Co-organized by Oriental Beauty Valley, L’Oréal China and WWD Beauty Inc China, the China-France Cosmetic Industry Development Summit titled “Technology Empowerment — Reinventing Beauty Experiences” was one of the highlights of the 4th Oriental Beauty Valley International Cosmetic Conference, which took place from Nov. 7 to 9 in Shanghai’s Fengxian District’s Oriental Beauty Valley and gathered representatives of the international and local beauty industry to share their thoughts and insights for the industry’s future.
During the summit Oriental Beauty Valley, L’Oréal China and WWD Beauty Inc China launched the Shanghai International Cosmetics Brands Alliance for Sustainable Development to foster cooperation and exchange between Chinese and French cosmetic companies and create new synergies for the sustainable development of the beauty industry.
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Attended by Mr. Luo Dajin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Fengxian District Committee of Shanghai, Mr. Xavier Chatte-Ruols, Commercial Consul of the Consulate General of France in Shanghai and Deputy Director of Business France in China, Mr. Li Yi, Party Secretary of Fengxian District Economic Committee and District Investment Promotion Office, Mr. Zhou Ruyi, Secretary of Party Committee and Chairman of Oriental Beauty Valley Group, Mr. Yuan Fei, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee and General Manager of Oriental Beauty Valley Group, Mr. Bentham Liu, Founder of WWD China and Chairman of Chinamind Next Interculture Group, Mr. Fabrice Megarbane, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, Mr. Zheng Chunying, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oriental Beauty Valley Industry Promotion Center and Chairman and President, of Jala Group, Mr. Hardeep Rana, Manufacturing and Technical Director at L’Oréal North Asia and Mr. Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, General Manager of Centdegrés Greater China, the summit explored how to promote and deepen exchange between Chinese and French cosmetic companies through technology and innovation to better meet the needs of consumers in both countries.
In his opening speech, Mr. Luo Dajin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Fengxian District Committee of Shanghai expressed his high expectations toward the summit: ”I look forward to this event to present an inspiring exchange of insights and ideas and to promote cooperation and exchange and with a new global vision to continue to explore the DNA of technological innovation, continue to create state-of-the-art beauty technology, and continue to explore new opportunities for industrial development. Today Shanghai’s beauty industry will go global.”
The French ambassador to China, Mr. Laurent Bili, who could not attend the summit in person, delivered an opening video speech, sharing his thoughts on the latest cooperation project between Oriental Beauty Valley and L’Oréal China, the BIG BANG Beauty Tech Startup Challenge: “The BIG BANG Beauty Startup Tech Challenge has received a great deal of attention from all parties, reflecting the ambitions and dynamism of French and Chinese companies in the Chinese market, which is now increasingly important as a test area for developing new production, distribution and consumption practices.”
Mr. Fabrice Megarbane, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, Mr. Zheng Chunying, Chairman and President of Jala Group and Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, General Manager of Centdegrés Greater China, delivered keynote speeches on behalf of their companies and shared their insights on the promotion of cultural and economic exchange between China and France within the beauty industry.
Representing Oriental Beauty Valley’s strategic partner and co-organizer of the summit, WWD Beauty Inc China, Founder and Chairman of Chinamind Next Interculture Group, Mr. Bentham Liu took a look back at the history of Chinese-French relationships with his opening speech titled “Louis XIV and Emperor Kangxi — A Beautiful Rendezvous between Chinese and French Culture”, and showed how a professional media platform like WWD Beauty Inc can promote communication and exchange between China and the world today.
Paying tribute to the industry’s efforts to adapt a more sustainable business model, the Shanghai International Cosmetics Brands Alliance for Sustainable Development was officially inaugurated during the summit, and welcomed its first founding members, among them two titans of the Chinese and French beauty industry — Mr. Zheng Chunying, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oriental Beauty Valley Industry Promotion Center and Chairman and President of Jala Group, and Ms. Lan Zhenzhen, Chief Corporate Affairs and Public Coordination Officer of L’Oréal North Asia and China, who joined Ms. Léna Yang, Cofounder and Head of Strategy of WWD China on the stage for the official launch ceremony.
