The challenges of cosmetics between new generations, sustainability and international markets

«The consumer is at the center of our strategy and this is very challenging because there are many brands as well as targets and distribution channels»: this is how Federica Polinori, CEO and general manager of The Estée Lauder Companies Italia, described the development model of the cosmetics giant with 15.6 billion dollars in net sales in 2024 at the Il Sole 24 Ore Luxury Summit 2025.

"Our strengths are our portfolio of over 20 brands that span all categories of luxury cosmetics, and innovation, which is essential for a very dynamic and growing sector. The challenge for us is to ensure that our historic brands remain consumers' favorites, but also to add new brands. The emblem of our "hero" products is the iconic Estée Lauder serum, which after 40 years is still the market leader with 60 thousand pieces sold per year and which we have renewed in the formula and more sustainable packaging. To remain competitive in the serum segment, but not only, we have added The Ordinary to our portfolio, a new vegan and sustainable brand. The codes of luxury are changing."

For Davide Bollati, president of the Davines group - active in the professional cosmetics sector with the Davines haircare and Comfort Zone skincare brands -, luxury «is relationship, connection, putting humanism at the center of the economy by pursuing organic growth in a holistic system at all levels of corporate decision making. We are a company born from a small artisan laboratory created by my parents that then grew internationally: 80% of our turnover comes from abroad where we have about ten branches. We have developed thanks to a mix of sustainability and performance and ten years ago we became BCorp».

For the second consecutive year, the group has been included among the Beauty Inc Top 100 of the international magazine Wwd , a ranking that brings together the leaders of the global cosmetics market by classifying manufacturing companies by turnover. "This achievement has an even more special meaning for us if we consider that among the 100 leading companies in the global cosmetics market, only twelve are unlisted, do not have investment funds in their shareholding structure and have grown completely organically without having carried out M&A operations of other brands - commented Bollati -. And the fact of being part of this small group of family and independent companies is further confirmation of the strength of our business model, guided by a long-term vision that puts beauty, sustainability and innovation at the center".

The Davines group - which in 2024 reached 295 million euros in turnover with a 12% increase - is a historic protagonist of the most important cosmetics fair in the world, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna. "A fair organizer must be good at photographing and reading the market moment because the market wins over everything and you have to follow it - explained Enrico Zannini, general manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof -. Bologna has remained the most important beauty fair in the world because the Italian cosmetics industry is a leader and the two parties - the fair on one side and exhibiting companies on the other - have helped each other grow. The fair hosts the entire supply chain, from packaging to machinery to subcontracting to product brands. It also has a strong rate of internationality: just think that 75% of the exhibitors come from abroad with visitors arriving from 150 countries. Another factor that contributed to the development of Cosmoprof was the strategy of bringing the brand around the world: now we have six editions, three in Asia and two in the United States in addition to the Italian one.