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AIRCOS expands into skin care and unveils its strategy

Aircos, Anjac Health & Beauty Group, is a family-owned French business with expertise in the formulation and manufacture of cosmetic powders, along with the manufacture of eco-responsible packaging for full-service solutions.

With its new range of cleansing and exfoliating powders, Aircos is making moves and expanding its offerings to include skin care. This new strategic focus is supported by investments in R&D, marketing, and industrial equipment. It also includes an international expansion, with the opening of a sales office in California this summer.

"This is a logical next step for Aircos. Our expertise in powders lends itself easily to skin care applications, which line up perfectly with our commitment to greater sustainability in cosmetic products. The United States is an important market for our indie and legacy brand clients. Exports currently represent 40% of Aircos’s revenue. Proximity is essential in providing our clients the best service locally," explains Aircos CEO Frédéric Lancesseur.

The company is also considering establishing a lab and manufacturing its powders in the United States, in the interest of optimal proximity to its North American and Asian clients.

This strategic development highlights the increasing demand for hybrid products. The Aircos line of skin care powders meets this need, offering a dermocosmetic approach, with cleansing and exfoliating formulas designed for various skin concerns: dry, oily, and sensitive. With over 92% natural ingredients, these water-free, talc-free skin care powders are at the top of the list when it comes to products with a low environmental impact. It’s an innovative range of skin care products, with turnkey or haute couture options based on the client’s needs.

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Ready to come co-create your makeup in Paris?

The Anjac Group offers brands a full range of makeup products and technologies and hybrid makeup/skin care products, all Made in France. With Aircos and Pascual Cosmétique located in the heart of France’s cosmetics capital, our proximity and expertise are readily available to brands.


The group recently enhanced its structures to provide even more services to brands seeking fast, comprehensive guidance in launching effective products that please the senses, in as little as six months.

"For us, co-creation is at the heart of the development process. Our clients value contributing ’in real time’ to the birth of their product; it’s faster, and they join us in creating what will set their product apart, their DNA," explains Morgane Marin, innovation project manager at Aircos.

Both Aircos and Pascual Cosmétiques talk to us about color solutions, based on their respective galenic expertise: Aircos is the undisputed leader of made-in-France powders, while Pascual Cosmétiques is the expert in poured, stick, and liquid makeup. The teams analyze consumer demand and trends worldwide to build a captive pipeline of prospective innovations for brands. Marketing and R&D blend their expertise to dream up efficient, high-value-added solutions, especially now that brands need to stimulate post-Covid-19 sales.

This year, our teams are focusing on four macro-trends based around sustainability, transparency, and safety, what we call “Clean & Safe”: Holistic Evasion, Human Tech, Essential Universe, Bold Emotion.

That is why, as a follow-up to the Vinyl Lipstick (an Innovation Tree award winner in February), Pascual Cosmétiques is offering Sublimat Lipstick, a bold matte lipstick with a powder finish, locking moisture into the lips for all-day wear. It is a vegan product and reflects the group’s "Clean & Safe" commitments: silicone-free, talc-free, and of 78% natural origin (ISO 16128). It’s the must-have matte lipstick of the season! Hybrid foundation is about more than a perfectly even complexion! It offers 91% natural-origin ingredients (ISO 16128), concentrated in a foundation, plus 8-hour optimized skin moisturization.

Aircos is unveiling its powders for a hydrated, glowing complexion, talc- and silicone-free: the creamy, full-bodied Teint Luminous Clean Finish powder is of 98% natural origin (ISO 16128). And the ultra-concentrated mother-of-pearl Clean Pure Luminizer highlighter is of 95% natural origin (ISO 16128). These two hybrid powders use hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin for a firmer, smoother appearance.

The labs are ramping up their work to improve long-lasting, smudgeproof hold: "We quickly adapted our testing protocol to incorporate mask-wearing, a new reality for end consumers." Plus, to support the full range of consumer needs, Euro Wipes R&D offers a line of makeup removal pads and wipes suitable for use with these extreme long-wear formulas while protecting even the most sensitive skin.

