BEYOND BEAUTY: COSMOPROF WORLDWIDE BOLOGNA UNVEILS WHAT’S NEW FOR THE NEXT EDITION
The leading B2B event for the cosmetics industry continues to grow. For the upcoming edition, scheduled from March 20 to 23, 2025, new projects and a more efficient reorganization of the exhibition spaces are underway.
December 2024
For the 2025 edition, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna gets a makeover. Following the remarkable success of its previous edition, which welcomed 248,500 attendees from 150 countries and 3,012 exhibitors, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna continues to grow and innovate, supporting the expansion of the cosmetics industry and strengthening the international positioning of the Cosmoprof brand.
A key feature of the 2025 edition, scheduled for March 20–23, is a new and more functional layout, designed to enhance the experience for attendees and accommodate an expanded exhibition offering, including new product categories that reflect the evolving market landscape.
Cosmopack, the pavilion dedicated to the excellence of the global supply chain, will expand into the entire Hall 19. This space will host leaders in the sector, with a special focus on process and packaging machinery. Halls 15, 18, 15a, 20, and 28 will showcase key supply chain segments, including raw materials and ingredients, contract manufacturing, private label, primary and secondary packaging, and packaging components and accessories.
For what concerns Cosmo Perfumery & Cosmetics, the Cosmetics & Toiletries segment will be repositioned to Halls 26 and 36. Skincare and makeup brands will be featured in Hall 26, while fragrances and personal care products will be hosted in Hall 36.
Country Pavilions from Australia, Japan, Singapore, the UK, the USA, and parts of South Korea will move to Hall 22, providing direct access from the Service Centre and easy connectivity to other Country Pavilions in Hall 16.
The Green & Organic segment, under the Sana Beauty banner, will be hosted in the mezzanine between Halls 21 and 22, presenting a curated selection of natural and organic product companies. This area will also include dedicated events for the herbal cosmetics sector.
Cosmo Hair Nail & Beauty Salon will see key updates, with a portion of nail- focused companies aiming for B2B opportunities relocated to the new Professional Nail Avenue in the Mall, adjacent to the Beauty Salon Halls. Nail brands targeting direct sales will remain in Nailworld in Hall 35, alongside Cosmoshop, which caters to exhibitors interested in direct sales of hair and beauty products and equipment, as well as the Barber area.
Exclusive Buyer Lounges for networking will be established in Halls 14 and 36, catering respectively to the premium/prestige market segment (Cosmoprime) and the mass-market Cosmetics & Toiletries segment. The Hair Lounge in Hall 37 will welcome hairstyling professionals, while a dedicated lounge for the Group for Natural and Herbal-Based Cosmetics from Cosmetica Italia – The Personal Care Association will be located in the mezzanine between Halls 21 and 22 to support the herbal cosmetics channel.
INITIATIVES FOR INTERNATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS
Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna remains a strategic event for stakeholders from around the globe. In its 56th edition, the exhibition continues to be the only international event offering a comprehensive overview of innovations in the beauty world, bringing together all sectors of the industry — from the supply chain to finished products – under one roof. Cosmoprof also provides essential business opportunities for industry growth, with matchmaking tools and personalized consulting services designed to meet the needs of all distribution channels.
The support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA – Italian Trade Agency – plays a key role in ensuring the presence of key players from around the world. In the coming months, ITA will leverage its international offices to boost media promotion and encourage the attendance of buyers, retailers, and distributors in Bologna. Attendees are expected from 66 countries, with a special focus on the United States, Africa, and the Gulf and Middle East regions.
Dedicated initiatives, developed in collaboration with Cosmetica Italia – The Personal Care Association, will further highlight the excellence of Beauty Made in Italy, facilitating the growth of export policies for the sector.
THE LEADING TRENDS IN THE BEAUTY MARKET AT COSMOPROF
At Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2025, industry professionals will gain insights into the key trends shaping the beauty industry and consumer behaviour.
The central theme of the upcoming edition will be sustainability, an essential value for market positioning that must increasingly become a structural element of companies. To address climate change and the social and economic challenges of our time, consumers are demanding immediate, effective, and concrete actions from the industry. In this context, Cosmoprof stands as a point of reference for stakeholders, having focused on sustainability in the cosmetics industry for years. Dedicated projects and content on reducing environmental impact will be integral to the 2025 event.
The first steps toward sustainable cosmetics involve the supply chain, particularly the ingredients and raw materials sector, which will once again take centre stage in the Ingredients Zone, a dedicated area within Cosmopack in Hall 20. From new active ingredients with minimal impact on biodiversity and local communities to scientific research in biotech and green chemistry, there are numerous opportunities to offer innovative solutions to consumers.
New technologies play a crucial role in the sustainable transformation of the beauty sector, particularly in enriching the product and purchase experience. To discover the latest innovations, attendees should not miss Beauty Tech in Hall 14, where they can explore practical applications of new retail solutions.
