Meeting on June 28, 2022 at the Extraordinary and Ordinary General Meetings, Cosmetic Valley's members unanimously adopted all the resolutions put to them, from the modification of the cluster's bylaws and the conditions for appointing its president, to the return to the fundamentals of its business model (more than 2/3 of revenues from the private sector, mandatory surplus for the year, sales of nearly €5 million).
Marc-Antoine Jamet recalled that the 2021 financial year had seen Cosmetic Valley present on all fronts. The majority of events were held in person, with the Cosmetic 360 international cosmetics innovation trade show in Paris taking place in October, and a number of initiatives were undertaken to meet the challenges facing the industry in 3 areas:
The need to play as a team
This has always been a priority for the cluster, a society of equals between SMEs and major groups, suppliers and principals, a vector of open innovation and collaborative innovation. It has now become imperative if we are to make a success of the sector's ecological transition and face up to the economic turbulence. That's why, in partnership with the public authorities, Cosmetic Valley wants to extend the momentum launched, thanks to Agnès Pannier-Runacher, then Minister of Industry, with the creation of an industry committee specific to the sector and the états généraux de la cosmétique that the cluster organized. The cluster is now eagerly awaiting the launch of phase 5 of the cluster policy, so that its mission as national coordinator of the sector can be reinforced, its resources consolidated and new cooperative ventures established with public authorities. In this context, despite the rearguard action of a few local associations, Cosmetic Valley's objective remains to federate the international efforts of its members under the banner of a national brand, Cosmetic Valley France, and to promote, with Business France, "Made in France".
Focus on Europe
The opening of a branch office in Brussels and the launch of an S3 platform bringing together Cosmetic Valley and other European clusters that have chosen to focus on cosmetics, illustrate the cluster's determination to spearhead innovation and the cosmetics industry in Europe, at a time when many legal deadlines (changes to Reach and cosmetics regulations) will be looming in 2022.
The need to deepen regional cooperation
Following the example of the partnerships set up this year with Guyana, where Cosmetic Valley inaugurated a branch that will be an asset in its strategy to promote biodiversity, and soon with Martinique, and with Ile-de-France, the continent's leading economic region, other territories should follow in 2022, and negotiations have already been initiated in recent months with Hauts-de-France. By pursuing this territorial network, a veritable German-style industrial fabric, by taking its members international, and by driving the industry forward, Cosmetic Valley is giving itself the means, with new resources, new partners and new outlets, to maintain France's position as world leader in an increasingly competitive world.
Marc-Antoine Jamet declared: " These are difficult times, but they can and must also be times of opportunity. We need to be activists, not waiters. The city of Rouen, which hosted our cluster's annual general meeting, has reinvented itself and, while meeting the challenges of the times, has regained its appeal. This is an inspiration for Cosmetic Valley, which, together with its public and private partners, and backed by the wealth and dynamism of its members, is launching new projects to give the industry the means to succeed in its ecological, digital, geopolitical and technological transformation, in order to maintain its global leadership. My presidency has no other aims ".
