Cosmetics exports are increasing – Germany is the largest customer

The export of cosmetic products from France increased significantly last year, especially in the perfume and facial care sectors. Most of the exports went to the European Union with Germany as the largest customer, said the Association of the Cosmetics Industry (Febea) in Paris. In 2022, the export volume rose by 18.8 percent to 19.2 billion euros compared to the previous year.

Cosmetics worth 1.9 billion euros were exported to Germany, an increase of 21 percent. The world’s largest customer after the EU is the USA, followed by China. As early as 2021, the industry had slightly exceeded the exports of 2019 before the Corona crisis.

Lipsticks and perfume are particularly popular products. While French perfume sells best in the US, Germany and Spain, lipsticks are most sought after in China, Singapore and the US, followed by Germany.

The data showed that despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties and rising costs, French cosmetics continue to have a strong global appeal, said the head of the industry association, Emmanuel Guichard. Almost two thirds of French cosmetics production was exported. “Made in France” remains a key asset for the industry.

The lack of staff is causing problems for the cosmetics sector, which currently has 12,000 vacancies in France, as reported by the newspaper “Les Echos”. Companies complained that they could not do business because of a lack of skilled workers. In particular, smaller companies apart from the well-known large cosmetics brands are affected, and not just in the case of technical staff. (dpa)

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