After Covid-19, the Anjac Group’s Made in France makeup applies even more agility and proximity to its clients, with innovative "Clean & Safe" offerings across all categories of makeup.

"It’s up to us to adapt our formulas. We are prepared to work with brands on their post-Covid-19 product development. We believe strongly that color and a healthy-looking complexion will remain consumer priorities" states Aurélie Bontemps, Sales & Marketing Director at Pascual Cosmétiques.

The Anjac Group is now opening its "SAFE SHOWROOM," its Paris showroom reimagined for the safety of its clients and partners.

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ANJAC: A bold and innovative partner to health and beauty brands

The Anjac Health & Beauty Group is a new kind of manufacturer: one that creates and produces beauty, health, and wellness products and solutions. The Group and its 12 companies partner with brands as pathfinders, to support them in their success. They offer a Made in France product line as well as a presence in California and Spain. Based on its conviction that the industry is a virtuous link for consumers and patients, this family-owned group bases the effectiveness of its solutions on Safety, Health, and Nature.


" As a partner , we seek to support our health and beauty customers, at all stages of the value chain, in creating effective, desirable, and responsible products that meet consumers’ expectations and habits," says Aurélien Chaufour, CEO of the Anjac Group.

The group uses a first-of-its-kind, three-pronged research system, "ANJAC S3ARCH," which generates pragmatic yet visionary innovations. Abduction Research, Prospective Research, and Research & Development are three highly complementary approaches, allowing us to take every possibility into consideration at each stage from raw material to finished product. The group’s industrial strength enables it to meet the needs of any brand, from start-ups to major multinational corporations.

With its large, global range of offerings, the Anjac Group has established itself as the most nimble and exacting player in its field.

Through its acquisitions, the group has built a large range of products and technologies in the following sectors:

  • Health: primarily through Laboratoires Chemineau and Feltor (FDA certified)
  • Wellness: innovative liquid nutritional supplement technologies offered by Laboratoire Innovi and Laboratoire Shadeline
  • Cosmetics:
    -expertise in dermocosmetics with Laboratoire Shadeline, medical-device certified
    -unprecedented expertise in high-end skin care textures, solid cosmetics, natural and organic skin care with Sicaf
    -an extensive range of conventional and organic hygiene products with Roval Cosmétiques and Euro Wipes, the French leader for impregnated wipes, medical device-certified.
    -unique skills with Clean Beauty Skin Care developed by Cosmetix West with California-based indie brands
    high-performing, creative makeup solutions from Aircos, the leader in Made in France powder, and Pascual Cosmétiques, the French expert in poured, stick, and liquid makeup, also offering kitting services.


    Laboratoire Innovi rounds out this extensive portfolio with its applied research center, specializing in agri-food, nutrition, health, and beauty. It invents and develops raw materials and finished products. Its expertise in plant-based products strengthens all 12 of the Group’s R&D and Innovation labs, which work in synergy on unique innovations such as the integration of an "SPF Boost" natural active ingredient SPF50+ sun protection with low levels of sun filters and the incorporation of a GPS patented ingredient into a stick or cream to increase the penetration of active ingredients, making formulas more effective.

The Anjac Group and its companies form an ecosystem of entrepreneurs who believe that anything is possible when it comes to creating tomorrow’s Health and Beauty products, working hand in hand with clients to offer safer, more responsible products all the time.

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After hygiene, solid products are revolutionizing skincare

Perfectly in line with current trends, like nomadism, clean beauty, and zero waste, solid cosmetics are booming. Historically positioned on the makeup segment, over the past few years, solid products have stormed into that of hygiene, bringing both new solutions and gestures which quickly found their own public. They are now entering the skincare category due to the cumulated effect of innovation and a rising consumer expectation as regards more hygienic ‘post-COVID’ applications.


Stick foundations, highlighters, blushes, concealers… makeup already offers many solid products for their functional, travel-size, and easy-to-use qualities. Non-deformable and totally or almost totally deprived of water, solid cosmetics are also gaining ground in the hygiene category, due to the no pack movement. Solid shampoos, shower gels, and toothpaste have conquered cosmetics departments, initially driven by small independent brands with a natural and organic profile, before the trend was followed by mass market giants: N.A.E. for Henkel, Love Beauty and Planet for Unilever, L’Oréal… And yet, it is still hard to assess the size of this market.

