PCPC Marks 125 Years of Creating a More Beautiful World

Cosmetics and personal care products leaders representing 59 countries traveled to join executives, innovators, and other industry professionals for the 2019 Personal Care Products Council’s (PCPC) Annual Meeting. In addition to recognizing the previous year’s achievements and examining the state of today’s global marketplace, the meeting presented a special opportunity to reflect upon the beauty industry’s past, present, and future as PCPC celebrates its 125th anniversary.

“For more than a century, our industry has provided significant well-being and economic value to society,” said PCPC President and CEO Lezlee Westine as she welcomed attendees. “Together, with the millions of consumers worldwide who trust and depend on our products every day, we look forward to a shared future grounded in safety, quality, and innovation.”

Said future, however, is bound to include challenges, Westine acknowledged. In collaboration with the featured speakers, PCPC facilitated insightful conversations about the business strategies, policy changes, and guiding principles that will enable its member companies to overcome obstacles and join together in the pursuit of Creating a More Beautiful World, the theme of this year’s meeting.

The program included discussion surrounding the following topics: “How Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Way We Live and Think,” “Future Proofing our Business: Microforces, Challenges & Opportunities,” “Leadership Perspectives on Sustainability Value Creation and Growth,” “Transforming your brand in the new age of wellness-driven marketing: Pinterest and the wellness megatrend,” “The Role of Influence in the Consumer Decision Journey,” and “Environmentally Responsible Packaging in Corporate Sustainability Initiatives.”

New to this year’s Annual Meeting were four workshops, which offered a comprehensive assessment of the following subjects in a smaller, more intimate setting: “An International Standard for Natural and Organic Cosmetics,” “What’s Happening with Brexit?,” “Cannabis & Cosmetics,” and “Chinese Regulatory & Trade Update.”

Also unveiled at this year’s meeting was PCPC’s forward-thinking sustainability initiative, which will be given significant weight in the upcoming year. The objectives of the program are as follows:

• To advance member company sustainability practice and know-how;
•  To expand and enhance the industry’s robust sustainability narrative;
• And, to provide a strategic framework and focus for PCPC action, resources, and committee work.

“Our world is changing fast, and there are daunting social and environmental global challenges that can’t be solved, by one just institution or company,” said Westine. “By working with each other and with like-minded organizations, our industry has the opportunity to play an important role in creating a more beautiful future.”

“We don’t have to choose between public health and the environment. We can protect both,” George Calvert added, who was elected to serve as the Board of Directors’ Chair for the second consecutive year.

The Board of Directors, as elected in its entirety at the Annual Meeting, is as follows:

Chairman:  George Calvert, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Amway

Vice Chairs: Esi Bracey, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer NA Beauty and Personal Care, Unilever

                      David Greenberg, Group President of Professional Products Division North America, L’Oréal

                      Alex Keith, CEO, P&G Beauty

                      Jeff Smith, Global Chief Transformation Officer, Johnson & Johnson

Secretary: Andrew Stanleick, Senior Vice President, Consumer Beauty Division, Coty

Treasurer: David Holl, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Kay Inc.

“We have a very bright future ahead,” said Calvert. “We carry a legacy of creativity, innovation, passion, responsibility, and entrepreneurship. We exhibit these traits every day through the thousands of new formulas, products, and patents we create and file every year, and the loyalty of the families who use and trust our products.”

To learn more about 2019 Annual Meeting, visit  www.personalcarecouncil.org

For Annual Meeting updates on Twitter @PCPC_News and #PCPC125.

For more information about cosmetics and personal care products, visit www.CosmeticsInfo.org

Based in Washington, D.C., the Personal Care Products Council is the leading national trade association representing the global cosmetic and personal care products industry. Founded in 1894, PCPC’s 600 member companies manufacture, distribute, and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on every day, from sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance, personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product safety, quality and innovation.