Launch of the European Go4Cosmetics platform

In order to strengthen the competitiveness of European cosmetics companies and increase their presence in strategic foreign markets, Cosmetic Valley, the Centre-Val de Loire Region and its economic development agency DEV'UP Centre-Val de Loire - with the support of the European Commission, and in connection with the Lombardy Region, the development agency Reindustria Innovazione (REI), Polo della Cosmesi and Cosmetica Italia, the cosmetic clusters of Lombardy - have created a European network called Go4Cosmetics.

Focused on capitalizing on the sector's value chain, this platform will generate new interactions between European players in the cosmetics industry, but also encourage investment and new research and development projects.

The official launch of Go4Cosmetics took place at the end of the Summit of the perfumery-cosmetics sector organized in Paris on October 12th.

Strengthen the leadership of the European cosmetics industry

To enable the European cosmetics ecosystem to establish its position as world leader in this highly competitive market, the Centre -Val de Loire Region and the Lombardy Region are leading the creation of a European cosmetics network, labeled in June 2021 by the European Commission, as part of the Smart Specialization Platform for Industrial Modernization (S3) . This network, called Go4Cosmetics, will be implemented and coordinated by Cosmetic Valle y, DEV'UP Centre-Val de Loire , REI – Reindustria Innovazione, Cosmetica Italia and Polo D ella Cosmesi .

Five other territories have joined the dynamic: Catalonia (Spain), the Center region (Portugal), the North-West (Romania), Olomouc (Czech Republic) and Sardinia (Italy).

This cooperation constitutes a new strategic step for the actors of the ecosystem already united within the European cluster Global Cosmetics Cluster – Europe*. Indeed, the Go4Cosmetics platform is based on taking into account the entire value chain present in Europe – from suppliers to consumers via research – to create new cooperation, both in terms of investment and development. innovation and experience sharing, while taking stock of the latest results of scientific research.

It will also be a way to promote the interests of the cosmetics industry with European institutions and to highlight public policies related to the digital and ecological transition.

Three priorities identified to support cosmetics companies

Thus, Go4Cosmetics will promote the development of the entire cosmetics value chain through a cross-regional approach and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

The partnership will play a central role in identifying and linking complementary expertise to create new solutions and business models to strengthen the competitiveness of the cosmetics sector, stimulate its sustainable growth and accelerate the transition.

The partners have thus defined three priorities:

• The digital transition : by supporting industrial modernization projects to make the cosmetics industry stronger and more agile, in conjunction with other support systems such as the EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub) project, the European Digital Strategy or the recovery plan program.
• Ecological transition : by supporting initiatives related to the circular economy, waste management and the implementation of the objectives of the Green Deal for Europe and the Recovery Plan.
• Information for consumers and citizens : by promoting the assets of territories and the attractiveness of the cosmetics industry, by informing consumers about the values and know-how of the sector while developing wellness tourism.

By capitalizing on the potential of the European cosmetics ecosystem, the Go4Cosmetics platform will facilitate and extend investment capacities in the field of innovation, allowing companies to optimize resources and save money . Taking environmental and digital transitions into account will enable all players in the chain to gain in competitiveness and establish sustainable growth .

Official launch at the international Cosmetic 360 show

The official launch of the Go4Cosmetics platform took place on Thursday October 14, 2021, during the Summit of the perfumery-cosmetics sector, scheduled in parallel with the Cosmetic 360 show organized by Cosmetic Valley, at the Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris. The device was presented to the actors of the sector during the round table "The European strategy for innovation and the internationalization of companies" in which participated François Bonneau, president of the Centre-Val de Loire Region, of DEV' UP Centre-Val de Loire and vice-president of Regions of France; Anne Besnier, VP in charge of higher education, research and innovation for the Center Val de Loire region; Fabrizio Sala, Minister of Education, Higher Education, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region; Christophe Masson, CEO of Cosmetic Valley; Renato Ancorotti, president of Cosmetica Italia and Matteo Moretti, president of Polo Cosmesi.

On this occasion, the two leading regions formalized their coordination and collaboration by signing a memorandum of understanding. The organizing committee met the following day, Friday October 15, to define the terms of implementation and the action plan for this new structure.

* Coordinated by Cosmetic Valley, GCC.EU federates six European cosmetic clusters and benefits from the support of the COSME program. This European Commission scheme finances actions directly carried out by the clusters to support the internationalization of their SMEs and facilitate their access to new markets.

The acceleration program dedicated to cosmetic SMEs is spread over 24 months until the end of August 2022. It includes four components: market knowledge; skills development (training on internationalization and awareness, coaching, etc.); commercial development and partnership (market place, benchmarking missions and BtoB events); funding opportunities.