Wednesday, July 15, 2015
COSMETIC VALLEY: A HUB OF EFFICIENCY, SUCCESS AND FUTURE
Business & Network
Statement from Marc-Antoine JAMET
President of the Competitiveness Cluster
Since 2014, Cosmetic Valley has been tasked by the State with coordinating and structuring the French cosmetics industry, in order to make it unified and more visible internationally.
At the 2015 General Assembly held on June 30 at the Château de Blois, Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of the Cosmetic Valley Cluster, presented the first results of this strategy deployed over the past year.
An overview, in 13 points, of a successful competitiveness cluster.
1) A perimeter that is expanding. Based in the Centre-Val de Loire, Upper Normandy, and Île-de-France regions, Cosmetic Valley has signed three new scientific and industrial partnerships with Aisne (the second largest production center), Aquitaine (a specialist in lipochemistry), and Limousin (committed to circular eco-extraction). A closer collaboration with the PASS Cluster in Grasse, focusing on aromas, flavors, and fragrances, is underway. The Cluster works closely with FEBEA, the French Society of Cosmetology, and the French Society of Perfumers.
2) An ever-growing network of members. The number of Cosmetic Valley members has increased tenfold in 10 years. Comprising 40 members in 2004, it surpassed 400 member companies in 2015. In the last 12 months alone, 50 new companies have joined the cluster. The competitiveness cluster brings together, in its daily activities, not only its members but also 800 companies in the beauty sector, forming an ecosystem, a veritable industrial network modeled on the German system.
3) "Areas of strategic territorial excellence" (DEST) to enhance the industrial specificity of each region. The attractiveness of the regions is central to the Cosmetic Valley strategy. Structured around the DESTs (Digital Technologies of Excellence) – Formulation in Orléans, Olfaction around ISIPCA in Versailles, Cosmechatronics in Argenteuil, Packaging and Safety in the Seine-Eure region, Logistics and Supply Chain in Evreux, Microbiology, Peptides and Fine Chemistry in Rouen, Safety and Well-being at Work in Blois, Sensory Technology in Tours, Lipochemistry in Aquitaine, Bioproduction in Limousin, etc. – this strategy is implemented through the launch of dedicated research projects, conferences, and technology platforms that identify and promote the expertise of each region within the cluster. Several new technology platforms have been launched in recent months: "Cosmetics" in the Ile-de-France region, where the first "open lab" specializing in product characterization and optimization opened in Cergy Pontoise, "Certainly in the sense of", Centre for Studies and Research on Sensory Technologies, in Tours, "Cosmétolab"around Evreux, the first industrial pilot for the processing and packaging of preservative-free cosmetics.
4) An efficient economic model. While the State and local authorities are increasingly betting, and this is crucial, on the strategic economic impact of the cosmetics industry—the second largest contributor to France's trade balance and a creator of value and jobs—the Cosmetic Valley's economic model is more than 50% privately funded. This share increases every year. This is a guarantee of dynamism and the responsible use of public funds.
5) Cosmetics recognized as a scientific discipline in its own right. In order to establish a national scientific foundation for cosmetic sciences, which is both a struggle and an outcome of Cosmetic Valley, important structuring projects were launched in 2015. Launched on January 1, 2015 by the CNRS, the Research Group (GDR) “Cosm’actifs” The CNRS, based at the University of Orléans, brings together 48 national research teams working on the challenges of cosmetic research, focusing on four key areas: sourcing, formulation, biological models, and safety. The CNRS is thus initiating, for the first time, a research initiative dedicated to cosmetics. A second GDR (Research Group), "O3" (Smell, Odors, Olfaction) is led by the University of Nice. Furthermore, funded by the Centre-Val de Loire region and endowed with a budget of 20 million euros over five years, and led by the University of Orléans, the program "Cosmetoscience" It includes support for doctoral students. All these mechanisms are unprecedented launching pads for the development of innovations.
6) The cluster's capacity for innovation has been further strengthened. With 140 research projects representing €270 million, the true backbone of the cluster, there are many new developments. An eighth university, Paris-Sud University, located on the Saclay Plateau, has become a member of the cluster. The 2014 IFSCC Congress awarded the prestigious innovation prize to the FUI project "PERFUGARD," certified by Cosmetic Valley. This places it among the leading circles of global cosmetic research. A national innovation platform for very small and small businesses in the sector has been operational since this year. Initiated by Cosmetic Valley, it is supported by "LVMH Research" in Saint-Jean-de-Braye, "Spincontrol" And "Lambed"It is certified by the program "Investments for the future"This innovation platform is open to all micro-enterprises and SMEs in the French perfume and cosmetics sector to develop their projects.
7) An increasing number and variety of scientific conferences.After the congresses "Regulatory issues" And "Cosmetopoeia" in Chartres, Eure-et-Loir, "Beauty & Packaging" in Vaudreuil in the Eure department, “Cosm’Innov” And "R&D Connections" in Orléans in the Loiret region, "Cosmetic & Sensory" In Tours, Indre-et-Loire, two new congresses have been launched: “Olfaction&Perspectives” in Paris, “CO.ME.T/Tests and Measurements” in Cergy-Pontoise. It is a regional initiative focused on promoting the expertise of each region. It is also a way to prepare for the future.
8) The establishment of new cosmetics factories in France. “Guerlain” has established its cosmetics production plant, "La Ruche," in Chartres, inaugurated in 2015 by the Prime Minister, employing 400 people and equipped with the latest scientific and environmental technologies. In Frépillon, Val d'Oise, the Japanese “Daito Kasei Kogyo,” The raw materials supplier has invested 12 million euros in its new factory. The group's production site is located in Nogent-le-Rotrou. “Marie-Laure PLV” now covers more than 20,000 m². These are three examples among many others and numerous jobs.