“In the United States, for example, most of the brands that have entered this market are indie brands that do not appear in Nielsen or NPD statistics. In Europe, it is estimated that this market represents 5% of the cosmetics market, but according to the current forecasts, it will soon achieve a strong growth. In France, solid cosmetics make up a very dynamic market with different brand typologies: there are independent (Respire, Umaï), professional (Christophe Robin, Cut by Fred), but also masstige brands (Yes To, Sephora…)”, explains Stéphanie Reymond, founder and Director of Effervescience, a technical and marketing consulting agency specialized in beauty.

Consuming with a clear conscience
French independent pioneer brand Lamazuna perfectly embodies this boom. Initially focused on the zero waste concept applied to the bathroom, Lamazuna was launched ten years ago with reusable cleansing wipes. Then, starting from 2014, they developed solid cosmetics: toothpaste, deodorants, shampoos, and conditioners with 100% natural and vegan formulas. The COSMOS-Organic-labelled solid conditioner was released in May 2020.

Today, the brand counts over 50 references and achieves a 10-million-euro turnover with 30% export sales. “We used to be a small natural and organic brand and we have become a consumer brand,” says founder Laëtitia van de Walle.

It only took a few years for solid products to reach new consumer profiles. “In 2015, our consumers were mostly young urban girls. Now, there are as many men as there are women, and no more age limits,” adds the creator. “Demand evolves at the same pace as consumers change the way they make a purchase, taking action for the environment. These new consumer-actors make the offering evolve towards new proposals,” confirms Stéphanie Reymond.

Towards skincare and premium products
Laëtitia van de Walle reveals she now aims to focus her innovation work on the skincare segment. There are countless galenic possibilities, most of which are inspired from makeup: stick serums and sun products already exist, as well as cleansing or exfoliating powders, pebbles… but the trend can still evolve if things are considered from other angles. “Drivers include raw materials, formulas, technology transfers derived from other industries, packaging… but solid cosmetics could also grow by entering the luxury market,” explains Stéphanie Reymond.

The movement emerged a while ago. For example, in 2018, the Sicaf laboratory, which belongs to the Anjac group, focused their R&D strategy for solid cosmetics on the prestige market. “We wanted to develop solid products for premium brands, while guaranteeing the sensoriality and efficacy of a standard cosmetic product. It was a huge challenge because it did not exist,” explains Béatrice Anthouard, Formulation & Prospective Director of Sicaf.

In 2019, the laboratory introduced a first range at Cosmetagora which won the formulation award. This range reproduced all standard skincare gestures in sticks: cleansers, masks, scrubs, serums, creams, eye contours… “Starting from that moment, we noticed a real craze among our customers and prospects, not only from the natural segment, but also premium brands,” says Béatrice Anthouard. To preserve sensoriality, the laboratory has not completely got rid of water in their formulas: they turn gel textures and emulsions into solid formulas. “It is definitely possible to obtain a stick with water. It is a technical feat we have just industrialized,” adds the Director.

The second generation to be launched next autumn does not comprise any pack, this time, and the formulas are exclusively anhydrous in order to reduce water consumption, in line with the Blue Beauty movement. “It is a real challenge to offer solid face care products without any packaging, while preserving sensoriality and performance. The formulas need to be designed with actives that provide interesting results, but which can also resist high temperatures for several hours,” says Béatrice Anthouard. For this five- to six-product face care range, the laboratory worked on solid formulas and on the ergonomics of finished products by drawing inspiration from facialist techniques, which have come back to the fore. “Consumers will need to get used to these new gestures, but the Covid crisis is actually a positive catalyser,” adds Anne Rutigliano, Marketing and Communication Director of the Anjac Group, to which the Sicaf laboratory belongs.

This differentiating approach has already seduced several brands: according to Sicaf, they are already discussing future launches based on the concept.