With the growth of digital connectivity and constant interconnection, emerging markets are gaining prominence. Regions like Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are becoming key players, showing the highest growth rates in cosmetic revenues. The beauty world is increasingly attentive to indigenous cultures, local communities, and the specific characteristics of skin and hair types across diverse ethnicities, as well as to religious and social principles. The result is an ever-expanding product offering for beauty without borders.
At the heart of these developments is individual well-being, which has been transforming how consumers relate to cosmetic products for years. The concept of anti-aging is now outdated, replaced by a pro-aging approach that inspires people to embrace their bodies more positively. The focus on longevity involves a greater emphasis on healthy lifestyles. Brands are responding with lines of supplements and non-invasive medical beauty treatments that enhance natural appearances. In the fragrance world, collections and scents inspired by neuroscience and aromatherapy are increasingly prevalent.
SPECIAL INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS
One of the hallmarks of the Cosmoprof format is its wealth of special initiatives and projects, designed to enrich attendees’ experience with valuable content and inspiration.
The contribution of experts, opinion leaders, and trend scouters from around the globe is the secret behind the success of CosmoTalks, the program of roundtables dedicated to the most relevant macro-trends. For 2025, prestigious agencies and associations such as BEAUTYSTREAMS, ECOVIA INTELLIGENCE, EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL, FASHION SNOOPS, NELLY RODI, and STATISTA have already confirmed their participation.
For stakeholders in the supply chain, the Cosmopack Stage in Hall 20 is a must- attend event. Meanwhile, professionals in beauty salon and nail care should head to the Mall for exclusive programs such as the World Massage Meeting, dedicated to massage and manual techniques, and Cosmo OnStage, featuring live demonstrations of exhibitors’ innovations and nail industry content.
A brand-new addition for 2025 is BEAUTY Stars, a beauty award celebrating professionals and companies in the professional beauty sector. This contest will highlight the passion, creativity, and expertise of beauticians, companies, and spas, giving a voice to an industry that has continually reinvented itself and remains a strategic driver of individual well-being. Don’t miss the awards ceremony on Thursday, March 20.
On Sunday, March 23, creativity and talent in the hair sector will take center stage with the unmissable artistic shows of On Hair and the new On Hair Education initiative, dedicated to technical training for hairstylists.
Among the most anticipated events are the Cosmoprof & Cosmopack Awards, Cosmoprof's recognition of industry excellence, organized in collaboration with BEAUTYSTREAMS. A technical jury, composed of prominent figures from the sector, will evaluate the most innovative products presented by exhibitors and pioneering solutions from the supply chain. Three top proposals will be selected for each of the 17 award categories. Starting in February, a multidisciplinary panel of KOLs, buyers, brand owners, and media representatives will choose the winners, to be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday, March 21. Exhibitors can already submit their 2025 entries.
For the upcoming edition, BEAUTYSTREAMS will extract the most relevant trends from the award submissions to create CosmoTrends, a report that has become an essential tool for guiding buyers, experts, trend scouters, international media, influencers, and content creators during their visit to the event.
THE GROWTH OF THE BOLOGNAFIERE COSMOPROF GROUP
2024 has been a particularly successful year for Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, as highlighted by BolognaFiere’s President, Gianpiero Calzolari: "Cosmoprof is one of BolognaFiere’s crown jewels, a unique trade show network in Italy and globally, thanks to its international reach with events in key global markets. To support the network and meet the needs of the industry, the BolognaFiere Group confirmed its listing on the capital market at the beginning of 2024, a critical step for our international growth."Antonio Bruzzone, CEO of BolognaFiere, further emphasized: "Thanks to significant financial operations, BolognaFiere is now among the leading international trade show operators and ranks first in Italy for the number of events organized and the share of revenue generated abroad."
The financial performance of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof has also been very positive. The company is set to close 2024 with a projected revenue of €42 million (compared to €38 million in 2023) and an EBITDA in line with this growth.
"This year, Cosmoprof events worldwide have achieved outstanding results," said Enrico Zannini, General Manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof. "Thanks to the support of our exhibitors and the trust of professionals worldwide, we have achieved significant revenues, enabling us to pursue new collaborations and investments."
THE GROWTH OF THE COSMETICS MARKET
At the core of Cosmoprof development lies the consistent growth of the cosmetics market. According to Euromonitor International, the global beauty and personal care industry is projected to exceed €568.2 billion in 2024, with forecasts for 2025 predicting a revenue of over €612.8 billion, reflecting an annual growth rate of approximately 8% since 2023.
Analysing the top-performing countries, the USA continues to lead the rankings. By the end of 2024, the U.S. beauty and personal care market is expected to exceed €115.5 billion (+5.2% compared to 2023), reaching €120.4 billion in 2025.
China shows slower growth but remains the world’s second-largest market, with a total market value of €75.2 billion in 2024 (+5% compared to 2023) and a forecasted growth rate of 5% for 2025.
Middle East and Africa and Latin America are experiencing the highest growth rates overall. Africa’s beauty sector is gaining attention from analysts due to significant population growth, positioning the region higher in global rankings.