Since assuming the CEO role a year and a half ago, Karine Melloul has highlighted the corporation’s French-Swiss roots and its distinct integrated strategy toward beauty and care. With renewed expansion, the firm now intends to reach EUR 50 million in turnover in the near future.
“Returning from consultancy and investment to an active position responsible to investors was a risk,” concedes Karine Melloul. After eighteen months, the risk has proven successful. A chemical engineer by education, Melloul previously was employed at Solvay and L’Oréal, where she spearheaded innovation initiatives. Currently, she has guided the French-Swiss manufacturer back to an upward development path.
When Karine Melloul became part of MS Beautilab in early 2024, the business was undergoing a significant restructuring. Following a period of strategic readjustment, it re-centered on its fundamental proficiency — emulsions, powders, and lipsticks — and on its long-standing production locations. In this framework, the CEO has been consolidating manufacturing sites in France and Switzerland while refining expenses through the group’s filling location in the Czech Republic. The outcome: a more efficient and adaptable operational structure.
Hybrid products
“Our makeup and integrated product capabilities are focused in Lyon, whereas our skincare and raw material center is situated in Switzerland, close to Lausanne,” elucidates Karine Melloul. “We have made a noteworthy resurgence in the powder sector, both pressed and free, while bolstering our prominence in lipsticks and base makeup,” she goes on to say.
For some specific manufacturing or filling activities, MS Beautilab can additionally draw on its network of partners located in Europe, the US, and Asia. “They are vital allies, who supply us with capabilities and flexibility.“
MS Beautilab caters to a diverse clientele of large corporations and independent brands, whilst also counting on a few carefully chosen startups. “Some clients come to us because of our accuracy and powerful industrial infrastructure, while others value our flexibility and bespoke support. Our services appeal to brands pursuing genuinely outstanding formulations,” states the CEO.
With yearly expansion of 5 to 10%, MS Beautilab plans to swiftly exceed the 50 million benchmark. To stimulate its growth, the enterprise is concentrating particularly on speeding up its sales across the Atlantic and pioneering integrated solutions.
“We are among the few in the industry that are proficient in both color cosmetics and skincare. Integrated innovation is intrinsic to our business,” emphasizes Karine Melloul.
A principal participant in complexion and lip treatment, MS Beautilab shines in hot-pour methods as well as emulsions across all segments. In skincare, the business is recognized for its efficacious formulas that provide results without sacrificing the sensory experience.
“This multifaceted competency is invaluable in a sector where makeup is transforming into skincare, and skincare is progressively tinted.”
French touch
Under the direction of its new CEO, the business is intensifying its global outreach, particularly in the United States, where it has a sales office on the East Coast.
“We merge our Franco-Swiss skill with an in-depth understanding of regional expectations,” explains Karine Melloul. “We collaborate with both established brands and rising names seeking creative formulas. It’s a challenging market, yet extremely open to integrated products — and the growth potential is substantial.”
While Europe continues to be the company’s primary market, the American market already accounts for more than 20% of income.
Despite the U.S. toughening its position on imports, Karine Melloul remains assured that the desire for outstanding expertise will remain. “The French essence has not uttered its last word, and ‘Made in Switzerland’ remains a reliable standard,” she states. “The capability to combine advanced technologies with natural components to fashion formulas that deliver both sensory pleasure and verified effectiveness is not something that can be improvised — it’s the consequence of decades of accrued skill.”
The executive adopts a balanced perspective of K-Beauty competition. “Korean companies were forerunners in sensoriality and in establishing skincare regimens. They also provided very successful high-SPF products. But nowadays, we have nothing to envy in terms of sensorial impact and effectiveness — and we are even more robust in relation to natural qualities.”
According to her, K-Beauty’s potency lies primarily in its skincare culture. “Koreans do not merely develop a product — they conceive a cohesive routine centering on an ingredient or narrative. It’s inspirational, but we have all the resources to uphold this substantial inclination for K-Beauty and to improve it!”
