Aspa-Ingrecos, the French association of manufacturers and distributors of surfactants and cosmetic ingredients, has decided to devote itself entirely to cosmetic ingredients, merging to become Ingrecos. A simplification that better reflects its activities and enables it to be better identified.
Present at the Cosmet'Agora trade show on January 16 and 17, 2024, the organization is in full expansion, with over 50 members. Its aim is to strengthen its position in representing and defending the professional interests of cosmetic ingredient manufacturers.
Founded in 1945, Aspa initially brought together surfactant producers, before later opening a branch dedicated to cosmetic ingredients: texturizing agents, active ingredients of natural or synthetic origin, pigments, preservatives, UV filters... In 2011, the trade association became Aspa-Ingrecos.
The merger of its two branches comes at a time when its business is increasingly focused on cosmetic ingredients, subject to growing regulatory and social pressure. It is the French branch of EFfCI (European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients), which represents over 140 member companies.
The booming cosmetics ingredients sector is a strong pillar of the French economy, distinguished in particular by its excellent export performance. To maintain this momentum, consumer safety and environmental protection must continue to be priorities.
"Ingrecos supports and assists companies in the sector, whatever their size, to enable them to master an increasingly complex and demanding regulatory landscape, a prerequisite for their competitiveness. Currently boasting some fifty members, from very small businesses to large groups, representing 2 billion in sales in the national economy and more than 5,000 direct jobs, Ingrecos hopes to take advantage of this refocusing to federate more widely and be more easily identified by industry players".says the organization.
Representing and defending cosmetic ingredients
Ingrecos is a recognized interlocutor with public authorities, and in particular with the various French ministries concerned (Ministry of the Economy and Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Ministry of Higher Education and Research...). It promotes and defends the interests of the industry with expertise and balance in the drafting of regulations, laws and standards to take into account the specific constraints of the various sectors to which they apply. One of its prerogatives is to promote the specific interests of cosmetic ingredients through a variety of missions.
Ingrecos offers its members a regulatory watch at national, European and international level, particularly on issues relating to the naturalness of ingredients, respect for biodiversity, the fight against deforestation, and environmental impact. Decoding, working groups and practical tools give members the opportunity to position themselves on specific points, such as the development of the ISO 16128 naturalness standard. A practical guide to Chinese cosmetics regulations, and country-by-country fact sheets on compliance with the Nagoya Protocol (international agreement on biodiversity), are also available.
Ingrecos also offers its members a network that enables them to create synergies and initiate new projects. Through EFfCI working groups, companies can exchange ideas with their peers not only in France, but also in Europe and internationally.
