Held at the end of last month, the event is the largest of its kind of cosmetic ingredients manufacturers in the all-important China market. This year the event had a more international flavour, something that was underlined by the prominence of the Cosmetics Valley Pavillion.
The organisation’s pavilion stood out as the show, collectively being one of the largest and also featuring some of France’s leading global suppliers to the cosmetics industry.
Indeed, a panel of journalists and industry experts decided to give the award for best communication to the Cosmetic Valley pavilion, on account of the fact that it was well organized and clearly defined.
The all-important first steps into the China market
“PCHi is a really interesting event for our members to get a footing in the China market,” said Franckie Venet, export and communication manager at Cosmetic Valley.
“Although we have been actively attending events in China, including Cosmoprof Hong Kong, since 1996, this is the first time at this event and the first time we have had a collective pavilion in China since the China Beauty Expo in 2010.”
The association secured a stand at the front of the exhibition hall, giving more than 12 companies a high profile platform to what remains one of the fastest international markets for growth in the cosmetics and personal care segment.
Italian company Indena included in the line-up
But the platform was not just restricted to French companies, as it also included Italian botanical extracts player Indena, which was happy to share the platform with all the other French companies.
“This year we are representing a complete spectrum of business objectives, from start-ups to bigger companies that are simply wishing to grow their businesses in the China market.”
But Venet explained that China is also a highly complex market, and that it is crucial to have a well-planned strategy if there is going to be any return on the investment of attending the show.
“The first step is to get on top regulation,” she said. “Without fulfilling all the complex regulation requirements there is not trading or business to be made in China."
“Beyond this, the next crucial issue is to understand the market – exactly what consumers want from their cosmetic products in China and how they use them.”
Facilitating European companies to do business in China
Venet went on to explain that Cosmetic Valley does not market itself as the experts on the China market. Its role is more to facilitate European companies to trade in the country and to expand their businesses there.
“We organize the stand, make suggestions for the travel, accommodation and arrange business agents. We can even facilitate visits to local manufacturers and suppliers. In short we handle all the logistical details involved with a trade show in China, allowing companies to concentrate on the business of promoting themselves at the show.”
In particular, Venet underlined the importance of having a translator or interpreter to do business in China, stressing the fact that English is not always widely spoken in the China business world.
“Although translators and interpreters can often turn out to be an expensive additional cost, we are able to draw from a pool of reliable contact and share this resources, in turn helping small- to medium-size companies cut down on their additional costs.”