The 14th Congress of the International Colour Association (Association Internationale de la Couleur, AIC), the most important and authoritative in the world on colour, will be organised for the first time in Italy by the Gruppo del Colore – Associazione Italiana Colore, already an AIC member. The latest news is that for the first time in the history of the Congress a Special Session dedicated to BEAUTY has been included. This is a very significant decision in an historical moment such as this, which confirms the scientific and social value of cosmetics.
It will be a worldwide digital event that will involve the five continents through the participation of scholars, researchers, and professionals from all over the world, representing different fields that will discuss and deepen together scientific and cultural issues of human activity in which colour and light occupy a prominent place.
The International Colour Association (AIC) is a scientific and cultural organisation founded in 1969, whose aim is to promote research into colour in all its expressions, to disseminate the knowledge gained from this research and to promote its application to the solution of problems in the scientific, artistic, design and industrial sectors and now also in the field of Beauty on an international basis. The AIC is the most authoritative reference body for multidisciplinary research and the scientific dissemination of knowledge on colour in all fields.
The AIC organises an International Congress every four years, accepting applications from the Colour Associations of the AIC member countries to organise the various editions. It also organises intermediate and periodic conferences focused on specific themes.
The AIC is composed of an International Executive Committee of which Prof. Maurizio Rossi of the Polytechnic of Milan is a member, whom, together with Prof. Marcello Picollo, IFAC CNR Researcher and President of the Associazione Italiana Colore, and Prof. Alessandro Rizzi of the University of Milan, preside over the organisation of this Italian edition.
For years, I and my company have been involved in research through the work of Professor Rizzi, who co-founded the Gruppo del Colore in 2004 and became our mentor. We started by going to all the scientific publication bodies to check what had been done in hair colour research from 1930 to the present day, i.e., since colour became cosmetic. We realised that many topics have only been explored slightly on a scientific level. From there, we set up a collaboration with Prof. Rizzi and the University of Milan and began a multidisciplinary research project that led to discoveries and results presented at sector conferences and published in the magazine COLOURATION TECHNOLOGY. At the same time, we are carrying out other research studies that will be the subject of future publications and that we will present during this Congress, in the Special Session dedicated to Innovation and Research in Colour for Beauty and Hairdressing.
Colour has been studied in depth for many centuries and in many fields, contributing to its theoretical and scientific understanding which has led to significant developments in colour culture and applications, but there are still unexplored perimeters in the cosmetic field. Cosmetics in general is a very important field of application for colour and is a fundamental part of our society. Colour has always been a great ally of every woman’s beauty. Each colour has its own physical and symbolic identity that can influence the wearer and the beholder.
Products are in themselves a source of innovation: visual, design, sensorial, colour, make-up, and hair colour formulation. The formulation of coloured beauty products involves various sectors of Cosmetology, from Make-up to Nail, to Hair Colouring. Multidisciplinary in-depth studies and specific research are needed to make contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge on the phenomenon of colour in the world of cosmetics: a young science particularly focused on hair colouring.
The Special Session chaired by three authoritative members of the AIC, Helene de Clermont-Gallerande of Chanel, Christine Fernandez Maloigne of the University of Poitiers (France) and Alessandro Rizzi, is now open.
Authors wishing to participate with their work are invited to submit an abstract describing their original work by 31 March following the instructions on the website https://www.aic2021.org/ or in the call for papers, once accepted by the scientific committee they should register by 10 June and prepare a paper to be submitted to the reference committee by 15 July. The presentation should be 15 minutes on the date and time indicated. All contributions must be in English.
I hope that the participation in this Special Session dedicated to Beauty will welcome many participants from all sectors of cosmetics interested in presenting and listening to scientific and cultural issues that investigate human activity related to the world of Beauty and Colour. I hope it can become an opportunity to broaden one’s horizons by creating significant collaborations. I am certain that the strength of the Network can make the difference in a sector that is still partly unexplored.
I wish all participants a 14th edition full of stimuli, new ideas and a spirit of innovation. Remember that Beauty is not just an ephemeral appearance. It is a lifestyle, it is well-being, and it is life!
Let us carry on scientific research in these areas and the future will smile on us!
For more information: https://www.aic2021.org/special-session/
