Organized by the Cosmetic Valley competitiveness cluster and the Fédération des entreprises de la beauté (Febea), the fifth meeting of the Comité de filière cosmétique was held at Bercy on January 28, 2025, under the chairmanship of the French Minister of Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci. The meeting brought together some thirty industry spokespersons, representing all links in the value chain - suppliers, manufacturers, distributors - and testifying to the sector's complete integration "from plant to product". Participants included young brands, SMEs, ETIs and major groups.
The industry committee underlined the strategic role played by the cosmetics industry in the French economy, and its track record in terms of industrial investment. It also pointed out that Made in France is not only a gas pedal of innovation, but also a powerful force for the creation of skilled jobs in the regions.
At the same time, industry representatives stressed that the sector faces many challenges. Faced with increased global competition and a complex international context, ensuring the competitiveness of a sector in which France is a leader is a priority.
"Our industry is innovative and successful. However, it must face up not only to the major economic and technological challenges faced by its competitors, which justify the full commitment of French companies to the ecological and digital transitions, but also, in an international environment marked by crises and conflicts, to geopolitical and societal tensions, the former reflected in complex regulatory negotiations with the Chinese authorities, and the latter in differences of opinion with the European Union on the classification of ingredients. These difficulties are getting worse. They are not neutral in terms of growth and job creation. At the same time, to remain a leader, we need to change pace and scale, invest in hard sciences and build on our soft power. This is what our industry is doing. It can only sustain a high level of ambition on these different fronts with the support of the French government and its public partners, whether agencies or local authorities.said Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of Cosmetic Valley.
"This meeting with the public authorities is particularly important given the current economic, political and international situation. Despite the economic slowdown and tougher international competition, the French cosmetics industry is staying the course in its commitment to sustainability, as well as to investment in France, the guarantor of our industrial sovereignty. The companies are calling on the public authorities to give concrete form to the legitimate goal of regulatory and administrative simplification".added Emmanuel Guichard, General Delegate of Febea.
Significant environmental advances
The discussions also provided an opportunity to highlight the progress made collectively by the industry in terms of the environment:
- Water sobriety: implementation of a voluntary plan to reduce water consumption in industrial processes, demonstrating that the sector remains committed to reducing its environmental footprint, particularly in terms of water pollution control. In the opinion of the industry committee, the major efforts already undertaken deserve to be supported, taking into account the sector's specific characteristics and ensuring that they are part of a balanced and proportionate approach, rather than a stigmatizing or punitive one,
- Packaging recyclability: Elipso and Febea have jointly drawn up a practical guide identifying the main levers for improving cosmetics packaging recycling.
- Perfume plants: commitment to a dedicated interprofession, reinforcing the structuring and sustainability of this essential sector.
- Cosmétopée: the presence around the table of young entrepreneurs from the French overseas territories illustrated the sector's commitment to the preservation and sustainable development of biodiversity.
"I'm delighted with the many industrial investments in the cosmetics sector in France: it's a sector of excellence, an international champion, which promotes French industrial know-how on the international stage. The industry faces many challenges in continuing and amplifying this momentum, and I am determined to support it.said Marc Ferracci, Minister of Industry and Energy.
Photo: Marc-Antoine Jamet and Marc Ferracci at the Comité de filière meeting on January 28, 2025.
