MG Hosts Opening Session of Cosmetics Congress

International fragrance producer MG International Fragrance Company hosted the "Green Transformation in the Cosmetics Industry" session held as part of the 6th International Cosmetics Congress. At the discussion, which drew keen participation from attendees, innovative developments in the sector, the importance of R&D work, future forecasts and sustainable policies were addressed. The 6th International Cosmetics Congress, organized by the Cosmetic Manufacturers and Researchers Association (KÜAD), took place in Antalya at Susesi Luxury Resort Belek. With this year's main theme being the "Green Deal," MG International Fragrance Company, among the congress sponsors, hosted the first session of the congress at its stand. The discussion, organized under the title "Green Transformation in the Cosmetics Industry," was moderated by FOX TV Program Host Merve Yıldırım.

Presenting a Green Deal Roadmap

Industry representatives showed keen interest in the discussion featuring KÜAD Chairman Levent Kahrıman, KÜAD Congress President Fuat Arslan, KÜAD Vice Chairman Bülent Konca and Board Member Belgin Sile as speakers. KÜAD Chairman and Laber Kimya Board Chairman Levent Kahrıman, in his speech titled "Sectoral Stance and Cooperation for Shared Goals," emphasized the important place held by the Cosmetic Manufacturers and Researchers Association in determining cosmetics strategy and spoke as follows: "We have a cosmetics industry that has produced shampoos and creams with a say in the Middle East and Europe. Currently in our country we have over 3,600 production facilities and over 50,000 registered brands, with human resources that emphasize healthy production globally and in our country. What we are trying to do as KÜAD is to create Turkey's cosmetics strategy. Our country is actually a heritage country of cultures. These lands have accompanied thousands of years of civilizations. We wanted to combine sustainable heritage in the modern world with cultural heritage. We call this ethnocosmetics. We are working to create this awareness in Turkey. Through the congresses we organize, we want to refresh this confidence, unlock this potential, and create an interaction level. Because the world is human-centered, it has concerns in terms of sustainability. The Green Deal is actually a guide and map for going out from here. We are now obligated to comply with it. In this sense, manufacturers in our country are trying to plan how they will make this transformation. As an association, we are trying to establish an ecosystem that teaches the roadmap of this transformation."

KÜAD Vice Chairman and MG International Fragrance Company General Manager responsible for Sales and Marketing Bülent Konca, noting that over 900 industry stakeholders will attend the congress over three days, continued his remarks as follows:

"As MG International Fragrance Company, being part of this formation is valuable to us. What makes this platform and our association special is that it works closely with universities and students and demonstrates what we can do in our sector today and tomorrow and what preparations we need to make. With the Green Deal, Turkey must conform to mandatory regulations in global dynamics. To be able to do all of this, we need to show respect for the resources that nature has provided us. Because everything starts with resources. If we show our work the respect we have for our planet, then we will all be very successful together. The planet is beautiful with people, beautiful with nature. The pandemic taught us something else. To be healthy, consumption habits of hygienic products changed. For the world, the production capacity of these products increased. Turkey stepped in where China and America fell short. With each passing day, we are developing our sector with these experiences. We are moving towards producing more new, more innovative, higher value-added products. We are making Turkey the headquarters of global companies," he said. Reminding that as an international fragrance producer they supply essences and essence raw materials to more than 55 countries and to over 2,100 global manufacturers in Turkey, Bülent Konca emphasized their competence to view the cosmetics industry from a broad spectrum in this direction and stressed the need to be human-centered in the relationship between manufacturers, producers, suppliers and consumers. Speaking about new facility investments, Konca conveyed that testing would begin at the end of the third quarter of 2023, saying that their new facilities would set an example for the sector in accordance with sustainable production and green facility dynamics.

KÜAD Congress President and AKS Kozmetik Founder Fuat Arslan, expressing that the cosmetics sector has great potential globally and in our country, continued as follows:

"We as KÜAD today export to 198 countries. Particularly in recent times, there has been a 16% increase in demand for skin care products compared to the previous year. Turkey's cosmetics exports are ahead of our imports. On the other hand, Turkey is in the position of a production hub in terms of cosmetics. The Green Deal is one of the most current topics in the world. As a country, we can take action very quickly. By 2030, there are efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 50%. Our goal is to create this awareness at the congress. A transformation is taking place. Therefore, for sustainable exports, we need to move away from the traditional model and shift to a more circular model. We also determined the main theme of the congress as the Green Deal. This year we achieved 60% growth at the congress. In terms of domestic raw materials and domestic packaging production, we need to make plans as soon as possible." KÜAD Board Member and Sapro Cleaning Products Executive Board Member Belgin Sile provided information about standardization efforts in the cosmetics sector, emphasizing the importance of inspection and regulation for sectoral development. Sile also included support funds provided to manufacturers in her remarks and shared her forecasts about sectoral inspective sensitivities and expectations.

Everyone has started making sustainability their focal point

Sile stated: "With the pandemic period, nature initiatives increased further. Today, standards require competitiveness. When you follow both Turkish and European regulations, you speak the same language. As cosmetics manufacturers, we are looking at how we can do better, how we can improve waste. Everyone has started making sustainability their focal point. In fact, manufacturers started this based on the raw materials we purchase. While doing all of this, complying with standards is very important. I advise those taking new steps to do the right thing in this sense in a timely manner," she said.