Why made in Switzerland? Swiss made skin care - ahead of the game
Switzerland enjoys an excellent reputation throughout the cosmetics industry thanks to the premium ingredients it uses in its products and the results of the extensive research and development it undertakes.
A wealthy country by tradition, Switzerland has invested heavily in R&D over the years and thus many innovative and highly sophisticated C&T products have emerged from this small country.
Premium quality ingredients are complemented by strict hygiene and safety rules plus the fact that Swiss companies focus largely on producing cosmetics tailored to specific needs. And it is the country’s wide range of expertise and modern production facilities that make this possible.
Although an affluent country, Switzerland’s financial fortunes have been mixed in the past. However, things have definitely taken an upturn in the past few years. In 2007, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Switzerland grew by 3.1% compared to the previous year’s figure. This was mainly due to the positive development of the private sector and to the favourable export climate. The rate of unemployment also fell in 2007 to 2.8% from 3.3%.
The cosmetics sector in turn benefited from the good economic situation, with all new categories registering good growth in that year. In fact, since 2002, export volumes of Swiss cosmetics and perfumes have increased from CHF740m per year to CHF860m according to SKW, the Swiss Cosmetic and Detergent Association, with the Swiss themselves apparently spending more on cosmetics than ever before.
According to SKW, its data for 2007 shows that the largest segment of the Swiss market was that of facial skin care with a 19.8% market share and nearly 50% of sales in this segment going to either day or night creams. Body care also performed well, holding 19.7% of the market. Hair care followed with 13% of the market, 12.8% went to women’s fragrances, colour cosmetics took 12.3% and male products took 8.4%. Next came oral care at 8.1% and the final piece of the pie was taken by sun care at 3.7%.
Main attractions
The Swiss market benefited from lots of innovation and enjoyed many new launches in 2007. In facial skin care, specific treatments, cleansing products and day/night creams achieved the most noticeable rise in sales. The body care arena doubled its revenues from 2006 rising by 7.1% in value terms. This was thanks to deodorants, shower products and body lotions having an extremely lucrative year. Hair care continued in the positive steps of 2006 putting on 7.8%. Shampoos alone made up over a third of the total value in this segment. Hairsprays and gels also performed noticeably well, while fixing mousse was the only area that slid in value, not recovering from the losses it experienced in 2006. Oral care grew in value by 9% overall with specific products adding to the traditional toothpaste, toothbrush and mouthwash sales. Colour cosmetics made CHF300m in 2007, with eyeliner and powder dominating the category according to SKW. Sun protection lines rose by 5.7% totalling CHF90m, with record results for self-tanning products, which have become a favourite among the Swiss. “This is a sector where the level of innovation is at an all time high and for this reason we can forecast good growth for the future,” says Prisca Lack from SKW.
Female fragrances have experienced weak performances in Switzerland in the past ten years but in 2007 they managed to grow by a small but optimistic 1.8%. Male grooming has also taken off, growing by 6.2%, with facial skin creams and cleansing products being the most popular formats whereas all shaving products saw sales diminishing somewhat, surprising considering the category’s overall levels of success.
Switzerland is among the world’s leading producers of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, besides being a leader in the banking and insurance sector. The latest scientific knowledge is also readily applied to cosmetics production. The C&T industry also benefits from the country’s highly qualified workforce performing highly skilled work in the fields of micro technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Suffice to say, nanotechnology has quickly become a very important part of the C&T industry in Switzerland with its influence evident in several areas. Nanotechnology takes place on the nanometer scale, a feat which has recently cast a shadow of controversy over the C&T industry. The use of nanoparticles has opened up possibilities for practical applications in a range of industries including cosmetics, and Switzerland, with its state of the art technology, has embraced it. For instance, sunscreen manufacturers have started using nanoparticles in place of bulk forms of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide because the smaller particle size reduces the visibility of the product. This could potentially mean solving one problem by creating another because the nanoparticles, while getting rid of the white streaks that creams sometimes leave behind, are believed to emit photoelectrons when exposed to UV light. These electrons in turn are said to induce the formation of free radicals that can cause damage that may lead to a host of future skin-related problems.
Despite the debate, many Swiss companies are making good use of nanoparticles. Leuenberger comments: “We use nanoparticles in our sunscreens because we view them as natural mineral filters. The debate over the use of nanoparticles rages on but as I see it there certainly is a need to invest more in this area. But consumers should be aware that nanotechnology doesn’t necessarily represent a danger by any means and opinion is divided on this. It also opens the door to several windows of opportunity in terms of innovation and development.”
La Prairie and Juvena, both owned by Beiersdorf, are the main Swiss companies to carry significant weight in this high tech sector with both experiencing loyal custom from the Swiss population.
Professor Gohla, vice president of research and development at La Prairie, comments on this matter: “At this time, micronized titanium dioxide pigments used as sunscreens are the only solid particles with a size that comes near to the nano range. Most of them are still bigger than 100 nanometers and their safety has been well established and they remain on the skin’s surface where they are removed by normal cleansing.” He also confirmed where La Prairie stands in terms of safety: “All ingredients used in our products are carefully selected and their safety is thoroughly assessed. We do additional assessments to test the finished products for compatibility on the skin of voluntary test patients. Only when they have been proven to be tolerant and utterly safe will they be launched onto the market.”
So whether courting controversy over its use of nanoparticles or making waves in the field of scientific development, Switzerland has become a country to take notice of in recent years. If its economic stability can be assured then there should be no reason for this flow of activity to be stemmed.
Source: Cosmeticsbusiness
