The Beauty Industry’s Supply Chain: A Network of Entrepreneurs Worth Preserving

This is undoubtedly what has most characterized the beauty industry’s supply chain—and continues to do so—its network of independent entrepreneurs. Of course, over the years, its evolution has varied significantly from one country to another. Some have continued to develop it, while others have gradually lost it. Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, most of the Nordic countries, and—later—the former Eastern European countries that joined the European Union have managed to hold on to it; others, for various and differing reasons, have neglected and, in some cases, even abandoned this network in favor of a culpable renunciation of “local production” and a blind focus on “all-service” models. Great Britain, the United States, and, of course, France have embraced this dogma. The first two at least had the advantage of their financial power… but not France, where the elites (in the broadest sense!) who are advocates of this “all-services” approach have definitively opted for a near-total abandonment of production! We can see the result. I know all this because I experienced it firsthand as an “entrepreneur” (precisely!) during the 1980s with the creation of the first free-distribution newspaper dedicated to the packaging sector, Pack Info, and then the first trade show for luxury product packaging, Luxe Pack Monaco. To continue growing, we had to look beyond France for sources of information and exhibitors. We did just that—with the results we all know—by replicating trade shows like Luxe Pack Monaco with Pierre-Yves Maisonneuve and MakeUp in Paris with Sandra Maguarian abroad! A sole proprietorship means freedom; it’s most often synonymous with innovation; it’s enthusiasm; it’s adventure; and it simply means added value and “jobs” for thousands of people. With major elections just a few months away, it would be good to shout this from the rooftops (and, above all, take action!) to give hope to future generations! They certainly need it.