ACT Beauty, a French specialist in the creation of luggage, beauty, and fashion accessories in retail and promotional formats, as well as premium packaging solutions, has strengthened its position in the beauty sector with the acquisition of Lavay Paris, a company that has 10-year expertise in the creation of cosmetic products. ACT Beauty intends to use this acquisition to develop and diversify its offering by providing a full-service offer to its customers in Europe and North America, including the creation of turnkey products.
“Lavay Paris’ business is organised around a B2C activity, with its private label mainly distributed in Canada, Switzerland and Dubai, and a B2B activity, with a portfolio of customers operating in the beauty sector for whom the company develops turnkey products via industrial partners. We are mainly interested in this private label business,” explains Julien Briand, ACT Beauty’s Managing Director, interviewed by Premium Beauty News at Luxe Pack New York.
New Business Unit
This new external growth deal closed at the beginning of the year, has enabled ACT Beauty to further strengthen its position in the beauty sector with a genuine full-service offer. A new Beauty BU has been created, headed by Amélie Jumel, who has brought to the company more than ten years of experience in product development, regulatory compliance, quality assurance and quality control in the cosmetics sector.
“Thanks to these new areas of expertise, ACT Beauty is strengthening its ability to offer turnkey products with reduced lead times, in full compliance with international standards and with reduced requirements in terms of minimum quantities – a major asset in winning over new customers,” stresses Julien Briand.
The Lille-based company plans to expand its product offering, in particular, by addressing strong demand for beauty accessories, complementary products for Advent calendars and limited editions.
ACT Beauty also plans to create cosmetics ranges under the “Bien Faire” label, drawing on the expertise of its previous acquisition in eco-design and traceability. After having been applied to the Group’s textile products, the “Bien Faire” label is now being extended to beauty accessories.
Strong ambitions in North America
With current sales of around EUR 18 million worldwide, ACT Beauty aims to position itself as a key player in the beauty sector in Europe and North America. The company already has a subsidiary in the United States, its main export market.
“The brands and major retail players in North America are fertile ground for the development of our new Cosmetics BU. The team dedicated to this unit, consisting of three people in 2024, with the support of ACT Beauty’s cross-functional teams, will work on designing ranges, sourcing primary packaging, and responding to customer briefs,” explains Julien Briand.
The new BU aims to achieve sales of EUR 2 million by the end of 2024 and double this figure by 2025. The US market, with its strong demand for comprehensive services, is seen as a key driver of this growth.
The acquisition of Lavay Paris and the creation of the Cosmetics BU represent a major strategic step in consolidating ACT Beauty’s position as a full-service cosmetic provider to the beauty industry.
“We are not only strengthening our cosmetics and beauty offering but also clarifying our positioning with brands and retailers in the sector. We aim to relieve our customers of the constraints of minimum order quantities, the famous MOQs, and to handle the management of regulatory compliance, a key service in the beauty sector,” concludes Julien Briand.
Portfolio
