Ecosystem at the cutting edge of innovation

With 550 companies, 63,000 jobs, 84 R&D projects, 7 universities, 200 public laboratories, 8,600 researchers and a turnover of 18 billion Euros … Cosmetic Valley is a rich and dynamic network for exchange, synergy and innovation!

Cosmetic Valley also means big names and big brands: Dior, Guerlain, Chanel, Shiseido, Puig, Hermès, Caudalie, L'Oréal, to name just a few; Elie Saab and Annick Goutal perfumes are the new flagship brands in the sector. But 80% of Cosmetic Valley members are SMEs - experts in a diverse range of areas: marketing, intelligent plastics, labelling, microbiological tests and even spraying systems.

Resolutely focused on the future, the hub puts innovation at the heart of its seven areas for strategic action - formulation, sensory perception, plants, packaging, sales areas, olfaction and measuring. For example, the Cosmétopée excellence project aims to add to the range of raw materials through research into new ingredients and main agents of plant origin. To achieve this, researchers and companies assess the plants and beauty rituals passed down the generations by word of mouth.

The interdisciplinary approach of the hub has already made it possible to create the first Institut des Biomédicaments et Cosmétiques with an international remit to offer on-the-job training in this new area.

Eco-responsibility and international visibility

The management team at Cosmetic Valley also put a lot of emphasis on the made in France label, “a formidable flag” that Cosmetic Valley waves at all the trade fairs congresses it attends, including last year's China Beauty Expo in Shanghai and Beauty World Middle East in Dubai. This year, they will be involved in Beyond Beauty at the Parc des Expositions in Paris from 10 to 12 September, and Cosmoprof Asia in Hong Kong from 16 to 18 November.

Members see that “Sustainable development needs to be a strong value conveyed by the Made in France initiative”. Since 2010, Cosmetic Valley has been working to promote sustainable development via the launch of the Making Cosmetic Valley ecologically responsible charter, ensuring product and service quality and safety and environmental protection. Candidates are assessed according to 34 performance criteria and are awarded 1 to 4 peony symbols, like SCA Packaging Nicollet (lightweight printed packaging), for example, which was awarded 4 on 28 June. Among this company's strong points: responsible purchasing, long-term jobs and employee well-being.

New prospects for the future

50 new sites and 7,500 jobs have been created within Cosmetic Valley since its inception in 1994 – and, according to a prospective study conducted in February 2011, 33 strategic skills areas and 1,500 additional jobs are set to be created between now and 2015. Until then, the priority of the hub's President Marc-Antoine Jamet, who is also the general Secretary of LVMH, is still to acquire the Global competitive hub label through further financing. The hub will then need to develop its skills and forge new partnerships with other regions such as the Ile-de-France and Upper Normandy.

Cosmetic Valley web site

Competitive hub web site