Premium Beauty News - Before we start talking about your partnership, why not take a snapshot of your two companies created respectively in June 2008 for Genealogy and September 2008 for Capsum, How far have you got more than three years after?

Aea Marc - Our company, Genealogy which was created by Brian Fox offers in the fields of make-up and skincare a full service offer of products whose characteristics have always something to do with innovation. We have to date a range of more 200 references and create 3 to 4 collection a year. For each client, the offer is customized to best meet its DNA. This can range from the choice of actives, textures, colours including the use of exclusive raw materials, of customized packaging...

Our market consists of many niche brands that are looking for differentiating products and who are hungry for new ideas. Our offers always marry aesthetics and beautiful quality. We are strongly established in the United States but also present in Europe and the United Kingdom. In the past 4 years our annual growth ranged between 30 and 150%. We meet the needs of companies that have a strong expertise in marketing and sales with a good distribution but who do not have in-house resources to design and manufacture their cosmetics.

Sébastien Bardon, CEO, Capsum

Sébastien Bardon - Since its inception, Capsum focuses on the design of products and in the follow-up of their manufacturing. Our field of expertise is microfluidics, a high scientific value "object by object" technology which saw the light at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and which enables to develop, such materials as beads, emulsions, capsules... The process is very qualitative with perfectly controlled and reproducible drop sizes. We work on objects ranging from 10 nm to just a few millimetres. The field of possibilities is very wide. We are in discussion with all the major global luxury groups and are already working with Amore Pacific in Korea and La Prairie. For the 3 years, our turnover has increased by an average of 30% a year and we have, to date, 22 employees. The partnership signed between Genealogy and Capsum also corresponds to an evolution of our offer because we now propose finished products whereas before we were just involved in tailor-made products.

For the record, Capsum was a laureate of the 2009 Oséo competition for the creation of the most innovative company and was awarded the label of Young Innovative Company by the French Ministry of the economy.

Premium Beauty News - Could we say that Capsum provides technology while Genealogy provides the cosmetic know-how?

Bardon - It is one aspect of our complementarity, but it is not the only one. Indeed, as Capsum is a scientific company, we offer breakthrough innovations and Geneaolgy knows how to place them in a use context for cosmetics. Genealogy awakens us to market trends.

Aea Marc - We find new technologies and have them match the needs of women. Nowadays, women have developed an awareness to natural ingredients which are soft to their skin, with no chemical material and Capsum’s technology does meet in particular this need by limiting the use of surfactants. We make ours innovation, and change it into a cosmetic product.

Sébastien Bardon and Aea Marc - We also have a market complementarity, Capsum works with larger luxury groups and Genealogy is very experienced in developing contracts with smaller brands. In addition, our geographic areas are complementary. Capsum is present in Asia and France, and Genealogy in the United States and the UK.

Premium Beauty News - How did this partnership start in the first place?

Sébastien Bardon and Aea Marc - It all started with a meeting between Brian Fox and Sébastien Bardon which resulted in a common desire for co-creation as part of the product development but not only since we have pooled our forces for the prospecting of customers through a give and take and a joint presence on the trade shows. The teams have in addition also respectively made long stays in both companies to impregnate themselves with the cultures which are very compatible. Innovation being the same watch word for Capsum and for Genealogy.

Premium Beauty News - Do you already have some products resulting from your partnership?

Sébastien Bardon and Aea Marc - Yes, we have a first example with our joint collection RevOlution™. It consists of beads that are used to convey such values as luxury with caviar, of efficiency through the possibility to encapsulate and deliver high-potential actives which are however often difficult to stabilize, of sensoriality with very sophisticated and visually very beautiful textures. Each creation is designed so that each woman gets a visual, olfactory and sensory experience and can understand what is happening inside a product, and why not even play with it. We have combined in this collection: technology, high-quality cosmetic formulas and consumer experience. The packaging is very elaborated and ensures the transformation of beads into refined cosmetic products.

The official launch of RevOlution™ will take place in Bologna during the Cosmoprof, we will then be present at In-Cosmetics in Barcelona, MakeUp in Paris and MakeUp in New York.

Premium Beauty News - What is your target market?

Sébastien Bardon and Aea Marc - It is broad and adaptable according to formulas. We cover the premium with the serOm™ but we also have more affordable products. Each brand can be served by Capsum and Genealogy and for long too because we’re only at the beginning.