The Federation of Beauty Businesses (Febea), professional union of companies in the cosmetics sector, brings together nearly 350 French beauty and well-being companies, including 82% VSEs and SMEs. She unveils her action plan to safeguard the leadership of the French and European cosmetics industry, today threatened by increased global competition and growing regulatory constraints.
Second contributor to France's trade balance, this strategic sector is today facing a risk of dropping out on the international scene, due to trade tensions, growing regulatory inflation and European decisions sometimes disconnected from industrial reality. “Faced with these threats, the Federation of Beauty Businesses calls for a coordinated mobilization of public authorities around a Beauty Industry Package, strategic plan intended to guarantee the sustainability and influence of the cosmetics sector in France and Europe. » The cosmetics industry is a flagship of the French economy and contributes to industrial sovereignty as well as the influence of France and more broadly of Europe in the world, recalls Febea, citing some key figures and contextual elements : 35,6 billion euros in turnover and 22,5 billion euros in exports in 2024, 17,6 billion euros in trade surplus, 300,000 direct and indirect jobs in France and nearly 3 million in the EU.
A combination of threats
“These threats today weigh heavily on growth prospects”, warns Febea. The rise of Asian players who produce at much lower costs and operate in much more competitive environments. The high-intensity trade war with the United States, first commercial partner of the French cosmetics industry. The administrative and normative complexity specific to France and Europe, which hinders innovation and limits its competitiveness. “We are fortunate to have a cosmetics industry in France that is innovative., who exports, which creates jobs and works for a sustainable transition. But these successes, real, mask a situation that has become worrying, which leads us today to sound the alarm. What we are asking of French and European decision-makers is simple : give the cosmetics sector the means to maintain its leading position, without complicating what works and by scientifically basing the requirements that apply to us”, alert Emmanuel Guichard, general delegate of Febea.
The 5 priorities of the Beauty Industry Package
1 Preserve free trade through an ambitious trade policy that protects the interests of the sector (mobilize commercial agreements with clauses specific to the cosmetics industry, strengthening intellectual property in the face of disproportionate regulatory requirements, especially in China).
2 Unleash innovation by ensuring a stable regulatory and fiscal framework to support research and development (guarantee access to essential ingredients that are safe to use in cosmetics, via l'Allibus Chimie ; maintain tax measures that support research, CIR et IP Box).
3 Simplify the normative framework to reduce the administrative burden that weighs heavily on businesses, especially SMEs (accelerate the dematerialization of consumer information, harmonize the interpretation of manufacturing practice controls within the EU, deploy a realistic timetable and standards for the application of the European packaging regulation).
4 Restore fair treatment by basing regulations on objective and transparent impact studies (revise the urban wastewater directive to guarantee fair and sustainable extended producer responsibility, establish a preliminary ruling in the event of insufficient impact studies).
5 Protect the industry and consumers from abuse and counterfeiting (hold digital platforms liable when they facilitate the placing of illicit products on the market or engage in illicit marketing methods, fight against the sale and promotion of “dupes” and strengthen controls in this area).
