MakeUp in Paris this week with Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack

MakeUp in Paris opens this week. This year’s event is a dual exhibition, organized jointly with Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack. This edition holds special significance as Nathalie Depetro joins the Luxury & Beauty division as Director, succeeding Nathalie Curvat, who has led the division’s success for nearly twenty years. Working alongside her, Asmaa Cherraf-Bonneville, Director of the MakeUp in trade shows, and Fabienne Germond, Director of the Luxe Pack trade shows, will support the development of eight major professional events in Europe, the United States, and China, serving the luxury, beauty, and innovation industries.

What can we expect from this 16th edition, and what makes this trade show unique compared to other events dedicated to the beauty sector?

Nathalie Depetro: This 16th edition of MakeUp in Paris promises to be particularly dynamic and international. Over two days at the Carrousel du Louvre, we will bring together more than 150 exhibitors as well as several thousand visitors from around the world: brands, formulators, suppliers, and experts in innovation and packaging.

The international scope is immediately evident in the list of exhibitors, and it truly represents the major global hubs of the industry. Of course, on the European side, Italy—the historic cradle of manufacturing—is represented notably by Chromavis Fareva, a finalist in the Ingredients category at the 2026 Innovation & Trends Awards. Two German flagships that single-handedly illustrate the sector’s expertise: Schwan Cosmetics and Faber-Castell Cosmetics, global leaders in the manufacture of colored cosmetic pencils.
On other continents, in Korea, we find leading players such as Cosmax, the global leader in ODM cosmetics manufacturing that produces for the biggest cosmetics houses, alongside Cosmecca Korea and Hwasung Cosmetics.

On the Japanese side, there are recognized specialists such as Hakuhodo, Nippon Shikizai, and Tokiwa.
There is also a strong Chinese presence with Cosoran, Cool Color Cosmetic, and Choebe—companies that are not luxury houses in the traditional sense, but rather ISO 22716 and GMPC-certified OEM/ODM manufacturers capable of producing several million units per month, particularly in the luxury sector.
Their presence reflects the rise of C-beauty as a global industrial force, essential for any brand developing formulations or packaging today.

France is naturally well-represented, notably with Anjac Health & Beauty, a French family-owned group comprising 16 companies and 22 R&D and production sites, with 150 researchers dedicated to innovation.
What has made MakeUp in Paris unique since its inception is its highly targeted and strategic positioning: people come here to develop products, identify partners, accelerate projects, and understand major market shifts. The trade show deliberately maintains an intimate, premium format that fosters quality interactions and business meetings.

More than ever, MakeUp in Paris serves as a platform connecting the world’s major hubs of cosmetic innovation. This ability to foster dialogue among expertise, know-how, and beauty cultures is at the heart of our DNA and takes on a new dimension this year through our unprecedented partnership with Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack.

This year marks a dual event with the joint organization of Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack. Could you briefly describe the unique nature of this event and the reasons behind this partnership this year?

Nathalie Depetro: Holding both events together at the same venue illustrates a convergence that has become essential: that of content, the formula, and the container, the packaging. Faced with new regulatory requirements and heightened consumer expectations, brands must integrate eco-design from the very start of product development. Bringing these two worlds together allows us to transform this constraint into a driver of innovation: in a single visit, decision-makers gain a comprehensive overview of the product lifecycle, from formulation to sustainable packaging solutions, recycled materials, refills, and traceability.

This convergence also builds business bridges between complementary sectors around issues that are now shared, with the Special Edition offering supported by a multi-sector and highly international exhibitor lineup: 63% of exhibitors from abroad and 27 new exhibitors this year.

This unique coexistence allows visitors to gain a more comprehensive view of innovation. It fosters business connections and collaborations between complementary sectors around issues that are now shared: innovative materials, circularity, consumer experience, desirability, and environmental responsibility.

This convergence also responds to a profound shift in the market. Brands no longer develop formulas and packaging independently: they now design holistic experiences where performance, environmental responsibility, and desirability must advance together. By bringing these two areas of expertise under one roof, we create a true innovation accelerator, capable of supporting brands at every stage of their product development.

This dialogue between beauty and sustainability is also reflected in the profile of our exhibitors this year. Le Rouge Français Greentech is making its debut at the show as a new exhibitor, embodying precisely this convergence between aesthetic standards and eco-responsible commitment.
Sustainability and desirability are no longer at odds; they reinforce each other. This is precisely what this partnership with Luxe Pack amplifies.

