Sophim develops ingredients for the cosmetic industry. Since the beginning, the company has specialized in the manufacture of vegetable squalane from olive oil. Over time, the group has grown, expanded its catalog and its activities. Alexis Margnat, Sophim’s manager, spoke to CosmeticOBS to present his company, tell its story and talk about its future challenges.
“It’s been a family adventure from the start,” recalls Alexis Margnat. “It all started in 1992 when my father wanted to go it alone. He was already in the chemical business, but in the food industry, with his cousins. He wanted to take over a company in order to develop, knowing that he had children who could one day join him. So he bought Sophim in 1992 and I joined in 1995. We’ve been working together for 25 years now.”
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Alexis Margnat joined the adventure when the company moved from Grasse to the Alpes de Haute-Provence, near Manosque.
One of the main activities in the region is the production of olive oil. Before being put on the market, it is refined. During this process, it releases a co-product: squalene. And it is precisely this resource that Sophim uses to manufacture one of its star actives: olive squalane. “Our ambition has always been to support the transition of beauty companies towards naturalness. And it would make no sense if we didn’t apply this principle ourselves. We were first interested in olive oil, because it was a resource close to home and, above all, we were able to turn …
