CosmeticBusiness 2025: 20th anniversary impresses with new formats and a high level of internationality

CosmeticBusiness impressed exhibitors and visitors alike as a platform for holistic product development. "The anniversary edition of CosmeticBusiness was impressively strong with a high proportion of exhibitors from abroad and many innovations. This is where the decision-makers in the cosmetics industry meet. This is a clear signal in an economically challenging environment and emphasises the relevance of the trade fair. CosmeticBusiness has once again proven its role as the central platform for holistic product development along the value chain of the cosmetics industry," summarises Markus Geisenberger, Managing Director of Leipziger Messe.

"CosmeticBusiness is a unique and comprehensive showcase for the international cosmetics supply industry. This is the industry meeting place for holistic product development, from raw materials to formulation and production to packaging. These were inspiring days full of innovations, exciting discussions and valuable encounters. The industry celebrated the personal exchange at the 20th CosmeticBusiness," says Ivonne Simons, Project Director of CosmeticBusiness.

The entire spectrum of the cosmetics supply industry in one place

Overall, the exhibitors were positive about the trade fair. In a survey conducted by the independent market research company Gelszus Messe-Marktforschung, 8 out of 10 respondents rated their participation in the trade fair and the achievement of objectives as positive. The professional qualifications of the visitors were particularly emphasised by 89 percent of those surveyed. Overall, 88 per cent expect good follow-up business after the trade fair.

Klaus Grabowsky, Managing Director at CosmeticService GmbH, praised this year's industry get-together: "This is the best and most targeted supplier trade fair for customers who have a brand. Visitors will find everything they need to build and develop their brand here. This gives us the advantage that many customers visit this trade fair and find a complete range of products here - from raw materials and contract manufacturers to packaging materials and other service providers along the entire value chain. It is equally pleasing that many new interested parties came to our stand. This is a clear success for us and gives us access to a new customer environment."

First-time exhibitor Nele Kosmetik also draws a positive conclusion: "We meet our suppliers, our customers and actually everyone we need to get a product into the shop here. There are packers and contract manufacturers from the skincare and decorative cosmetics sectors on site. Safety assessors are also there, so the entire value chain is covered. That's what makes the trade fair so special, that you have everyone in one place. In two days, you can deal with an incredible number of appointments that you wouldn't be able to deal with in normal business," summarises Miriam Hempel, owner of Nele Kosmetik.

Florian Wenig, Director Marketing & Public Relations at LINHARDT Group GmbH, was also very satisfied with CosmeticBusiness: "For us, CosmeticBusiness is much more than just a trade fair - it is the home of the cosmetics industry. Suppliers and long-standing partners meet in Munich to present their products along the entire value chain. There is no substitute for personal dialogue and this trade fair offers the ideal platform for this. The trade fair was a complete success for us: our stand was well attended, we held valuable discussions and initiated numerous exciting ideas - with great potential for future projects."

Dr Thomas Gibtner, Managing Director at NeoCos Service GmbH, sums up: "For us, CosmeticBusiness is the annual hotspot that we always look forward to. We meet our regular customers here, make valuable new contacts and present our new products in a targeted manner. This year, for example, it was our sun concept that met with very positive feedback. 20 years of CosmeticBusiness speaks in favour of the trade fair. It is a permanent fixture in the market and we wouldn't want to be without it. The trade fair is also becoming increasingly important internationally."

High number of top decision-makers among the visitors

Visitors also gave this year's trade fair high marks. In the survey, 92 per cent said that they would recommend CosmeticBusiness to others and visit the next edition again. The number of top decision-makers was very high at 71 per cent. The top objectives included general market orientation, information on innovations and industry trends as well as establishing and maintaining business contacts. Around 60 per cent of visitors were particularly interested in the packaging section of the exhibition, 58 per cent were mainly interested in the range of ingredients and the private label section was particularly relevant for every second visitor. 26 per cent of visitors came from abroad. Most of them travelled from Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic.

Meike Rupp, Head of Sourcing/Purchasing at Birkenstock Cosmetics GmbH, emphasised: "As a brand, we focus on 'Made in Germany' and this extends to sourcing. Everything that we can have manufactured in Germany, we also source from Germany. CosmeticBusiness is ideal for this because you have everything here, from contract manufacturers to packaging materials. The event has developed very positively over the years. Its compactness is a real advantage. You can get through the trade fair in two days and make lots of contacts. Networking is particularly important here and works extremely well."

Premiere for the SPOTLIGHT Community Award and other formats

One of the highlights of CosmeticBusiness 2025 was the presentation of the first SPOTLIGHT Community Award. As part of the innovation show, 32 companies presented their innovations. The interplay of the entire value chain was also reflected in the nominees. The spectrum ranged from new active ingredients and ingredients to new formulations, innovative product concepts and sustainable packaging solutions and materials. The winner of the first SPOTLIGHT Community Award was Nölken Hygiene Products with its cleansing foam concentrate in a refill pack for self-mixing.

The guided Sustainability Tour was very well received. On both days, the fully booked tour offered an overview of particularly sustainable product solutions, which were selected in advance by a jury of experts. Also new was the workshop programme on topics relating to decorative cosmetics, start-up support for market entry and market entry in South Korea.

Date for CosmeticBusiness 2026

The next CosmeticBusiness will take place from 10 to 11 June 2026 at the MOC Munich. Rebooking has already begun and the first stand spaces for CosmeticBusiness 2026 have already been booked.