Misha Riveros-Jacobson, Rexam Plastic Packaging, Personal Care Division

Premium Beauty News - To start with, tell us more about the Personal Care division!

Misha Riveros-Jacobson - Formed in 2007, this division is primarily a supplier of packaging solutions with a worldwide production capacity. It is the business partner o many cosmetic products manufacturers (perfumes, care) and in hygiene and household products. It is one of the three business units under the Rexam Plastic Packaging umbrella. It focuses on three markets: Cosmetics, Toiletries and Household Care.

The turnover of Rexam Plastic is about 1.2 billion UK pounds, equally split between the three divisions: Personal Care, Healthcare, Closures.

The Personal Care division is one of the market leaders in perfume and lotion pumps and closures for perfumes and cosmetic creams. We are also the leader in the field of perfume and lotion samplers and in non-aerosol foam pumps. We are leaders in lipstick cases, and second in make-up cases. As for Household Care applications we are the leading manufacturer of custom high volume products with special expertise in innovative package design and engineering, multi-shot moulding, in-mould labelling and a full range of value-added capabilities for the global custom injection moulding business.

Our clients include prestigious brands such as Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal, LVMH, Unilever and others, located throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. We have the ambition of becoming a powerful worldwide supplier of packaging solutions that builds brands while maximizing their profitability.

Finally, and I probably should have started there, we are of course part of the Rexam group. whose turnover is around £ 4.8 billion, with a staff of 22,000 across 105 manufacturing facilities in more than 20 countries.

Premium Beauty News - On your arrival at the head of the Personal Care Division, what were your observations and the options you chose?

Misha Riveros-Jacobson - Immediately, it became clear to me that we possessed a unique industrial asset, consisting in the offer of global and integrated technologies that met the needs of our three markets. We must therefore take full advantage of this tool and transversally maximize technology synergies in order to fully satisfy our clients operating in one or more markets. It is no longer a matter of just selling the pump, or the closure or just make-up..., it’s actually a question of understanding and taking into consideration the individual needs of our clients in order to offer them global solutions meeting their expectations on their favourite markets.

This new market approach has led to a re-organization of our sales teams by clients. In order to provide them with a global offer of technologies, a single privileged interlocutor is chosen to meet their different needs in their different markets. The last point being that we needed to innovate more and capitalize on our Research Centre in Chicago, which remains a perfect example of its type, to develop with our clients innovative packaging solutions.

Innovation is the driving force behind our business and we have continued to offer innovative solutions to our clients. For example the launches Glossy Days, a new collection of eight patented lip gloss applicators, each of them featuring its own visual and tactile advantages.
In addition, we have just showcased our Nea Airless at Luxe Pack New York.

Premium Beauty News - A few words about this new Airless.

Misha Riveros-Jacobson - In anticipation of increasing demand for lotion dispensers providing high-performance protection, Rexam relied on its dual expertise concerning neutral pumps and airless pack for the launch of the new standard Nea airless line: a pack offering dual protection for fragile formulas.

The heart of the Nea Airless is the Nea engine itself, first introduced in 2008 at Luxe Pack Monaco. Designed without elastomer, the Nea atmospheric pump is fitted with a glass ball and a spring placed outside the closing chamber, which assures metal-free formula flow, complete neutrality and protection against formula discoloration and incompatibility. The pump is engineered for smooth actuation, precise dosage and high suction force to handle today’s most viscous and sensitive products.

We offer this new airless solution in a 30ml, 50ml and, soon, 15ml version and two designs (large, lockable actuator, with- or without cap), and with global, end-to-end, support and service. The Nea Airless is easy to top-fill under atmospheric conditions on high-speed lines - Thanks to our patented SnapOn® technology. Complete high-end decoration, such as hot stamping, silk screening or vacuum metallization, is available.

Premium Beauty News - Your global industrial presence is obviously quit an asset!

Misha Riveros-Jacobson - A very big asset, indeed! Our presence in Asia, Latin America (in particular Brazil with its fast growing economy), Europe, Central America, the United States can only help us grow significantly in our clients major markets.

Premium Beauty News - Yes, but you were appointed at the worst time of an economic crisis unprecedented since fifty years.

Misha Riveros-Jacobson - Personal Care was impacted by a slowdown in the fragrance and cosmetics market in both the US and Europe resulting in a significant drop in volume. The stabilization of our results in the second half was the consequence on the one hand of strong demand for foam pumps, following the H1N1 outbreak, and secondly on improved demand for lotion products as well as some new product launches as clients’ confidence returned. In general, clients worked to smaller batch sizes and shorter order commitments whilst retailers reduced stock holding and expected suppliers to be more flexible and to be able to cope with any fluctuations in demand. We acted swiftly to the drop in demand with cost saving initiatives, including plant closures, plant restructuring, headcount reductions, salary freezes and furloughs.

Premium Beauty News - In this race for excellence, Rexam Personal Care seems to have changed gear in recent months, like for example through your communication.

Misha Riveros-Jacobson - I’m quite pleased this is noticeable. You’ve probably also noticed the publication of these "infomercials" with the first wave concerning the "Art of Spray" and you will very soon see the second wave on the Protection and distribution of fragile formulas. All this gives you a chance to see our desire to express ourselves on cross-cutting topics concerning issues our clients are very much aware of. Not to mention the systematic release, upon agreement of our clients, of communiqués on our achievements.

We have also started attending trade shows, the next one being MakeUp in Paris.