Comité International d’Esthétique et de Cosmétologie (CIDESCO), an international spa and beauty therapy association, is celebrating its 70th anniversary on Dec. 27. To commemorate the milestone, CIDESCO is taking a look back through 70 years.
1946: The Founding of CIDESCO
CIDESCO was founded on Dec. 27, 1946 by Georges Dumont from Belgium and Jacques Poirsons from France with the mission to unite beauty therapists and exchange ideas and a framework for education, exams, and teaching in a progressive, unified way.
1956: The name ‘CIDESCO’ is born
During the 10th World Congress in Brussels, Belgium, the abbreviation of CIDESCO was officially accepted as an acronym for the Comité International d’Esthétique et de Cosmétologie.
1963: The Election of CIDESCO’s First Female President
During the 17th World Congress in Munich, Germany, Ria de Korte from the Netherlands was elected as the first female president of CIDESCO.
1966: CIDESCO’s First Diploma
During the 20th World Congress in Rome, the first Diplome d’Honneur du CIDESCO was awarded to Mabi Svampo for Training and General Education.
1972: The 26th World Congress
For the first time, the CIDESCO World Congress and exhibition was held outside of Europe, in New York City. This same year, Japan was accepted into CIDESCO as the latest section.
1978: The first ‘Diplome du Georges Dumont’
During the 32nd World Congress in Brighton, United Kingdom, the first ‘Diplome du Georges Dumont’ for Personal Achievement was awarded to Rose Droessaert from Switzerland.
1985: First CIDESCO Stand at Exhibition
During the 39th World Congress held in Helsinki, Finland with the elected president Kristina Peltomaa, the first year CIDESCO had a stand at Les Nouvelles Esthetiques Exhibition in Nice, France. CIDESCO also celebrated having 51 accredited schools.
1993: The Introduction of CIDESCO Link
As Germany celebrated its 40 years of membership, the first CIDESCO Link publication, which highlights industry news on an international level, was introduced.
2000: 50th CIDESCO World Conference
The 50th CIDESCO World Conference was held in Florence, and the ‘Médaille d’Or’ for Loyal Service and Outstanding Dedication to CIDESCO and the Beauty Therapy Profession was awarded to Kenneth Morris from Great Britain.
2012: The Current CIDESCO President is Elected
Anna-Cari Gund from Sweden was elected as president.
2014: Additional CIDESCO Diplomas added
The stand-alone CIDESCO Diploma in Spa Therapy and the CIDESCO Beauty & Spa Management Diplomas were introduced. In addition, the Media Make-up Diploma was upgraded.
2016: The 64th World Conference and 70th Anniversary will be held on Sept. 22-26 in Dublin, Ireland.
“CIDESCO has reached an incredible milestone this year, celebrating 70 years of success, developing into the internationally recognized and respected organization that it is today,” says international president Anna-Cari Gund. “I am incredibly proud of all that has been achieved and look forward to celebrating the achievements to come of all our members, students, and graduates across the globe.”