Ethical sourcing and biodiversity will be featured in the 3rd Asia-Pacific edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit hosted in Hong Kong on 11-13 November.

By highlighting the environmental impact of cosmetic ingredients, the summit aims to raise awareness and encourage sustainable sourcing in the region.

Rapid economic development and industrialisation have had a heavy toll on Asian ecosystems.

Asia has lost 95 per cent of its primary, uncut forests, whilst individual countries have lost 70-90 per cent of their natural habitats. Although the region has become an international source of cosmetic ingredients, the ecological price has been high.

Dr Muhammed Majeed, founder of international ingredients firm Sabinsa, will open the sustainable sourcing debate, explaining why a major ethical dilemma Asian countries face is ‘economic advancement or conservation?’

Other speakers will discuss best-practices in raw material ethical sourcing, showing how economic and ecological development can be intertwined. The use of biodiversity charters and sourcing programmes will also be debated.

Novel green ingredients, especially those originating from Asia, will also be featured. The healing properties of ayurvedic ingredients like neem and amla in cosmetic products will be highlighted. Other topics include marine ingredients, emerging natural actives, and sustainable processing methods.

The three-day programme ends with two interactive workshops. A technical workshop will tackle the formulation issues associated with natural and organic cosmetics. Conducted by David Liem, founder of Happy Marketer, a marketing workshop will highlight the opportunities provided to cosmetic brands by social media and digital marketing.