Beauty and personal care companies must push product essentiality and industry competitiveness in 2025 as the European Union braces for regulatory changes set to impact the sector, says John Chave, Director-General of Cosmetics Europe.The European Union (EU) kickstarted a new five-year regulatory cycle last year, with the formation of a new European Parliament in June 2024 and a new European Commission taking office in December 2024 —both set to run until 2029. So, as industries and citizens across the European Union settle into this next chapter, how exactly might the next few years impact beauty and personal care businesses operating in the region?“Like any industry, it's important we reach out to stakeholders and MEPs [Members of the European Parliament] as a new regulatory cycle starts, to make sure our voice counts,” says John Chave, Director-General of European trade association Cosmetics Europe.“One of the issues our industry has faced over the years is that cosmetics are seen as superficial or 'not essential,' to use the buzzword in European circles,” Chave tells Beauty Matter. And based on Cosmetics Europe research, he says this is just not true—“we know cosmetics are extremely important” in both general and mental well-being terms.Cosmetics—A Power Beyond the SurfaceBetween January 13 and January 16 of this year, therefore, with an evening held for policy makers on January 15, the trade association unveiled a “very significant” exhibition in European Parliament containing data, research, and video interviews with European citizens explaining what cosmetics mean to them.