Purple lips and smoky eyes, (luxury) makeup takes on color

Purple, carmine, orange or cherry… In L’Oréal’s luxury make-up factory, there are hundreds of shades, a sign that the masks have not completely removed lipstick from faces.

In Lassigny, in the Oise, the pinkish red tubes that Valentino will launch in 2022 are produced on the assembly line, on one of the brand new automated production lines. Like its competitor Hermès, this brand has just positioned itself in cosmetics, which offers a bit of luxury that is a little more accessible to consumers.

Next door, other models are made in a metronome mechanism, before being shipped around the world.

The pandemic has lowered makeup sales, a collateral victim of lockdowns. In France, during the first eight months of 2021, sales of selective beauty products even fell by 20% compared to 2019, according to the firm NPD Group, which nevertheless notes a rebound since May.

Trends differ depending on the market, however, explains Emmanuel Guichard, director general of the Federation of Beauty Companies.

While the “no make-up” trend is growing in the West, “China has suffered much less from the make-up contraction. We are not in the same tone of minimalism,” notes Eric Briones, editorial director of the Journal du Luxe.

The French cosmetics sector is thus mainly boosted by the international market, which represents 60% of its sales. In Lassigny, it is even 98% of the production that leaves outside the borders, for a third towards Asia.

As a result, even in the midst of the pandemic, this factory did not limit its investments, nor resort to layoffs. "We have always continued to operate", underlines its director, Olivier Boudinot.

Many Brits don't know when/how to use apostrophes!

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Now, “we are almost back to our 2019 production level,” he adds. The factory will soon return to production seven days a week to meet increased demand.

50 shades for a best-seller

“China left again in September 2020,” adds Mr. Boudinot, displaying his optimism for the future.

More generally, "we are probably going to have a good year: the very significant growth in cosmetics exports to China is offsetting the drop in consumption worldwide", argues Emmanuel Guichard.

Surfing on Asia's taste for luxury, the Lassigny plant recently launched its two new ultra-modern production lines, an investment of several million euros which allows it to gain in agility to face to specific requests, such as the Chinese New Year.

On a line, 2000 to 3000 reds are produced per hour, sometimes more. The grape, the appropriate term for the stick, is first prepared and then heated in a vat before being molded in its case. It takes about twenty raw materials, which give the ambient air a sweet smell.

Many shades are created, not necessarily all recognizable to an untrained eye. L'Oréal even does in-house training to distinguish colors. Eventually, Valentino's new red will offer 50 colors.

“That’s what it takes for there to be a best-seller,” explains L’Oréal’s technical director for Europe, Alexandre Brellier.

Mascaras are made a little further away, with a more restricted palette, while another part of the factory is devoted to powders.

In all, the site offers 1700 references, some more difficult to design than others, such as a square lipstick. "He made us sweat," admits Olivier Boudinot.

Because growth requires effort, even if it means creating sticks of red… in the shape of a heart, which L’Oréal recently did for Chinese Valentine’s Day.

Source: © 2021 AFP / By Marie-Morgane LE MOEL. Paris (AFP) / Monday, October 11, 2021 at 10:22

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