François Tassart, Albéa: "Moving forward for the long term, staying resilient"

Premium Beauty News - In today’s complex market environment, how are you shaping Albéa’s strategy?

François Tassart - First and foremost, our ambition is to be the partner of choice for the beauty industry. Our relationships with customers are built on a long-term vision, even as we face economic instability and highly contrasting dynamics across regions and segments.

Fragrances, which surged after COVID, have slowed sharply, particularly due to destocking in 2024, with no rebound so far in 2025. Makeup is also experiencing difficulties in certain categories. The contrasts between regions and segments are considerable. In this context, our main growth levers remain innovation, product diversification, and targeted investments. We need to balance two approaches: maintaining our long-term commitments alongside our customers, while adapting our strategy with agility in the short term to navigate market fluctuations.

Premium Beauty News - Concretely, how are you reorganizing the group’s activities at the industrial level?

François Tassart - We are undergoing a permanent transformation of our industrial facilities. In France, we are refocusing on our core business, namely material transformation (injection molding), assembly, and decoration. The idea is to simplify our plants so that they can focus on their true added value.

In this context, we announced our plan to discontinue our galvanizing business, which is both highly regulated and increasingly distant from our core activities. Although this step is undoubtedly challenging, it will be carefully managed and closely supported by the group’s teams, with the utmost respect for all employees and their families affected.

At the same time, this refocusing is supported by structural investments in France. Earlier this year, we acquired the French mold manufacturer Conanec Industrie. We plan to expand this site, which will reinforce our control of the value chain and operate in close synergy with our mold shop in China. Internationally, we have strengthened our footprint in Latin America through the acquisition of Amfora Packaging, which runs a site in Bogotá with an integrated mold shop and a facility in Lima specializing in perfume caps. This positions us to serve the local market more effectively while also reaching North America and Brazil. Our strategy is clear: consolidate our operations in France while capturing growth opportunities abroad.

Premium Beauty News - What are the main growth markets today for your two businesses, Tubes and Cosmetics & Fragrance?

François Tassart - Several regions are showing particularly strong momentum. Southeast Asia, and especially Indonesia, is experiencing rapid growth, fueled both by exports and the rise of local brands. We are therefore increasing our investments in Indonesia, as well as in China. Latin America is another very dynamic region. Peru and Colombia - where we recently acquired Amfora Packaging - and Brazil all offer promising prospects. North America also remains a strategic market, but it requires us to rethink our industrial model by producing more locally instead of relying on imports from Asia. These high-potential regions are complemented by the more mature European markets, where demand is highly sophisticated and continues to stimulate innovation.

Premium Beauty News - In terms of product categories?

François Tassart - If we look at it in terms of products, certain segments are clearly driving growth. For our Tubes business, the toothpaste and oral hygiene market remains very dynamic, as do hair care and hair color. Tubes, when they incorporate innovations in design and sustainability, are a major driver. Conversely, we are seeing marked contrasts in makeup and perfume, with much more unstable cycles. For us, the growth markets are those where innovation in responsible and desirable packaging meets sustained consumer demand.

Premium Beauty News - You recently reorganized your Tubes and Cosmetics & Fragrance businesses. What was the objective?

François Tassart - In the tubes business, we have structured our operations around a global framework with two distinct divisions: healthcare (toothpaste and pharmacy) and beauty. While the needs of these divisions differ significantly, we maintain a consistent global strategy, complemented by local solutions tailored to the specific requirements of each division.

In Cosmetics & Fragrance (C&F), we are seeing a growing trend toward reshoring, particularly in Europe and the United States, across both masstige and prestige segments. This organizational structure enables us to combine proximity, agility, and competitiveness, while staying closely aligned with the unique expectations of each market.

Premium Beauty News - What role does your CSR commitment play in this context?

François Tassart - It’s been our priority for 20 years. We are Ecovadis Gold certified, with several sites already Platinum certified, and we are aiming for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2033 as part of the SBTi (Swiss Standards and Trademarks) initiative. There is also the traceability and transparency aspect; we are part of the TRACE consortium. We have an innovative approach that aligns with these constraints; approximately 6% of our revenue is reinvested in our industrial capabilities, employee training, and product innovation. Each year, we file between 15 and 30 patents, with teams dedicated to developing lighter, recyclable, refillable, or recycled packaging. We’re in the beauty sector, so whether it’s in the Tube or the C&F segment, we have a duty to innovate significantly. The idea is to create solutions that are efficient, desirable, and responsible, in line with the expectations of our customers and consumers. For example, in the Tube, Eco Top and Eco Slim perfectly combine performance, design, and sustainability with a 40% reduction in material. We are now rolling out all these sustainable innovations, which have already been adopted by the market with great success.

Premium Beauty News - What is your vision for the future?

François Tassart - I remain confident in the long-term growth outlook, driven by both demographic trends and the opportunities emerging in developing markets.

In the short term, however, we face significant uncertainty. Global economic instability is complicating our clients’ decision-making, leading them to be more cautious in their commitments. The primary risk stems from tariff tensions, particularly between the United States and China, which are putting pressure on supply chains. In response, our approach is to remain resilient and stay focused on the long term, continuing to support our clients and invest in our expertise — while acting responsibly in our human relations, social impact, and environmental footprint.