L’Oréal, the global cosmetics giant, has just opened in Lyons (France), a research centre unique in its field, fully dedicated to the predictive assessment of safety and efficacy of ingredients and cosmetic products. A location that owes nothing to chance! This brand new centre falls in line with the extended activities of the Episkin SNC company, one of L’Oréal’s subsidiary, specialized in skin engineering. Precisely, the creation of artificial skin, tissue and cellular engineering, molecular designing are all specialties of researchers in Lyons.

Long considered as the hub of excellence in dermocosmetological research in France and Europe, the Lyons region seemed to give way to other players, perhaps better organized. A situation that Dominique Bouvier, CEO and President of the European Centre of dermocosmetology (CED) in Lyons, wants to bring an end to.

Created in 1962 in Lyons, the CED was at the time a very innovative organisation since one of its first objectives was to unit researchers and industrialists. Details are given to us by Pr Marie-Claude Martini, a member of the board of the CED, interviewed by Premium Beauty News:


Dominique Bouvier is convinced that the CED is the ideal tool to help the excellence of local researchers and industrialists collectively stand out. "It is obvious that Cosmetology is suffering from a lack of visibility in the Lyons region, despite the high level of its researchers and of many leading companies in the sector. It must be said that the regional industrial network is both dense and very diversified. We have undertaken a lot of work to highlight the excellence of the sector in the area by targeting both the industry and the general public."

And these efforts are bearing fruit. In February, the CED organized its 25th European Days on the theme of the use of stem cells in dermocosmetology and it was a success considering the number of delegates and the interest generated by the work presented.

According to Frédéric Bonté, in charge of LVMH’s Scientific Communications for Perfume and Cosmetic Research, these European Days are a unique opportunity for researchers to share and exchange:


According to Alain Denis, Global R&D Director of BASF Beauty Care Solutions, links with basic research organizations are essential for innovation, especially in the domain of actives:


In conjunction with this event, the Museum of Textiles and of Decorative Arts of Lyons was launching the exhibition ’Luxury Lips’, relating for the general public, the saga of lipstick. "An opportunity to enhance the work of formulation, packaging or design manufacturers who usually stay in the shadows of their products," explained Bouvier. There too, success was the one expected since the duration of the exhibition had to be extended an extra month.

A series of initiatives that the CED intends to renew with in focus, the organisation of a satellite-relayed scientific day of the IFSCC’s World Congress (International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists) in 2014. Quite enough to impart Lyons with a taste of capital of cosmetic research!