At its press conference at the start of the year (held in Paris on January 15, 2026), Cosmetic Valley took stock of the French cosmetics industry. Its president, Marc-Antoine Jamet, spoke about the sector’s vulnerabilities, its geopolitical and regulatory challenges, and the levers that need to be activated to preserve an ecosystem that remains a pillar of French foreign trade.
Marc-Antoine Jamet opened the conference with a clear reminder: cosmetics remain one of France’s major industrial assets.
France remains the world’s leading exporter of cosmetics, with a 14.1% market share, far ahead of the United States (7.9%).
But in twenty years, France has lost 6 points of export market share, representing nearly €10 billion.
The year 2025 marks a turning point. For the first time (excluding the Covid period), French cosmetics exports declined to €22.3 billion, down 1% compared to 2024.
“We still have the largest share of the global market, but that share is shrinking,” summarized the president of Cosmetic Valley.
The United States and China: two areas under pressure
The slowdown in 2025 can largely be explained by the downturn in the two main global markets.
In the United States, the trade war that broke out in the spring of 2025 profoundly destabilized trade flows.
Previously exempt from customs duties, French cosmetics were hit by a combination of taxes reaching 15% on finished products, plus 50% additional duties on certain metal packaging components.
The result? French exports to the United States fell by 17% between the first ten months of 2024 and those of …
