In a global cosmetics market that expanded by approximately 5%, Schwan Cosmetics recorded a roughly 1% decline in sales in its 2024–2025 financial year, with revenue falling from EUR 372.9 million to EUR 369.3 million.
"The industry is undergoing profound change,” explains the company’s CEO, Tomás Espinosa. "New regional brands are gaining market share, while global players are shifting their products and processes to be able to react to regional needs faster. Asia is becoming a growth engine, while Europe is losing its momentum. Platforms such as TikTok are significantly reducing the product life cycles, requiring the industry to increase innovation by reducing time to market. Products are created, tested, and marketed, often within a matter of days. Fast beauty has become ultra-fast beauty."
Schwan Cosmetics highlights the high level of price sensitivity, in both premium and mass markets, as well as the stagnating demand for eye and brow products, while lips and face beauty items remained particularly popular.
Regionalized and customized solutions
To navigate these challenges, the company has prioritized operational streamlining, stricter cost management, and gains in production efficiency.
However, for Tomás Espinosa, “perpetual cost-cutting is not a long-term solution.” Instead, the executive is focusing on strategies that are firmly anchored in market transformation.
Thus, Tomás Espinosa plans to further accelerate development processes and invest in key technologies, while continuing to address the specific needs of certain markets — particularly in Asia — where demand for liquid formula applications is strong. The Blur Me Away line, for example, aligns closely with the current success of K-beauty.
In addition, Schwan Cosmetics developed a new packaging platform that offers beauty brands more opportunities for customization.
Progress has also been made in the field of sustainability, as demonstrated by the Platinum certification received from EcoVadis.
Schwan Cosmetics is the main division of the Schwan-STABILO Group, alongside its writing instruments business, which recorded EUR 199.1 million in sales in the 2024–2025 financial year, and its outdoor equipment division, which generated EUR 188.7 million, with the brands such as Deuter, Maier Sports, and Gonso.
