SIMP Beauty: two million pieces per day!

The year 2026 got off to a flying start for this company, founded in 1949, which is one of the pioneers in plastic and rubber injection molding. Originally, the French firm processed thermosetting and thermoplastic materials in small- and medium-volume production runs.
In 1986, it shifted its focus to small parts suitable for large-scale automated production. Then, in 2000, the company began emphasizing the production of increasingly smaller, more delicate parts that are difficult to automate—a strategy that now enables it to offer its customers an innovative, reliable, and cost-effective alternative that meets the needs of those seeking to preserve their expertise in Europe.
Today, SIMP has become a true innovator in cosmetic applicators. The next step is a new technology called “Microtouch.” This alternative to flocked applicators is expected to enable the parent company, HCP, to excel in the dip-in sector by expanding its target market and offering applicators for lips and skin in addition to its core business in eye products. An update with Eric de Bardonnèche, CEO.

For over 20 years, SIMP Beauty has mastered the art of designing and manufacturing cosmetic applicators (plastic mascara brushes and rubber wringers). Tell us a bit about the company’s history…

Eric de Bardonnèche: The former owner, Mr. Manuel Viegas—from whom Alain Blondel and I purchased the company in 2011—blazed his own trail by focusing on highly specialized industrial and cosmetic components, approaching the business in a way that defied conventional norms.
As early as the 1980s, he had developed a mold and a special formula to produce rubber wipes for the brands Lancôme, Gemey, and Ricils.
In the late 1990s, in collaboration with Mr. Jean Louis Gueret, the former leading mascara specialist at L’Oréal, we produced the first molded mascara combs.
In the mid-2000s, we became a major supplier to the L’Oréal Group, notably participating in landmark launches for the L’Oréal Paris and Gemey-Maybelline New York brands by producing molded applicators.
A comb is a fairly simple makeup tool with one to four rows and just a few bristles, while an applicator features several hundred bristles spread across a large number of rows.
With Alain Blondel in 2011 and continuing today, we have stayed the course, and for 25 years, SIMP has held a prominent position in the market for wipes and applicators for the eyes and eyebrows.
It’s fair to say that we currently hold 40% of the global market share for molded plastic brushes, 70% of the global market share for rubber wipes, that we create more than ten new models each year, and that we have 35 patent applications filed—the majority of which have been granted—and 70 registered designs. The vast majority of these patents and designs have been filed in Europe, the U.S., China, Japan, and South Korea. This represents one of SIMP’s top annual expenses for innovation.
On the industrial front, we have a fleet—unique in Europe—of 100% electric FANUC injection molding machines and 200-metric-ton electric dual-material injection molding machines for producing highly technical parts in all types of materials, as well as a fleet of 16 rubber injection molding machines ranging from 35 to 300 metric tons, both horizontal and vertical, enabling automatic or semi-automatic production.

How many parts do you estimate are produced each year?

Eric de Bardonnèche: This is a niche market; we manufacture the “engine” of mascara. There are three key factors for a mascara to function properly: the formula, the applicator, and the wiper. Every day, we supply this “engine” to major cosmetics brands through body-of-car suppliers and packaging suppliers, such as our parent company, HCP.
Today, we can say that SIMP has built its reputation on four pillars: This factory, located in Tigery in the Paris region, produces some 2,000,000 parts per day—applicators and wiper mechanisms—representing an annual output of approximately 600Mu, with a total capacity of 800Mu per year.
• Complete control over materials, from receipt through to the processing of elastomers for the manufacture of molded applicators and wringers.
• A very extensive portfolio of registered designs and patents
• Complete expertise in the design and production of molds.
• “Made in France” manufacturing at our plant in the Paris region.
We have maintained a diversified portfolio, with approximately 20% of our revenue coming from industrial parts for the aerospace, energy, gas, electricity, and water management sectors. This diversification is essential to our growth; for example, the materials used for our applicators and wringers are derivatives of materials used in industry.
And then there is our rubber wringer production plant in Mexico, which supplies major North American brands and their subcontractors based in Mexico. The rubber wringer is a high-value-added component that requires significant manual labor.
We must also highlight our unique expertise in tooling. Our molds are often compared to high-precision watchmaking.
Because, above all, we are designers and experts in the development and manufacture of micro-injected plastic and rubber parts for the high-value-added cosmetic applicator segment. And we have become a key player in the international cosmetics market. In a fast-changing, competitive landscape, we provide our clients with an unmatched “time to market” and can guarantee the development of new projects with the utmost confidentiality. In fact, we enhance the beauty of hundreds of millions of eyes around the world…
It’s important to note that our technology allows us to mold an infinite variety of shapes to enhance any type of eyelash. Each shape can address a specific need (volume, separation, definition, curl, etc.). We offer a wide variety of materials that comply with food-grade standards while ensuring compatibility with the bulk ingredients provided by our clients.
Modular, automated, and always at the cutting edge of technological innovation, our machine fleet produces hundreds of millions of extremely precise parts every year.
As for our rubber squeezers, they allow us to offer the perfect makeup solution and better compatibility with makeup and skincare formulas.
But beyond the machines lies a technical team: men and women with recognized expertise who manage automated production on a daily basis.
Of course, we have a laboratory where all work is dedicated to a single goal: creating the optimal makeup combination of formula, sponge, and applicator. Finally, through regular workshops, we share our expertise and innovations with our clients in a spirit of exchanging ideas and continuous improvement. And we conduct internal and external consumer panel tests throughout the year.

What about the environment?

Eric de Bardonnèche: Materials have become a strategic issue in recent months with the evolution of the PPWR (cosmetic packaging recycling) and the increasingly strict rules implemented by major brands (L’Oréal, LVMH, ELC…) and we have listened carefully to their needs to make their packaging cleaner and more recyclable.
In short, there’s a significant challenge in maintaining good makeup performance while using recyclable and very “clean” materials. We use exclusive custom formulations and blends, along with the development of a unique bio-based thermoplastic elastomer material for molding applicators (NEO by SIMP®)—a patented material that is a registered trademark.

SIMP: MILESTONES

1949
Founded in the Paris region, SIMP is among the pioneers in plastic and rubber injection molding.
It designs and manufactures small precision industrial parts produced in medium or large batches, for the automotive, gas, electrical, and aerospace markets (GDF, SFA, ZODIAC, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, etc.).

1985
First production of mascara wipes for brands within the L’Oréal Group and production of silicone molds for casting lipstick beads

1998
Production of molds and silicone nipples for casting lipstick cores
Production of the first mascara combs

2004
Production of the first molds and casting of the first mascara brushes

2011
Alain Blondel, alongside Eric de Bardonnèche, partnered with Crédit Agricole Private Equity—through its LCL Régions Développement and CAPE Régions Expansion funds—in a management buy-in to acquire SIMP from Manuel Viegas, the selling shareholder and CEO.

2015
Opening of a facility in Mexico: 1,700 m² located in Aguascalientes, in a central geographic location and in a secure state at the heart of the automotive industry’s labor market and its suppliers.

2016
HCP Packaging, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-end primary packaging for cosmetics, skincare, and fragrances, acquired 100% of the shares in SIMP, the global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of plastic applicators and rubber squeezers for the cosmetics industry.

2017
HCP Packaging also acquires the German company RUSI Cosmetic GmbH & Co. KG, which specializes in the production of lip gloss, eyeliner, and mascara packaging, as well as fiber brushes. With the acquisitions of RUSI Cosmetic GmbH & Co. KG and SIMP, HCP Europe rounds out HCP’s mascara offerings in the United States and China. Today, the HCP Group offers high-performance, turnkey mascara solutions for its customers.