France's Cosmetics Valley welcomes 12 new members

The applications from the new members that were accepted at the steering committee meeting held in Evereux, France on September 22 have now been confirmed.

Fragrance pump manufacturer, MWV Calmar; cosmetics ingredients supplier, Soliance; and safety and quality expert, Intertek Testing Services are among the new members to join the cluster.

Stronger industry links​

Jean Luc Ansel, CEO of Cosmetics Valley told CosmeticsDesign that welcoming new members to the association means that stronger links within the cosmetics and fragrance industry, and a more effective network between companies, can be created.

He added that confirming the acceptance of 12 new member applications represents innovation opportunities within the industry, as companies can be connected with research centres.

Intertek’s General Director, Bernard Leroy, echoed this point when commenting upon the company’s membership to the cluster.

“Cosmetics Valley is an excellent cluster which stimulates innovation and helps its members to sharpen their competitive edge. Intertek, a global leader in efficacy, safety and quality assessment, will be able to interact closely with the R&D department and production manufacturer sites to develop innovative solutions in France and worldwide,”​ he said.

Cosmetics Valley accepts applications from companies within the cosmetics and fragrance industry, as well as universities, research laboratories and training institutions.

To become a member, companies must be located within the geographic scope of the industry body (all departments in the Central region, plus the departments of Eure and Yvelines), generate a specific percentage of turnover in cosmetics or fragrance, and obtain sponsorship from a member of the association.

Centre for competitiveness ​

Created in 1994, Cosmetics Valley was hailed as a “Centre for competitiveness” in 2005 by the French inter-ministerial committee for regional development and competitiveness (CIACT).

Almost 500 companies are members of the cluster, as well as five universities and 186 public research laboratories.

The industry association says that as well as promoting corporate growth, it strives to enhance the international reputation of the competitiveness cluster in order to enable its members to gain better access to export markets.