsulti, the 16th century palace-turned-convention-centre only two minutes walk from Milan’s famous Galleria shopping arcade.
The four main themes are: innovation, sustainability, emotion and inclusion. The venue will be divided into sectors including the Tech Zone and visitors can sign up for workshops, exhibitions and panel discussions. Leading beauty retailers in the city such as Sephora and Marionnaud, the French perfume and cosmetics chain, will publicise the event with in-store activations. For more information, go to: www.milanobeautyweek.it
Esxence, which has been postponed over the past two years, is again on the calendar for 2022. To be held in Milan’s MiCo convention centre, the 12th iteration of the art perfumery extravaganza will run from June 15 to 18. In 2019, Esxence had 221 exhibitors and attracted 8000 visitors from 77 countries. For further information and brand listings, go to: www.esxence.com.