A thriving ecosystem
 

• A luxury reputation of “made in France”
• An exceptional concentration of innovation and French “savoir-faire »
• A highly favorable environment for doing business and research

The leading beauty industry network worldwide is in Paris Region across the entire value chain: R&D, product design, production, commercialization and retail.
 

According to the Survey 2022 made by L’Institut Paris Region, apart from stores, there are over 800 companies in the sector in Île-de-France, in which the entire value chain is represented: the brands, their headquarters, as well as their research and develop-ment (R&D) laboratories, of course; but also the companies that produce the raw materials; firms that do customized manufacturing, formulation and packing; those that make packaging, in particular, primary packaging (bottles, caps and jars, so important for these products); industrial equipment-makers; and finally, testing and analysis laboratories.

The Paris region ecosystem concentrates the sector’s headquarters (international and European and Middle Eastern head offices) of large groups and mid-size enterprises. This is the case for French groups, but also for many foreign groups when they decide to locate in France to benefit from the wealth of its ecosystem, like Puig, a Catalan group bringing together among others Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci and Jean-Paul Gaultier. A dozen or so international headquarters are in Hauts-de-Seine, such as Expanscience-Mustela and Verescence in La Défense, Chanel, Sephora and Uriage in Neuilly-sur-Seine and L’Oréal and Pochet in Clichy. There are just as many, even more, in Paris, with Coty Luxury, Clarins and Hermès, and in particular in the 8th arrondissement where Caudalie, Dior, Guerlain, Interparfums, Laboratoire Native, LVMH and Sisley are located.

Alongside these companies with an international reputation, the sector has a plethora of brands, some of them artisanal, about 300 in all, nearly two thirds of which are in Paris. The niche markets are, moreover, extremely promising, and several of its representatives are found on the rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris.
It is therefore in Île-de-France that the major decisions of the sector are made. It is also in the region that the cosmetics-perfumery industry of tomorrow is being created.

Accelerate your business in Paris Region
 

The Cosmetic Valley Competitiveness Hub

The Cosmetic Valley association, founded in 1994 to promote the synergies of companies in their international development, was labeled “competitiveness hub” in 2005. Its economic power is based on solid cooperation between the neighboring regions of Centre- Val de Loire, Normandy and Île-de-France. On the national scale, the sector brings together 3,200 companies, of which 80% are SMEs, and about 100 major brands. On this core business of the perfumery-cosmetics industry alone, Cosmetic Valley represents 28% of French employees and 53% of national revenue.*
*Figures: Cosmetic Valley.

Cosmetic-oriented territories to accommodate implementation projects:

• North loop of the Seine “Boucle Nord de Seine”:
  L’Oréal (Levallois-Perret and Clichy), Procter & Gamble (Asnières-sur-Seine) and Givaudan (production of flavors and fragrances in Argenteuil) are major companies located in Boucle Nord de Seine.
• Cergy Pontoise:
  The Val d’oise department welcomes numerous sites decicated to manufacturing, logistic and research. The company Clarins concentrates most of its production here. You can also find Sisley which has its administrative, logistics and research centers and Takasago which has established a production and research laboratory.

Great potential in R&D and tests and measurements

The strength of academic research in the Paris region is a reality whatever the scientific field concerned, but it is particularly renowned for healthcare industries, certain areas of which converge with those of the cosmetics-perfumery sector. The future of the French sector is played, in particular in the quality of the products made in France: the tests and measurements activity associated with research is therefore essential. The principal research laboratories in the field are located in Paris-Saclay and Cergy-Pontoise. This territory is also home to the Cosmetomics platform, whose objective is to bring together all the expertise in measurements for the cosmetics sector. It is a pooled platform on which the SOLEIL synchrotron (a particle accelerator, a facility unique in France, located in Paris-Saclay), BIO-EC (an SME specialized in efficacity studies on cosmetic and dermatological products, in Longjumeau) and the School of Industrial Biology, in Cergy, collaborate.

A concentration of R&D Centers

If the companies call on the capacities of public research and its facilities, as the Cosmetomics plat-form illustrates, the largest enterprises also have their own R&D capacities.
The Paris region ecosystem brings together nine major R&D centers: four in Val-d’Oise (that of Clarins in Pontoise, that of Givaudan in Argenteuil and those of Sisley and Sensient in Saint-Ouen l’Aumône), three in Seine-Saint-Denis (that of Chanel in Pantin and two of the three international research centers of L’Oréal: the international capillary innovation center, in Saint-Ouen, and the international advanced research center, in Aulnay-sous-Bois). The third, in Chevilly-Larue,5 is its international center for research applied to cosmetics. The Yves Rocher research center is located in Issy-les-Moulineaux.

Best schools in Paris Region

ISIPCA, a school of the CCI Paris Île-de-France Region, established in 1970, on the initiative of Jean-Jacques Guerlain. Today, the school brings together 4 training areas, the 3 main sectors of : Perfumes, Cosmetics and Food Flavours. Learn More.

EBI is an Industrial biology engineering school in Cergy recognized in France and abroad. Their engineers are general experts in the field of Biology, and more particularly in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, agro-food and environment sectors. Learn More.

CY Cergy University - First rate international campus with a master in international Marketing Management specialized in Cosmetics & Perfume. Learn More.

Major cosmetics events in Paris Region

COSMETIC360 by Cosmetic Valley – sponsored by Paris Region The international innovation fair for cosmetic and perfume industry at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Learn More.

Cosmet’Agora – Cosmetic formulation event to discover the latest trends: raw materials, textures, new technologies, toxicological tests, etc. Learn More.

Olfaction & Perspectives – To discover or rediscover this sense and its importance in all areas: well-being, health, environment, behavior… Learn More.

in-cosmetics Global – Celebrating excellence in the field of ingredient innovation, offers high-quality education on the latest science and trends. Learn More.

MakeUp in Paris – From the upstream of the skincare and makeup industries, professionals take this unique opportunity to discover and share around innovations and trends in an optimized format. Learn More.

Cosmetic Measurement & Testing (COMET) – The unique scientific event dedicated to Cosmetic Measurement & Testing - organised by Cosmetic Valley. Learn More.

Paris Packaging Week – For perfume cosmetics & personal care At the heart of packaging innovation for beauty, premium drinks, luxury and FMCG from sustainability and smart packaging to the latest design trends. Learn More.

Co-written with L’Institut Paris Region

Cosmetics-perfumery in Paris Region, a worldwide leader ecosystem faced with bitter competition (note)