(By Daniela Giammusso)
Not just fashion, not just design -
Milan is also the capital of beauty at the moment thanks to the
first Milano Beauty Week (MBW).
The event, created by Cosmetica Italia in collaboration with
Cosmoprof and Esxence and running until Sunday May 8, brings the
best the sector has to offer to the Italian city.
This, for example, comes in the form of the latest, most
advanced beauty research and the 'poetry' of a personalized
essence, without forgetting the new watchword - sustainability.
The cosmetics-and-beauty sector generates annual revenue of 11.8
billion euros and it is expected to post growth of 2.7% in 2022.
"We are proud that we have finally managed to give visibility to
our sector, the details of which I don't think are very well
known by the consumer," said Cosmetica Italia President Renato
Ancorotti.
"What we are showing here is the behind-the-scenes of what
happens when a cosmetic is produced.
"And cosmetics is one of the jewels in the crown of Made in
Italy around the world".
The headquarters of the Beauty Village is at Milan's Palazzo
Giureconsulti, a short walk from the Duomo.
It offers a total experience and has attracted big crowds right
from the first moments after opening, pulling in members of the
public wanting to discover new products and developments.
In total over 100 firms and 100 stores are taking part.
Furthermore, the programme also features over 800 events,
including scent workshops, presentations and beauty talks,
spread all over the city, with a 'White Night' of beauty taking
place Friday.
The first trend that grabs the attention is that of new
tailor-made beauty products and services.
These can range from the analysis of skin and hair by the most
sophisticated machinery in order to find the routine best suited
to one's needs in the high-tech area, to armocromia analysis,
which has become a 'necessity' in order to decide the best
colours to choose for make-up and clothes (and, above all, those
to avoid).
Among the lead players of the first Milano Beauty Week are
essences and fragrances, with some surprises, such as the
combination with cinema explored by the Accademia del Profumo in
the show at Palazzo Giureconsulti.
"It's true that these two worlds may appear distant, but in
reality they both have strong evocative power," Accademia del
Profumo President Ambra Martone told ANSA.
The academy has chosen six iconic works of Italian cinema, going
from the first Italian sword-and-sandal epic Cabiria to the
spine-tingling horror of Suspiria and the great success of
Mediterraneo, and entrusted them to 12 celebrated international
'noses' for them to take inspiration for new creations.
This gave life to "Il Profumo del Cinema" (the scent of cinema),
a unique, unrepeatable stroll through images and fragrances
created by big names such as Daphné Bugey and Antoine Maisondieu
for our pride at the Oscars, La Grande Bellezza - The Great
Beauty.
Then we have Aurélien Guichard with an essence inspired by A
Special Day and Veronique Nyberg's creation for Cabiria
But beauty also means solidarity and one of the most popular
features of Milano Beauty Week is the Boutique space presented
by Cosmoprof, where it is possible to stock up on new products
and at the same time help fund the activities of La Forza e Il
Sorriso, a non-profit association set up by Italy's cosmetics
businesses to support women fighting cancer.
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