The launch of the Shanghai International Cosmetic Brand Sustainability Alliance marks an important step combining the strength of China and France’s beauty industry to provide support for an innovative and integrated development, showcasing France and China’s strong commitment to achieve a sustainable future as Léna Yang presented the core six initiatives promoted by the alliance. From in-depth cooperation on realizing the U.N.’s SDGs with a strong focus on implementing carbon-neutrality through the supply chain, securing biodiversity and social empowerment, to fostering responsible consumption, from establishing an exchange platform for Chinese and French cosmetic companies to share best practices and promote technological innovation and cooperation, to improving product safety and quality.
One of the most highly anticipated presentations at the summit was a panel discussion on technology and innovation led by Johannes Neubacher, WWD China Cofounder and Head of Content, and Lena Yang, WWD China Cofounder and Head of Strategy. Five industry representatives and communication experts discussed the key issues the cosmetic industry is facing today and how this issues can be tackled through technological innovation.
Yuan Fei, General Manager of Oriental Beauty Valley Group, shared the success story of Oriental Beauty Valley’s cooperation with France’s Beauty Valley, a cosmetic industry cluster founded by Jean-Luc Ansel and the broad support, Oriental Beauty Valley is providing to local and international cosmetic companies.
Hagen Wülferth, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer of L’Oréal North Asia stressed China’s important role regarding L’Oréal’s technology innovation: “L’Oréal has been in China for 24 years and 20 years since China joined the WTO and has witnessed and experienced China’s development first-hand. We are bringing inspirations from all over the world to contribute to the innovation of China’s beauty industry”. Mr. Wülferth also pointed out that all development of beauty technology must start from understanding the consumer, and China, as a huge beauty consumer market, is naturally the first choice for L’Oréal to develop beauty technology innovation.
Anita Ching, Vice President of Omni Marketing of LVMH- Sephora China, shared Sephora’s philosophy of bringing the best the cosmetic industry has to offer to the Chinese consumer, as well as supporting upcoming C-Beauty brands to go global through its global network and expertise in product and brand building.
Kiki Fan, General Manager of Industrial Sales Operations at Tencent Marketing Solution and Vice President of Sales and Tencent Smart Retail, focused on the importance of choosing the right digital strategy, which has to go beyond providing online sales channels: “Digital platforms need to work with brands to create qualitative GMV. Future brands should strengthen consumer experience, channels and services to ensure user experience can overcome time and space constraints, and can reduce the barriers for users to visit the store.”
With the beauty industry having become a hotbed of investor activity in recent years, resulting in unprecedented innovation and growth across the industry, Duan Lanchun, managing partner at Cathay Capital shared her insights from an investor’s point of view, stating that brands who are currently only growing through marketing efforts like KOL livestreaming and social media e-commerce are no longer the focus of investors. Only companies who can deliver product power, strong operation capabilities and especially brands that are strongly rooted in China’s local beauty culture, will be at the future focus of capital.
Another highlight of the summit was the Award Ceremony of the second L’Oréal BIG BANG Beauty Tech Startup Challenge. Earlier this year, on May 18, China’s first technological entrepreneurship contest for the beauty industry, was launched at the Nine Trees Future Art Center in Fengxian District. Winners receive funding, resources and training as well as incubation services from the valley, China’s largest cosmetics and health industrial hub. The competition has also been collaborating with Business France to launch international cooperation in technologies, professionals and other innovation elements.
The first Big Bang competition last year attracted over 500 start-ups. Ten projects were selected and incubated with support from L’Oréal China. This year’s competition focused on customer experience, supply chain operation and future products. L’Oréal China said it will integrate its departments and brands to expand development space for winning companies. The winners get the opportunity to take part in its experimental projects as well as receive investment.
The award ceremony was hosted by Katia Lan, L’Oréal China Consumer Centricity project director, followed by a presentation by a representative of Business France China on the promotion and development of the industry and the facilitation of flow of technology, talent, innovation and cooperation between France and China.
About Oriental Beauty Valley:
Oriental Beauty Valley was launched in 2015 and has rapidly developed into one of the leading industry clusters, helping companies to explore both domestic and international markets and becoming an ideal option for foreign companies keen to enter the Chinese market. The valley is home to more than 400 cosmetics companies, accounting for a quarter of the city’s total. It aims to be on par with France’s Cosmetic Valley in Eure-et-Loir and Loiret, and Japan’s Saito Life Science Park in Osaka. Some 135 leading cosmetics brands, including Jala, Pechoin, Chicmax and Marie Dalgar have opened manufacturing centers or marketing headquarters in the valley since it was launched six years ago.