The COVID phenomenon as a key driver
Simple, but efficient gestures, the return to basics, health security… all these consumption criteria related to the current crisis will also boost the development of solid formulas in cosmetics. To accelerate innovation in this field, next autumn, the Effervescience agency will launch the STAR (Solid Technical Accelerator Responsible) Cosmetic Programme in partnership with Tectic. The idea is to create and coordinate a network of players in this segment, decipher and analyze the market, trends, and scientific and technical challenges, and inspire opportunities and insights in relation to solid cosmetics.

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How to develop ecodesigned sun products

Today, the most important expectation for sun products remains absolute efficacy. However, they are also undoubtedly one of the most touchy categories on the cosmetics market: [1] not only their formulation is extremely technical, but they should also meet new consumer requirements as regards healthier, more environmentally friendly formulas – a real technical challenge for brands and laboratories, who work hard on solutions featuring the latest technological and scientific advances.

More ecoconscious, more careful with ingredients, more protective of the environment… today’s consumers have quickly changed expectations. And as they are faced with this new equation, i.e. provide more performance with cleaner and cleaner formulas, brands and laboratories constantly look for more innovation, in particular as regards UV filters, key elements in these formulas.


“There are two UV filter families: chemical and mineral filters. But they both involve constraints,” explains Ludivine Burlot, R&D Director of Laboratoire Shadeline, specialized in the formulation of dermocosmetics and sun products.

Two of the most common chemical filters are controversial. “Brands ask us to develop formulas without using these controversial materials, if possible, i.e. octocrylene and OMC (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate or Octyl methoxycinnamate), because they are the most disparaged chemical filters for being endocrine disruptors, although they are authorized by regulations,” confirms Justine Alexandre, Marketing Project Manager of Alpol Cosmétique.

Formulation: a real headache
To cope with this constraint, formulators have been working on alternatives in line with a protective efficacy objective. “There are other filters available, but they are more expensive, because they are more recent, and we have been studying different combinations mainly focused on efficacy, but also on the naturalness aspect. Sometimes it is preferable to choose a better SPF over naturalness, because protection is the main criterion. Guaranteeing a satisfactory SPF is a priority for us,” adds the Alpol Cosmétique expert.

Providing efficient, natural, healthy protection also requires using mineral filters, provided they are free from any nanoparticles, a category consumers are wary about.

However, these mineral filters tend to offer less sensoriality. As they are very heavy, the titanium and zinc molecules used create a white colour on the skin, which is difficult to prevent without compromising on naturalness.

“Non-nano mineral filters are those that best meet the naturalness, efficacy, and safety demand. White traces are inherent to them, but thanks to our expertise, we can formulate products with pleasant, easy-to-spread textures. And it is also possible to incorporate chemical filters that leave no doubt. They are not all bad,” explains Ludivine Burlot.

So, for now, the consensus would involve a combination of non-controversial chemical filters and mineral filters.

The environmental issue
The will to minimize the impact of products on aquatic environments adds even more difficulty. This recent, but strong consumer expectation is now driving innovation.

Given the ever-increasing demand, in 2015, Alpol Cosmétique set up a research and innovation group on sun care, which identified three main ocean-friendly principles: reinforced waterproofness, so that the formula does not flow into the ocean, biodegradable formulas, and fewer endocrine disruptor residues likely to cause fish feminization.

Within this context, the brand SeventyOnePercent created ten years ago by two surfers, Raphaël Vannier and Marc Levy, develops environmentally friendly, technical sun products adapted to their sport.

“We wanted to go natural, but not to the detriment of sun protection,” explains Raphaël Vannier. Initially, the brand entered the surf market with a small range of water-resistant products free from any controversial filters, based on a very pragmatic principle: products “which stay on the skin instead of ending up in the water”.

In 2018, the range was reformulated based on new technical advances and adapted to the general public. “Our definition of clean beauty makes us constantly question ourselves. There is no such thing as a perfect product. If you introduce a foreign body to the ocean, it is hard to say there will be no impact. So, we minimize our products dissolving in water by making them hyper-water-resistant,” adds Raphaël Vannier.

