Faced with trade tensions, regulatory inflation and increasingly aggressive global competition, the FEBEA is calling for immediate action to safeguard the future of the cosmetics industry.
As the second-largest net contributor to France’s trade balance, the French cosmetics sector represents much more than an economic asset. It represents a strategic pillar of sovereignty, reindustrialization and innovation for the entire country.
But today, this position of excellence is under threat. “France has a cosmetics industry that innovates, exports, creates jobs and works towards a sustainable transition. But these real successes mask a situation that has become worrying,” warns Emmanuel Guichard, General Delegate of the FEBEA.
A risk of industrial decline
In 2024, the French cosmetics industry generated 35.6 billion euros in sales, including 22.5 billion euros in exports, for a trade surplus of 17.6 billion euros.
This dynamism supports over 300,000 jobs in France, and nearly 3 million in the European Union. But this upward trajectory comes up against several structural threats. These include:
• The rise of Asian players with much lower production costs
• The intense trade war with the United States, the sector’s main partner
• The administrative complexity specific to France and Europe, which is holding back innovation “What we are asking of French and European decision-makers is simple: to give the cosmetics sector the means to maintain its leading position, …