Each event nevertheless retains its own identity, DNA, and community, which was essential to us.
This complementarity is naturally reflected in the program of both trade shows, designed to foster exchanges, the sharing of expertise, and the emergence of new collaborations.

What will be the main events highlighting these two days at the Carrousel du Louvre and their key highlights?

Nathalie Depetro: This commitment to fostering dialogue between product innovation, industrial excellence, and sustainability is fully reflected in the program for the 2026 edition.
The Make Up In 2026 program will be particularly rich. It is structured around three main formats: 15 conferences, 5 Beauty Talks per day, and the IT Awards, with over 30 speakers participating over the two days.
As for the conferences, the program is structured around three major pillars.

The first, “Beauty & Identity: The New Maps of the World,” explores how makeup has become a language rather than a standard, with sessions dedicated to K-beauty, C-beauty, French Beauty, and A-beauty.
The second pillar, “Formulation & Innovation: What Goes Into Your Products,” covers AI applied to R&D, skincare actives, color pigments, and smart devices.

The third, “Experience & Wellbeing: Beauty That Lasts and Cares,” addresses skincare rituals, dermocosmetics, wellness beauty, and the challenges of longevity and the market.

The Beauty Talks offer an intimate 30-minute “one-to-few” format, bringing together one or two experts with about twenty participants for deeper discussions and more direct business connections, designed to naturally extend into the exhibition booths.

The 2026 IT Awards received over 100 entries this year—a record! Entries are evaluated by an independent international jury across four categories: Formulation, Contract Manufacturing, Packaging, and Accessories. Finalists and winners are showcased in a dedicated space at the heart of the show.

Finally, we have significantly enhanced the experiential dimension this year. The ESSENTIA activation unveils a world-first preview of a personalized mascara approach combining the Matrix Revolution™ methodology with the first AI-powered digital eyelash diagnosis, using just two selfies to identify the ideal brush/formula duo for every eyelash profile: a 360° innovation that encompasses formulation, packaging, and technology.
And focusing on color, two “Living Color” activations are on offer: a sensory installation by Isabelle Pain, and a botanical experience with Le Rouge Français, proving through the materials themselves that desirability and clean beauty are no longer at odds.

MakeUp in Paris remains above all a place for networking, inspiration, and business acceleration for the entire beauty industry, and this edition is, I believe, a wonderful demonstration of that.

As for the Special Edition by Luxe Pack, these two days will feature a conference program bringing together over 50 speakers from brands, associations, and expert organizations to discuss the challenges of sustainable packaging.

A highlight not to be missed: the Success Stories, where exhibitor-brand pairs will present real-world cases—either already on the market or currently in development.

Another must-see: the Green Award Gallery, where each exhibitor will showcase one of their flagship products. Visitors will vote for their favorite, to be revealed during the Green Award ceremony, in partnership with Infinity Global.

Disruptive innovation will have its own dedicated spaces: the Startups Packaging Village (Lactips, Sericyne, Foamlab, S.LAB, Alterskin®, Renature…), the “Matières à sens et sensations” space featuring 100% natural, bio-based, or recycled materials (Shellworks, Permafungi, Blue Ocean Closures, Circul’Egg…), and the Circular Economy section with Avantium, BRC, and Maison Chrysole.

The Fresque de l’Économie Régénératrice will also offer two participatory, solution-oriented MasterClasses.
Finally, two creative talents will be in attendance: Sarah Saint-Pol, a designer specializing in the art of folding and pleating, and illustrator Kera Till, who collaborates with brands such as Hermès, Chanel, and Rimowa.
High-level content, concrete innovations, and an intimate format: that is the hallmark of Édition Spéciale.
Ultimately, this 2026 edition perfectly illustrates the transformations currently taking place in the beauty industry: more international, more collaborative, more technological, but also more responsible. By bringing together the leading experts in formulation, packaging, innovation, and sustainable development, MakeUp in Paris and Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack offer a concrete vision of the beauty of tomorrow.

Beyond the trends and innovations presented, our ambition remains the same: to create connections, foster new ideas, and accelerate the projects that will shape the sector’s future. It is this ability to unite industry players around a shared vision that defines the strength and uniqueness of our events.