9) New services for members and partners. Cosmetic Valley develops support programs for SMEs. With these programs “Cosm’élite” And “Cosmet’up”Its services enable companies to track their growth trajectory in its entirety: industrial performance, legal/intellectual property support, marketing development, innovation processes, and export business development. Cosmetic Valley also plays an increasingly important role in training. A catalog of "professional" and "general" training courses, with around thirty modules grouped around the themes of Safety, Performance, Expertise, and Competitiveness, has been established. These courses are held regularly and are in high demand.
10) New specialized schools for the sector. Two schools will strengthen the sector and its professions in the coming months, at the heart of and with the support of Cosmetic Valley. Polytech Chartres will open its doors in September 2015 with training programs in industrial engineering applied to cosmetics. The Régine Ferrere International School of Aesthetics and Perfumery is also developing a new branch in Chartres.
11) Strong contributions to environmental excellence. within the framework of the program "Cosmetopoeia" now integrated into the international project "South Expert Plants"Cosmetic Valley has established around ten partnerships with plant-producing countries (Togo, Colombia, Niger, China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc.) to safeguard biodiversity and promote research into new ingredients or active principles of plant origin. The cluster also launched in September 2015 “IMPACT+”The first national IT platform for pooling and exchanging surplus cosmetic raw materials and packaging materials from companies, an innovative system for combating waste. The environment is a strategic concern. Cosmetic Valley signed an "eco-responsibility" charter in 2009 and has since enabled 70 companies within the cluster to commit to it, establishing the well-known 4-level peony rating system to measure the progress of its members in terms of environmental responsibility.
12) Concrete and monitored international partnerships. Whether commercial and industrial, such as the Cosmetic Valley's partnership with the Japan Cosmetic Center (three exchanges were organized in 2014/2015 between SMEs from both countries), or scientific and exclusively research-focused, like the collaborative work undertaken following a 2014 R&D mission between Cosmetic Valley, the DEST (University of Science and Technology) of Cergy-Pontoise, and researchers from the Québec International cluster on the "optical" measurements of cosmetic products, Cosmetic Valley continues its international expansion. Significant work is being carried out with China, which now hosts the two largest industry events in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
13) “Cosmetic 360”, a world first.After organizing around a hundred French pavilions at trade shows around the world over the past 15 years (Cosmoprof, China Expo Beauty Shanghai, Beauty World Middle East Dubai, In-Cosmetic…), Cosmetic Valley is launching the international trade show in Paris "Cosmetic 360"An international showcase for innovations in the cosmetics industry, the first edition will take place on October 15 and 16, 2015, at the Carrousel du Louvre. 150 exhibitors have already registered. It will be inaugurated by Matthias Fekl, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade. France thus regains its international trade show. Thanks to Cosmetic Valley, it is now under French governance, unlike previous industry trade shows in France.
Cosmetic Valley is an exceptional tool, thanks to its members and teams, focused on excellence and innovation, generating growth and jobs. It is a hub for industrial production and scientific research, making it a French success story and an international leader.
COSMETIC VALLEY, A LEADING TERRITORY FOR THE GLOBAL COSMETICS INDUSTRY
Created in 1994 and designated a competitiveness cluster in 2005, Cosmetic Valley is today the leading region for the global cosmetics industry and the world's premier resource center for perfumery and cosmetics. More than one in ten cosmetics sold worldwide is produced in this cluster, which spans three regions – Centre-Val de Loire, Normandy, and Île-de-France – and brings together nearly 800 companies in the beauty sector as well as eight major French partner universities. Driving a leading French industry on the international market, the Cosmetic Valley competitiveness cluster embodies the new values of the "Made in France" brand in the perfumery and cosmetics sector: innovation, performance, product safety, and respect for the environment.
Key figures (June 2015)
- 800 companies in the area of the cluster, including 78% SMEs and about fifteen major brands*.
- All the professions in the cosmetics industry are represented: raw materials and ingredients, formulation, packaging, controls and tests, POS materials, plastic injection molding, packaging, logistics…
- 8 universities: Orléans, Rouen, Tours/François Rabelais, Versailles/Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines, Le Havre, Cergy-Pontoise, Paris 13, Paris Sud. Renowned research organizations: CNRS, INRA, SOLEIL
- Around ten training institutions: ISIPCA, IMT, EBI, INSA CVL, France Business School…
- Support from the State and 25 local authorities from 3 regions: Centre, Haute Normandie, Ile-de-France. Partnerships with the Aisne, Aquitaine and Limousin regions.
- €18 billion in revenue, 70,000 jobs
- 200 public research laboratories, 8,600 researchers, 136 training programs,
- 140 labeled collaborative research projects (270 million euros invested)
- €520 million invested in the regions and 7,500 jobs created in the regions since 1994
- 4,000 recruitments over the last four years, 1,500 new jobs expected by 2018
- More than one in ten cosmetic products sold worldwide was manufactured within the cluster
* Guerlain and Dior (LVMH Group), Shiseido, Hermès, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne (PUIG Group), Lolita Lempicka (Pacific Création), Calvin Klein and Jennifer Lopez (Coty Prestige), Gemey-Maybelline and Yves Saint-Laurent Beauté (L’OREAL), Clarins, Caudalie, Chanel, Pierre Fabre, Yves Rocher; multinationals established in France: Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson (Roc, Neutrogena).