The then Peru Society President, Manuel Li, formally accepted the Lester Conrad Educational Prize from Carmina Casas at the IFSCC Congress in Munich. In a moving acceptance speech he said:

“It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Peruvian Association of Cosmetic Chemistry. I would like to express my gratitude to the IFSCC for this recognition and for giving us the opportunity to carry out top-level educational programs. In October we will have the first event in Lima-Peru with two great scientists: Dr. Ricardo Diez and Dr. Karl Lintner, who are present in here and I would like to greet and thank them.

“Thank you to the Germany Society for their hospitality and, congratulations, for organizing together with the IFSCC this wonderful event.

“The most important thing that I take away from these three days at the IFSCC Congress is to be aware of the great approach that takes the cosmetic sciences based on improving the quality of people’s life and in recognizing the impact of human being on the environment by calling on the action to reverse it.

“My country, Peru, is located in South America and has had many problems in the past and they continue to exist. In turn, we are heirs of a vast cultural legacy; surely you have heard about Inca Empire, the diverse pre-Columbian cultures and the extraordinary biodiversity that owns.

“At present, we are a country willing to do things better and we are achieving it. Our cosmetic sector grew 6% annually in the last 10 years and generates 400,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“We need knowledge to develop this industry and our biodiversity in a sustainable way. That is why I consider that the IFSCC, the cosmetic science societies, and experts around the world are key pieces in this task.

“I feel happy to return to my country well satisfied to know and having verified that all this is not only scientific advances and new technologies, but knowledge with character and science made with passion and humanity as well.

“That is the essential thing!

“Thank you very much.”

Manuel Li