The International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC) is a global association of 16000+ cosmetic chemists from 80 countries dedicated to worldwide cooperation in cosmetic science and technology.

The IFSCC organizes an international scientific event each fall; this year an intense 3-day IFSCC Congress was held in London (UK) for its 32nd edition. The aim of the IFSCC Congresses is to bring together representatives from IFSCC Member Societies (and many others) to discuss cosmetic science with a global perspective.

London welcomed the IFSCC Congress attendees with an unusually good weather, and yet the tepid sun failed to warm the spirits of (not only) the British people: the queen Elizabeth II had recently died. I personally landed in London a day after the queen’s funeral, when daily activities resumed after being suspended to pay tribute to the sovereign; the 32nd IFSCC Congress itself canceled the first day of workshops, while Opening Gala was relocated.

The congress theme was “Where Beauty, Science and Innovation Meet” and it was hosted by the Society of Cosmetics Scientists, UK & Ireland. I witnessed 3 full days of best in international cosmetic science and technology, with delegates from about 40 countries, 78 podium presentations, 11 keynote speakers, more than 300 posters. There were so many opportunities that I couldn’t attend everything!

The event was organized on three different floors: one floor was dedicated to posters’ exposition (in digital format), another one hosted the exhibitors’ area, and finally another floor accommodated two conference halls.

It was a most dense event of cosmetic science, research and industry. Skin/hair care and the microbiome were addressed, but also neuroscience and cutting-edge technologies, formulation and sustainability.

It was necessary to carefully pre-plan every step (scheduling meetings, attending conferences, etc.) in order to make the most of this important opportunity!

An essential part of the IFSCC’s mission is to support research in the field of cosmetic science. For this reason, many awards were given during the 2022 Congress:

• Basic Research Award winner: Elias Bou Samra from L’Oréal (France), with the paper: “Paper Decoding epidermis reconstruction through time-course multi-omics data”.
• Applied Research Award winner: Christopher Berkey from Stanford University (USA), with the paper: ”Exploiting ingredient interactions to deliver optimal performance of skin-care formulations”.
• Poster Award winner: Paul Lawrence from Biocogent (USA), with the paper: ”Targeting small non-coding RNAs to diminish the epigenetic ravages of aged skin”.
• IFSCC Fellow – Honorary Designation winner: Judi Beerling from the Society of Cosmetic Scientists (UK).
  
  By attending IFSCC 2022 Congress, I had the honor to behold both the most comprehensive view of the cosmetics global industry and also the many discussions on trends that will shape the next 10 years. Additionally, I had the chance to network with old and new collaborators, interact with most of the exhibitors and exchange thoughts with the many delegates.

There has been no shortage of social moments -I applaud the organizers for the incredible evenings they put on: Madame Tussaud’s networking event first and then the Gala Dinner at the Battersea Evolution (Battersea Park).

I guess I’ll just have to
wait impatiently for
IFSCC 2023 in Barcelona!

For more info:
https://ifscc.org/

Silvia Achilli
Assistant Editor, TKS Publisher