The 39th edition of the world’s leading Beauty industry event closes on the up and up: more international presences than ever before

No less than 84,360 square metres of net display surface were reserved this year for the various different sectors of Beauty: Perfumery Cosmetics and Accessories, Hair Salon, Beauty Salon and Cosmopack.

The number of exhibitors was up on last year’s edition: Cosmoprof 39 attracted 2,140 of them, 1,191 from outside Italy. Altogether, the number of countries with exhibitors showing in the fair rose to 52, five more than in 2005: a factor that looks even more solid when you consider that the number of country pavilions was also up, to an unprecedented 21.

The visitor statistics also demonstrate Cosmoprof’s sheer vitality and increasingly international flavour: a total of 138,411, up from the 137,247 in 2005. The numbers of foreign visitors, ever one of the event’s strongest points, rose strikingly from the 30,477 who came to Bologna in 2005 to this year’s 34,125, with an increase of more than 12%.

The formula behind the 2006 edition of Cosmoprof maintained some of the strong elements that had already proved their worth in the previous edition, while also adding important new features. Hall 16-18 housed the famous names of Selective Perfumery in an exclusive, dedicated space featuring understated style and care for detail. Inside this area, the elegant gallery of Masterpieces, reserved for the great international brands of Artistic Perfumery, was a successful confirmation of a 2005 launch that expanded its coverage this year to display 88 brands.

Meanwhile, Beauty on Stage offered an absolute innovation, guaranteed to impact significantly on how high range perfumery and cosmetics are communicated by creating a real stage-set in Hall 18. For three days, Bulgari, Estée Lauder Companies, Ferragamo Parfums, ITF, La Prairie Group, L’Oréal Prodotti di Lusso Italia, Monarimport, Shiseido and Sisley established a glittering sequence of shows and performances up on the special stage. The verdict of the visitors who crowded into the especially installed audience area for each performance? An unprecedented success.

Visitors were also thronging back to the hall dedicated to nailcare, Nail World, further demonstrating their growing interest in this market. This year, the area was also flanked by the Nail Lounge, a space where visitors could try out manicure treatments for themselves in a pleasant, relaxing setting.

But Cosmoprof is far more than a trade fair: it is also a confirmed venue for continuous professional development and culture. As in previous years, the fair provided the framework for a series of conferences that photographed the state of the art of the Beauty market, illustrating its economic and social trends through the speeches made by qualified sociologists and researchers, as well as by the leading trade associations and social partners. In particular, the Cosmopack opening day was marked and valorised by two important events of this kind: “Packaging and the supply chain for the perfumery business: innovation and the industrial challenge”, a round table enlivened by leading names from the industry, and “Why merchandising? Perfumery point of sale communication policies”, which presented the results of a survey about merchandising organised by the Cosmoprof Worldwide Beauty Observatory.

This edition also featured an exceptional event outside the fairgrounds, the exhibition “Devilishly clever. Hair from the Sphinx to Warhol”, which developed from a partnership between Wella, the Archaeological Museum of Bologna and the Mazzotta Foundation of Milan.

Once again in 2006, Cosmoprof closes after scoring a sweeping success, enhanced by its high profile international flavour. Those in the know have already reserved their appointment with the 40th edition, which will take place in Bologna from 29 March to 2 April 2007, with the slogan 40 Years in Beauty.
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