Global Industry Leaders Channel the Power of Beauty at Personal Care Products Council’s 124th Annual Meeting


Palm Beach, Fla. – Hundreds of beauty leaders representing 50 countries assemble this week to share global insights, collaborate on business strategies and discuss policy changes currently facing the industry. Now in its 124th year, the Annual Meeting of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is a unique gathering of cosmetics and personal care executives, suppliers and media professionals. Appropriately, this year’s theme is, “The Power of Beauty.

“We are thrilled to once again welcome thought leaders from every corner of the globe to our Annual Meeting,” said Council President and CEO Lezlee Westine. “It is our pleasure to present an impressive lineup of accomplished speakers and relevant content, designed to complement the opportunities and challenges faced by our industry today.”

The 2018 program includes presentations and panel discussions with world-renowned experts on topics such as “Driving Customer-Centered Innovation”; “Intersectionality of Identity: Knowing it isn’t Enough”; “Cybersecurity: What You Can (and Can’t) Do to Protect Yourself & Your Business”; “What Does the Trump Administration Mean For the Personal Care Industry?”; “Driving the Beauty Industry Forward with Data” and “The Future of Beauty: Influencing Next Gen Consumer Preferences.” Speakers include best-selling authors, former White House staff, editors from Allure, Condé Nast and Refinery29, and executives from Google.

In partnership with this year’s Platinum Sponsor, beautykind, the Look Good Feel Better Foundation is challenging attendees to participate in random acts of kindness through the Power of Beauty…Power of Kind Challenge. To kick off the initiative and inspire reciprocal action, beautykind has agreed to donate $10,000 to the Foundation.

“The beauty industry gives back in so many ways,” said Westine. “Together, we have the power to transform lives and inspire confidence every day – beginning with these acts of kindness toward one another, for which I am so grateful.”

Additionally, PCPC announced the election of George Calvert, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Amway as Board Chair. Calvert succeeds Thia Breen, Former Group President, North America, The Estée Lauder Companies after serving three years.

In her farewell speech to members, Breen reflected on the accomplishments achieved during her tenure and asserted that she believes, “we touch consumers’ lives from the very moment they wake up, until the moment they go to sleep. We are the choices they make for themselves, and for their families, many, many times throughout the day. There’s nothing more personal than that.”

The following officers were also officially elected to the Board of Directors:

Vice Chairs:

  • Andrea d’Avack, President of Chanel Foundation & Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, Chanel
  • David Greenberg, Group President of Professional Products Division North America, L’Oréal
  • Alex Keith, President, Global Hair Care and Beauty Sector, Procter & Gamble
  • Jeff Smith, Company Group Chairman for North America, Johnson & Johnson

Secretary: Shannon Curtin, Senior Vice President, Consumer Beauty Division, Coty

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

Calvert addressed members for the first time as Chair – turning the meeting’s theme upside down –commenting on The Beauty of Power, specifically the Power of Science, Engagement, Communication, Advocacy and Unity. “Telling our story is more important now than ever,” he said. “It is essential that we break through the noise to help consumers, NGOs, reporters and policymakers better understand just how scientifically sophisticated our industry is, how strong our commitment to product and ingredient safety is, and where to find information when they have questions or concerns.”

To learn more about 2018 Annual Meeting, visit our website. Follow our Annual Meeting updates on Twitter at @PCPC_News and using #PowerOfBeauty. For more information about cosmetics and personal care products, please visit www.CosmeticsInfo.org.

Statement by Thomas Myers, EVP, Legal & Regulatory Personal Care Products Council In Response to a Recent Study about the Impact of Cosmetics and Personal Care Products on Air Quality


Washington, D.C. – “The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and its member companies believe it’s important for consumers to know that the State of California has for decades regulated cosmetics and personal care products for emissions, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

“Our industry has reformulated many of its cosmetics and personal care products, utilizing low vapor pressure VOCs, fully complying with the state’s stringent clean air requirements. As a result, the amount of VOC emissions from these products has steadily decreased for more than twenty years.

“Following enactment of the California Clean Air Act in 1988, our industry immediately began working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop the very first emission requirements for consumer products which include cosmetics and personal care products and we will continue to work collaboratively with CARB to ensure that the data provided by our industry helps to create the most accurate picture of VOC emissions in California as well as serve as a baseline to guide future regulation.

“To that end, CARB recently completed a 3-year survey of all consumer products in the California marketplace, collecting full ingredient information, fragrance formulas, sales information, and labeling data.  It is the most comprehensive look at product VOC data in decades and will be used to update California’s VOC inventory. Since this data is still being aggregated and assessed by CARB, however, it would be premature to jump to conclusions about the actual contribution consumer products make to VOC emissions in California.”