Annual Meeting Coming Soon!
Sustainable Cosmetics Conference 2026
THE SUSTAINABLE COSMETICS CONFERENCE will be held at RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE (Troy, NY) on April 7-9, 2026. The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Science (CBIS) at RPI will provide state-of-the-art rooms for presentations, posters and meals. The conference will be co-sponsored by the Bio-Environmental Polymer Society (BEPS). If you are interested in session planning, please contact Richard A. Gross (grossr@rpi.edu). Also, we would welcome hearing from those interested in attending and presenting at the conference (please provide a tentative title, place of work and job title and send to grossr@rpi.edu). The registration fee will be $500 USD and local hotels are moderately priced (about 150-200 USD per evening). The event is NON-PROFIT. There will also be a reduced rate for student attendees. Space will be reserved for Booths and Tables to create Networking Opportunities, Showcase Innovation, Industry Engagement, etc. Workshops will be announced that will be held prior to and/or after the conference. The link for registration will be available mid October.
Symposium Summary
This conference will focus on existing and new Ingredients that are natural, biotech-derived and/or use modified biobased ingredients. For example, the demand for non-animal derived hyaluronic acid (HA) has grown dramatically for use in skin care products. This has resulted in the development of fermentation routes to HA. Considerable efforts are being expended to improve HA production efficiency, titers, and quality. Another example is squalene, a moisturizing skin-care ingredient and an adjuvant in vaccines, that conventionally is sourced from the livers of deep sea sharks. Three million sharks were killed each year for their squalene. Biotechnological routes are replacing sourcing from sharks that are an endangered species. Microbial produced surfactants have also become an attractive ingredient that brings useful biological and physical property advantages and can replace petroleum derived products. The Symposium will have sessions committed to high-quality scientific content as well as technical-commercial focused sessions.
Session topics will include:
- Development of plant-derived ingredients in skincare formulations
- Case studies on successful biobased/biotechnologically produced product launches in the cosmetic industry.
- Biotechnological routes for sustainable hair coloring
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Cosmetics
- Ethical Sourcing and Supply Chain Transparency
- Advancements in Biotechnology for developing non-animal derived cosmetic ingredients
- Regulatory challenges and opportunities
Planning Committee
- Rajesh Vadgama - LʹORÉAL
- Robert Lochhead - independent consultant
- Paolo Giacomoni - ι-RAPHAEL
- Xu Qin - MOMENTIVE
- Deeleep Rout - ALMORA BOTANICA
- Jun Wang - COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CO.
- Jeffrey W. Gilman - LAMTEC CORP.
Last updated: 06 OCT 2025