To mark the 30th anniversary of Cosmetic Valley, the competitiveness cluster has teamed up with Asterès to map the impact of the beauty industry on the French economy. And the news is good: despite a gloomy inflationary climate, the skincare industry continues to perform well.
“France is the world’s leading exporter of cosmetic products (23 billion euros), far ahead of its main challengers, the USA (15 billion) and Germany (8.9 billion), but it must not rest on its laurels, as Asian competitors such as South Korea (8.7 billion) are emerging and recording record growth rates,” says Cosmetic Valley in its preamble.
Key findings
The cosmetics industry is present throughout France.
However, the northern half of France accounts for 78% of cosmetics exports, with a total of 18.3 billion euros (Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, Normandie, Grand-Est, Bretagne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Pays de la Loire).
The southern half of France accounts for 22% of cosmetics exports, with 5.1 billion euros (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Occitanie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Corse).
The beauty industry also contributes to employment in the country. There are no fewer than 226,000 jobs, distributed as follows:
• 88,500 with brands
• 27,500 with manufacturers/subcontractors
• 37,500 with packaging suppliers
• 29,800 with raw ingredients manufacturers
• 23,000 in retail
• 7,800 in testing laboratories
• 6,800 with service providers
• 5,000 in production equipment suppliers
“75% of the industry’s salaried workforce is located in the northern regions of France, with 168,535 jobs. The Paris region and its western …