New developments combining organic and mineral filters are anhydrous products or oily formulas based on a rational choice of filters. “We endeavour to use as few filters as possible in our formulas, while providing an SPF50+. We aim to offer the best-adapted product at a given time,” says the co-founder.

With ten references, reinforced distribution, an online store and a strong presence on Instagram, SeventyOnePercent is pretty successful. The products are 80% to 100% natural and available in three shades: invisible, white (surfers/sportsmen are not bothered at all by this effect) or coloured (more playful for children).

“Our success is due to the fact that we deal with this issue in a different way, playing on transparency in our messages. We do not pretend to make the best product, but we try to offer the best-adapted. We also need to adopt less inhibited communication to keep enjoying our time in the sun as a moment of pleasure,” says Raphaël Vannier.

Fewer filters?
As there are no “ideal” alternatives to sun filters, laboratories have been working on reducing their quantity for the same result. For example, in collaboration with the other laboratories of the Anjac Health & Beauty group, which they belong to, Laboratoire Shadeline has been working on a patented natural molecular complex: SPF Boost. This complex of natural ingredients multiplies the power of chemical and mineral filters to reduce the quantity used, without compromising on the efficacy of an SPF50+ formula, while preserving great sensoriality. Laboratoires Shadeline, Sicaf, and Innovi, the ingredient’s inventor, are still in the development phase, but SPF Boost should be marketed this year.

“Because it involves a public health issue, sun protection is getting more and more widely used everywhere in our environment, even on a daily basis. So, filters should not be the only answer to protection. We need to adopt new habits. We have also been working on filter-free formulas, which will take more time,” concludes Ludivine Burlot.

Footnotes
[1] N.B.: Products providing protection against UV rays are considered cosmetics in Europe, but they are OTC drugs under several legislations outside the EU, in particular in the US.


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Anjac Health & Beauty sets up in North America with the acquisition of Cosmetix West

France’s Anjac Health & Beauty has inked its second international acquisition. After having purchased Spain’s Laboratories Feltor, it is the turn of California’s Cosmetix West to join the group. Thanks to this new addition to its portfolio, Anjac Health & Beauty increases its expertise in cosmetics and sets up in the USA.

Anjac Health & Beauty continues its offensive external growth strategy and consolidates its cosmetics offer. The Californian company could be a key asset for the French group to expand in several growth markets, including Clean Beauty.

"We are pleased to expand our know-how in such a dynamic and influential region for our key markets. Great opportunities and synergies are opening up to the Group,” said Aurélien Chaufour, General Manager of Anjac Health & Beauty.

The business of Cosmetix West (about US$40 million in 2018), which develops skincare products for numerous indie and historic brands in North America, allows Anjac Health & Beauty to strengthen its position in the cosmetics and dermo-cosmetics sectors, in addition to the offer of the group’s other entities in this sector: Sicaf, Shadeline, Eurowipes and Feltor Laboratories. This acquisition also provides the group with new opportunities to expand its product offer to address new consumer expectations that have become essential for cosmetic brands, such as Clean Beauty - in other words, transparent, minimalist and efficient cosmetic solutions that emphasize naturalness - as well as men’s grooming, or Japanese-inspired cosmetics known as "J-Beauty".

Located in the Los Angeles area, Cosmetix West has acquired an extensive know-how in the formulation, development, manufacture and filling of skin, hair care and hygiene products and fragrances, developed in various galenics. Thanks to its capacity to innovate and adapt, the company has been able to attract many major indie brands to its customers line up.

This is the fifth acquisition in less than two years for Anjac Health & Beauty. This external development strategy allowed the group to double its turnover between 2016 and 2019. Anjac Health & Beauty now includes ten companies and 14 R&D and production sites in the fields of health, hygiene, beauty and nutritional supplements: Innovi, Chemineau, Feltor Laboratories, Shadeline, SICAF, LPEV, Euro Wipes, Aircos, Pascual Cosmetics, and Cosmetix West, for a turnover of 280 million euros expected in 2019.

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