Launched 18 years ago by the UCO, U’Cosmetics is billed as the only student competition for cosmetic formulation and innovation in France. It is open to students at bachelor’s and master’s level, either individually or in teams of up to five people.

This year’s competition focuses on pet care. Pet owners, or ‘pet parents’, expect the same quality, safety and enjoyment for their pets as they do for their own beauty routines. For the organising team, “the time spent caring for one’s pet becomes an act of tenderness and bonding.” The competition invites participants to explore this new frontier of innovation: formulations, raw materials, textures, packaging, and shared rituals and uses between the animal and its owner. In the absence of specific European regulations governing pet care products, projects must comply with animal welfare guidelines. These will involve hygiene, care and grooming formulations, with no therapeutic purpose”.

Applications are open until 4 January 2027. On the day of the final, the shortlisted teams will present their projects on stage, alongside the symposium’s talks (the programme for which has not yet been announced).

To go further
• Visit the U’Cosmetics website