Having long cultivated an upcycling technology since it was founded in 1977, and long banked on responsible, transparent supply chains, Expanscience now boasts a catalogue of ingredients and a positioning perfectly in line with new alternative brands’ expectations.
“It is true that we have a 100% natural, local offering with many certifications, including Fair Trade (Fair for Life, Fair Wild), organic labels (Ecocert, COSMOS), and ERI 360, and that we have been working for years on the upcycling issue, in line with our zero-waste philosophy. It is an asset, because beyond the scientific aspect, we can also create a lot of storytelling content for our ingredients, which meets a real need for these brands eager to enhance their marketing arguments”, says Armelle Le Peniec, Director of the Cosmetic Actives Division of Laboratoires Expanscience.
Trendy actives
Beyond an upcycled origin, the active and scientific aspects of the Expanscience products are in line with the trends and compositions expected by this young generation of brands, like solid cosmetics which, thanks to a molecular distillation process of the Laboratoires, find an answer in oily actives applicable to anhydrous formulas.
“We also have the scientific elements to substantiate our efficacy data, like in vitro tests and clinical studies, and they will be able to use that. It is important for these small brands, because they do not always have an efficacy laboratory”, adds Angeline Rocherieux, Marketing & Key Accounts Director of Laboratoires Expansciences.
These brands can also find an active answer to their usually inclusive, bold positioning, as can be seen with the enthusiasm shown for the brand new active Calybiota® Bio: it rebalances the skin microbiome of the vaginal flora and contributes to improving women’s sexual comfort.
“Most brands who offer this type of products are indie brands”, says Thara Hocine, Area Manager in charge of the Laboratoires’ market research on this profile of brands.
“They are independent brands, most of which emerged thanks to digital technologies, and which target either an application segment or a population segment, a specific market. They are often created based on an issue for which they have not found a solution on the market. So, they provide an answer in a clean beauty environment, and they share it with their communities with which they create a very close relationship. It is also important for us as a supplier, to enjoy this closeness with them”, she adds.
An indiscriminate support programme
In fact, this new generation of entrepreneurs mainly have a marketing concept and are not always specialized in the scientific approach to formulation. To support them at this stage, Expanscience takes the time to understand them.
“We spend the time needed to clear it all, understand their needs, and find the answer. We make no distinction: we have no small customers, we only have customers, and we are close to each and every one of them”, explains Armelle Le Peniec.
In practice, these small brands like the affordable minimum orders they are offered (starting from 50 g for certain powders), and the high reactivity to different demands, in particular technical and regulatory ones.
A win-win situation
These beauty startups can trust the corporate commitments of the group, a UEBT and B Corp member, because, overall, they echo their positioning. In Expanscience, they find a set of crucial elements to their creation and development.
For Expanscience, this experience is an obvious choice to contribute to redefining the market’s future. “We know they are tomorrow’s brands”, concludes Angeline Rocherieux.
