Cosmetopoeia days held from September 9 to 11, 2025, in the city of Yaoundé, showcased the natural resources of the Congo Basin and highlighted their benefits for the local cosmetics industry.
More than 70% of cosmetics sold in Cameroon come from foreign countries. The domestic cosmetics sector accounts for only 30%. To change this situation, the country hosted the first edition of Cosmétopée Days, initiated by the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) in partnership with the Citizen Association for the Defense of Collective Interests (ACDIC). Sponsored by the Ministry of Arts and Culture (MINAC), the theme of the event was “Use of local plants in the cosmetics industry: endogenous knowledge, exogenous knowledge, and biodiversity of the Congo Basin.“
For the MINAC representative present, cosmetopoeia is fertile ground for promoting natural resources: “Through its sovereign missions, including the promotion of herbal medicine and traditional beauty practices, the ministry is pleased to support Cosmetopoeia Days so that designers and artisans in this sector have the backing of public authorities. There is expertise that will enable recommendations to be made so that measures can be taken to promote and enhance traditional arts related to beauty and the use of plant cover,” said Valère Oyono Bitounou, Inspector No. 1 at MINAC.
Three days of discoveries
The meeting brought together various stakeholders, including experts, researchers, representatives of local communities and civil society organizations, practitioners, and members of government agencies. The conferences held over two days provided stakeholders with information on the opportunities offered by the local cosmetics industry, the potential of the natural resources of the Congo Basin forests, and traditional knowledge in the cosmetics sector. In addition to ways of reconciling traditional knowledge with scientific knowledge, the economic value of non-timber forest products and their contribution to communities were also discussed.
The third day of Cosmetopoeia was an opportunity to share local expertise through practical workshops on manufacturing and exhibition stands showcasing natural cosmetics. Among other things, visitors could see perfumes with local scents (pineapple, coffee, cinnamon); toilet soaps (shea butter, carrot, avocado), body lotions (aloe vera, turmeric, honey), face masks (tigernut, soy, baobab) and hair care products (flax milk, castor oil, neem; mango butter, moringa, rosemary masks, etc.).
Bernadette Ondobo, from the town of Mintom in the south, is delighted to be taking part: “I am the representative of the Mintom Non-Timber Forest Products Cooperative. I am returning from these three days at Cosmetopoeia with a wealth of knowledge. I have found natural cosmetics producers who give me hope. I now know that it is possible to work and find opportunities in this sector. After talking to the various speakers, I realized that we have plants around us that can be useful in the cosmetics we make. I can now make soap, lip balm, and solid perfume at home for my family naturally, thanks to the training I received here,” she said. On the path to emergence, the Congo Basin cosmetopoeia aims to dominate the Cameroonian cosmetics industry
- Sharon Maché
Cosmetopoeia is an inventory of plants and their traditional uses in the manufacture of cosmetics and wellness products. It aims to identify and promote the natural resources of the Congo Basin in order to encourage biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. The Cosmetopoeia Days are part of a mediation project that aims to make non-timber forest products more attractive in our cosmetic products. We are working with communities near Deng Deng National Park to find a way to reconcile traditional knowledge with scientific knowledge so that these communities can move from subsistence entrepreneurship to growth entrepreneurship, particularly through the processing and marketing of these non-timber products. This is an opportunity to put them in touch with players in the cosmetics industry who need inputs.
Franck Ndjodo, environmentalist at SAILD
