Beauty Cluster participates in the official launch of Go4Cosmetics: the new European Smart Specialisation Platform for the cosmetics industry
To reinforce the competitiveness of the European cosmetics sector and expand its presence on strategic foreign markets, 7 European regions have created the European Go4Cosmetics S3 partnership. Aimed at capitalizing on the value chain, Go4Cosmetics will foster interregional cooperation with the final objective of upscaling the European cosmetic ecosystem, moving from a clusters’ cooperation to a quadruple helix cooperation at the European level.
Strengthening the leadership of the European cosmetics industry
The cosmetics sector is booming internationally, and the associated commercial, scientific, and societal stakes are high for the European economy. Estimated at €79.8 billion in 2019, the European cosmetics market employs 1.8 million people, in addition to 30,000 scientists in the R&D sector.* Though it benefits from the popularity of French products within a wide segment of the population, as well as from the excellent reputation of Spanish dermocosmetics and Italian-made goods, the European cosmetics industry must rethink and revamp its industrial processes to increase its activity on thriving foreign markets, including in Asia.
To enable the European ecosystem to secure its position as global leader on this very competitive market, some European regions with strong cosmetic ecosystems have teamed up to create the European cosmetics S3 Thematic Partnership “Go4Cosmetics”, within the framework of the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation, as promoted by the European Commission. In June 2021, the European Commission has therefore notified the formal approvement of “GO4COSMETICS”, following the Expression of Interest submitted by the two leading regions, and endorsed by other partners.
Regions involved in this initiative: Centre-Val de Loire. France; Regione Lombardia, Italy; Catalonia, Spain (represented by the Beauty Cluster); Centro, Portugal; Nord-Vest, Romania; Olomouc, Czech Republic; and Sardinia, Italy.
In such a framework, the final goal is to support and boost interregional collaboration to connect the different regional ecosystems, allowing the exchange of experiences, methods, and know-how, with the common scope of conceiving, planning and supporting the development of investment projects actively involving the industry actors and researchers, while taking stock of the latest results of scientific research.
This creation of a new S3 Partnership focusing on Cosmetics represents a new step of strategic significance to these parties, already federated within Global Cosmetics Cluster–Europe. A key aspect of the Go4Cosmetics partnership is that it encompasses the entire European chain—from suppliers and R&D down to consumers—to foster new alliances for investment, innovation, and sharing of experience. The partnership will also be a vehicle for representing the interests of the cosmetics industry before European institutions and spotlighting public policies tied to the digital and green transformations.
Priorities in supporting cosmetics firms
GO4COSMETICS will promote the development of the entire cosmetic value chain through a cross regional approach and the involvement of the relevant stakeholders, which will mobilise capacities and efforts to align R&I investments and define cooperation projects.
The Partnership will play a central role to identify and link complementary expertise to create new solutions and business models to strengthen the competitiveness of the Cosmetic sector, boosting its sustainable growth and accelerating transition.
Three priorities have been defined by Go4Cosmetics partners:
- To enable digital transformation—assisting with industrial modernization efforts, to make the cosmetics industry stronger and more agile, while relying on additional support within the scope of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), the European Digital Strategy, and the recovery plan
- To further the green transition—backing initiatives concerned with the circular economy, waste management, and implementation of the objectives of the European Green Deal and the recovery plan
- To communicate with consumers and citizens—showcasing regional strengths and the attractiveness of the cosmetics industry, raising consumer awareness of industry expertise and values, and developing wellness tourism
Tapping into the potential of the European cosmetics ecosystem, the Go4Cosmetics partnership will facilitate, align, and expand capacities for investment in innovation, and allow companies to optimize resources and save money. All links of the value chain can increase their competitiveness and become sustainable by embracing green and digital transformation.
Official launch in October 2021
Official launch of the #Go4Cosmetics platform in partnership with GCC.EU
The official launch of the Go4Cosmetics platform was on Thursday, 14 October 2021, during the annual French fragrance and cosmetics industry summit taking place alongside the Cosmetic 360 trade fair, organized by Cosmetic Valley and held at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. On that occasion, the two leading regions will formalise their coordination and collaboration through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding.
The full partnership met on the following day to start the operational kick-off of the activities, determine means of implementation and establish an action plan.
#Go4Cosmetics is a European cosmetics network, labelled in June 2021 as a “European thematic platform S3” by the European Commission.
