With almost 1,000 people across the two production sites of Jundiaí and Mogi das Cruzes, in the state of São Paulo, Albéa Group develops and produces laminate tubes, rigid cosmetics packaging and dispensing systems for perfumes, deodorants and lotions, offering a wide array of beauty solutions for major market players. “Brazil is a rather closed market due to import taxes and to the strength of local cosmetics groups, so the key is to produce locally. Mostly because of macroeconomics, the cosmetics market is not growing as fast as it used to, but it still offers a lot of space to develop, given the average consumption level per capita in some segments” explains Paula Froes, Sales & Marketing Director Albéa Brazil.
A solution for all cosmetics segments
The perfume segment, which ranks the Brazilian market first on the global level, represents the biggest activity of Albéa Group in Brazil, through its dispensing systems and cap expertise. “Body sprays are very popular here, whether for fragrances or deodorants”, adds Paula Froes.
On the makeup segment, Albéa Brazil covers most needs with a great variety of products for lipsticks, glosses, mascaras and compact powders. Two lipstick mechanisms are offered and produced in the country. Then, Albéa designs and manufactures the whole lipstick packaging, using their global and local expertise.
“Lips represents a very prominent category for the Brazilian consumers. On a wider scale, influencers and Millennials keep pushing for the development of the makeup segment in Brazil, so it is an excellent opportunity for our customers and therefore for us,” explains the Sales & Marketing Director.
As regards dispensing systems for deodorants, Albéa is a favourite supplier in Brazil, in particular with the spray caps and dispensing systems. And the hair care market is not lagging behind, with laminate tubes and the high-quality Panache pumps.
The players on the Brazilian market find their own solutions for all product categories thanks to Albéa. “What matters most is to understand our customers’ expectations and meet them with innovative solutions,” says Paula Froes.
In Brazil, the top beauty trends are the same as everywhere else - sustainability, premiumization, speed-to-market - but they need to be addressed with Brazilian flair. For example, Albéa provides responsible packaging solutions, develops sophisticated packaging that remain accessible to Brazilian consumers; and invests in automation, decoration and innovation to shorten time-to-market.
Innovation and sophistication
A large part of the activity is dedicated to innovation, with 40 people and dedicated resources. The group also banks on more luxurious finishing techniques. “There is a premiumization trend here, too. And although Brazilians are sensitive to price, they are attracted to high-end packaging. Launches are getting more and more luxurious to compete with sophisticated foreign brands. Local companies are offering more sophisticated products at higher prices than Brazilian consumers were used to, but they are still much less expensive than what imported luxury brands offer. To meet this trend, we need to offer innovative decoration services and more complex products,” explains Paula Froes. The company needs to demonstrate its creativity to adapt to local prices in this need for sophistication.
Two major investments were recently made accordingly for the Mogi plant, with a new UV metallization line and a new flexo decoration line for laminate tubes.
Time-to-market and sustainability
In Brazil, just like everywhere else, time-to-market keeps reducing and requires more flexibility. To meet this requirement, Albéa has dedicated a huge investment to the automation of their production lines.
Lastly, in line with the group’s commitment to making packaging that are safe, circular and with lower environmental impact, the Brazilian site has placed environmental protection at the core of its concerns. “Since the start of the design and technical development of a product, we think about it – the choice of the shape, the materials to be used, the recyclability, without forgetting the aesthetics. As for manufacturing processes, measures were implemented to reduce waste and consumption of energy and water,” concludes Paula Froes.
