Established in 1990, the Italian company Artcosmetics has developed and consolidated itself, becoming an important firm at national and international level working on all aspects concerning cosmetic formulation, from conception to production. In a brief interview, Federica Origo, Vice President of the company, presented Artcosmetics, born as family factory and rapidly grown up in the last 23 years, counting today on more than one hundred employees, four manufacturing sites and two logistic plans.
Which is the history till now of your company, of its brand and products?
Artcosmetics is a family company, born in 1990 from the willingness and technical expertise of my father Piero Origo. We strongly grew up over the past 23 years and today we are proud of owning a big production company in the field of make up, supported by a considerable know-how and thousands of formulations in our product portfolio. In the mid ā90s, thanks partly to the formulations of the in-house R&D structure, we started our multi-client commercial development, and in 2001 we inaugurated the Mozzanica branch. In the period from 2002 and 2006 we followed a targeted commercial policy and we were able to become an established manufacturer and milestone on the Italian market. In 2006, the increasingly vast and innovative range of formulas developed allowed us to promote our products on a worldwide scale, and in 2007 the Lustrous generation was born and patented, resulting in an immediate success. It consists in a unique eyeshadow characterised by an unprecedented sensory touch, being a pressed powder with a soft texture that resembles a cream or mousse. In 2008, to satisfy the constant demands of our customers, we opened two new and innovative manufacturing sites. At the same time, on the wave of the previous success two new products were patented: Cosmic Touch and Soft Glow. The former is a pressed powder and represents the first ābakedā product made entirely without talc, parabens, oil, scent or binders, resulting in an ultra-light, silky texture. The latter is a hybrid product that can take on any form, incredibly creamy, plastic and highly malleable. In 2009 through our in-house Quality Assurance function, we obtained the certificates UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 and ECOCERT. A Logistics Centre opened in 2010 and a new functional manufacturing site in 2011; we then obtained the certificate GMP ISO 22716:2007. Finally, we inaugurated sales offices in NYC and Paris in 2012, the same year when a new concept of product was developed: AQUARELLO, a multifunctional product that can be used on eyes, face, lips and decolleĢteĢ, combining feeling and softness of a cream with a shiny release of colors and the long wearing properties of a baked product.
How do you describe your company in few words, in terms of business organization, turnover and market areas?
Artcosmetics is a company highly flexible. Our best selling points are definitely a perfect service and the high quality, held constant despite an exponential growth in turnover (to give an example, the estimate for 2013 speaks of +30% compared to 2012). Our target markets are the most important in cosmetic field, and we devote so much attention to French, American, German, Spanish, Asian, Japanese, and of course Italian market.
Which are your main products for cosmetic applications and what kind of business strategy do you follow in this field?
Artcosmetics formulates and manufactures any type of product except nail polish and pencils, whose processing would need a completely different plant and productive lines. Particular attention is daily devoted to creativity, in order to develop continuously new products, and to study emerging markets and reference bench. We always participate in trade fairs on fashion trends, crucial events to get inspiration to create innovative products in line with customer demands. We have strong and frequent relationships with particular suppliers who can offer us innovative raw materials in order to propose to the market new and very attractive products. On the other hand, originality and innovation could rise up in processing, and we therefore acquire machinery of the latest technology to be able to produce innovative and avant-garde products. Following these not simple rules, you have the key of success to grow up in a market sector now saturated of competitors.
Which is your customer care policy?
The first rule to be followed in the business relationship with our customers is the transparency: when we develop new products, often complicate to be processed and produced, we must be honest in communicating to customer how and when such a product can be actually realized. Second rule are service quickness and flexibility in logistic and production flow: for example we often produce in few days close to delivery when the packaging arrives late. Third rule is Ā«problem solvingĀ» that means never give up processing a new product, if during its creation troubles rise up, issues that can not even compete to Artcosmetics such as careless realization of its packaging; we always try to address our expertise to solve problems and get best results.
Could you describe present and future plans of your company?
In 2013 many products really innovative were born. Among them, our clients particularly appreciated three new items: – Stainy Lip Lacquer is an innovative lacquer for lips, unmistakably fresh due to the high water content, atypical for a product for lips. Emulsion gives smoothing sensation, while gel structure, rich in emollients and brightening agents, ensures a shiny lucid effect. The long-lasting stain effect is guaranteed by the presence of special dyes that attach themselves to the lips. The result is intense and shiny, incredibly long-lasting. – Natural Nude CC Cream is a formulation that comes from deep research in the field of special raw materials. Feeling typically like silicone emulsion, creamy, smooth, easy to be applied, it melts on your face like a second skin for a nude effect without imperfections. Applied with or without the traditional moisturizer, this new CC cream gives a unique skin feeling, Ā«softenedĀ» and soothed, with a natural matt finish. – Supple Eyeshadow is not just an eyeshadow, but a new sensory experience of its kind. The innovative texture is typically malleable, deformable under the pressure exerted by the fingertips during the withdrawal of the product thanks to its special structure. Unique to the touch, the color fades easily releasing an imperceptible long-lasting film on the skin. In 2014, our plans are to discover and to apply other many innovations to our products.
Artcosmetics the Figures
It is a constantly growing company. With a corporate management system designed to satisfy all customerās needs, from product study and formulation to manufacturing and assembly, Artcosmetics can count on: 1 head office, 4 manufacturing sites and 2 logistics sites; 130 employees; 160 customers distributed throughout Europe, North America, Middle East, Asia and Australia; 21,8 Mā¬ and 24,9 Mā¬ the turnover of 2011 and 2012, respectively; over 50000 formulations.
Market segments and R&D
Artcosmetics has always prided itself on offering its customers a complete and avant-garde range of cosmetic products, supplying anhydrous, emulsions, powders and baked powders. Anhydrous use last generation raw materials, are long-lasting and ensure high pigmentation and good colour release. They form thin, comfortable film, and consist in many different products: from lipsticks to glosses, from compact foundations to all-over. Among Emulsions we list foundation, eyeliner, primer, gel eyeshadow, mascara and many other products. Our laboratories create every year new formulas to satisfy all market demands and each customer specific needs. Artcosmetics Powders production is divided in loose powders and compact ones. Originality, excusivity, innovation in terms of concepts, customization: these are some of the pluses that characterized this market segment. High performances and high qualitative standard are Baked Powders intrinsic characteristics: two patented formulas and different textures with different make up results and sensoriality make Artcosmetics a protagonist in manufacturing these kind of products. Eyeshadows, Powders, Bronzers and Blushers are produced with innovative methods. R&D is one of the Artcosmetics strongest points. The research and development laboratories constantly work in search of innovative raw materials and avant-garde formulas. Our R&D laboratories are organised as follows: one lab is devoted to work on Anhydrous and Emulsions, another one is finding new insights in Powders and a third lab is oriented on Research and Development for Baked Powders.
by L.Galetto