Key figures

Key figures for Cosmetic Valley :

The world cosmetics market:
It is estimated at more than 300 billion euros distributors' sale price (source: Euromonitor International, 2009). The main consumer markets in 2010 were (Source: Euromonitor International, 2009):

- Europe, leading world market at 71.8 billion €;
- The United States: 37.8 billion €,
- Japan: 29.3 billion €.

However, these markets have reached maturity with growth rates levelling off at 2% annually. Growth over the last five years has essentially been in exports, particularly to emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico and China) which recorded growth rates for the perfumery cosmetics market varying between 5% and 9%.

The European cosmetics industry, the world leader

The main cosmetics groups worldwide:

Among the leading brands worldwide note the leader L'Oréal (France), Unilever (United Kingdom) in third place, Beiersdorf (Germany) seventh, LVMH and Chanel (France) tenth and eleventh.

A fabric of creative SMEs:

Around these companies a fabric of sub-contractors has grown. In Europe there are now more than 3,000 SMEs producing cosmetics, employing more than 350,000 Europeans directly or indirectly.

Market position:

Within European groups there is a clear difference between Germany and the United Kingdom which are geared mainly towards mass consumption, while France is noted for its more upmarket positioning. This is less susceptible to international competition and is underpinned by Paris's image as the capital of glamour.

The French perfumery cosmetics industry

A cultural heritage :
France stands out through its technological lead, its marketing skills and the image and cultural capital it inherited from the Renaissance and has been cultivating in Grasse since the second Empire.

A very positive trade balance :
All this means the French industry enjoys a position of market dominance with 25% of the global market (source: UN). This performance is more than evident in the export sector as cosmetics is France's second biggest export, after aviation construction products and has the second largest trade surplus (7.6 billion euros in 2010, source: French customs 2010).

An industry that is staying put :
With some 450 establishments and more than 50,000 employees, the industry has an annual turnover of around 16 billion euros (including imports, source: FEBEA - Beauty Businesses Federation, 2007).