22 Apr 2021

COSMETICS: THE “SAFE BEAUTY” TREND IS DRIVING THE MARKET’S RECOVERY QUALITY, TRANSPARENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY WITH ANTARES VISION’S SOLUTIONS

Emidio Zorzella, CEO of the Group: ‘Innovation and digitalization are success factors for sustainability, efficiency and safety’ 

Travagliato (BS), 23 April 2021 – Consumers are becoming more and more interested in and informed about quality, the origin of ingredients and the sustainability of production processes, but at the same time they are increasingly attracted to the history of a brand and the underlying values of the products they buy. The post-pandemic cosmetics industry is undergoing major changes that are affecting consumption (down 12.8% over 2019, with -9.6% in the domestic market and -16.5% in exports – source: Cosmetica Italia) and is turning to innovative trends in order to start picking up again. For instance, Safe Beauty, the biggest trend in the industry, which focuses on health and beauty that go hand in hand in the purchase of “transparent” products, with more attention being paid to brands and to the end-to-end sustainability of the supply chain, not only in terms of the raw materials used but also in terms of production processes and packaging characteristics. 

Moreover, online sales have increased worldwide during the pandemic, and this trend is still on the rise: the e-commerce segment has grown by 42% year-over-year and, during lockdown, 70% of people bought cosmetics online for the first time in their lives (source: Cosmetica Italia). This scenario, however, poses greater risks to the beauty and cosmetics industry due to counterfeiting and the emergence of parallel markets, which negatively affect brand reputation and consumer loyalty.  

In order to meet these new demands, the Antares Vision Group – an international leader in the pharmaceutical industry for Track & Trace hardware and software solutions (anti-counterfeiting and supply chain transparency) and key player in the field of inspection systems (quality control) and smart data management (production efficiency and end-to-end supply chain digitisation, from raw materials to the end consumer) – offers solutions designed for the beauty industry that ensure quality, safety, integrity and full supply chain traceability. Building on expertise gained in more than 20 years in the business, the Antares Vision Group is a partner of choice in the highly demanding cosmetics industry, not only for consumers, who are now increasingly well-informed and demand guaranteed and transparent products, but also for manufacturers and brands, whose challenges include efficiency and optimisation as well as sustainable production processes. This is made possible thanks to innovative solutions for automatic visual inspection (which ensure total quality, safety and integrity for cosmetic products by accurately controlling ingredients, production processes and packaging), end-to-end traceability (which allow the entire lifecycle of a product to be traced, bringing about a true revolution in the supply chain by creating a digital identity for each unit) and smart data management (to maximise production efficiency and optimise the consumer experience, also thanks to artificial intelligence). 

‘It is undeniable that innovation and research are the two key factors behind the recent developments in the cosmetics industry. The quality and transparency of the personal care products we use on a daily basis is constantly being improved through research and by implementing new technologies aimed at optimising processes and supply chain management. In order to remain competitive in the main global markets, we need to focus on the digitisation process, which can be a true asset: collecting data, transforming them into information and processing them so that they can create value. The result of this is a higher standard of sustainability, resource optimisation and consumer safety,’ says Emidio Zorzella, President and CEO of the Antares Vision Group.  

Technology can be used to ensure supply chain transparency and complete traceability of a product’s lifecycle in order to ensure a higher standard of safety and efficiency for brands, subcontractors and end consumers. The Trustparency® concept, coined by Antares Vision, reflects its value: building trust through transparency when it comes to products, the supply chain and information sharing. Guaranteeing the origin and quality of ingredients and raw materials, telling the story of a product at every stage of production, providing information about the supply chain, and protecting authenticity are an important part of a brand’s reputation and of its relationship with end consumers. Today, Antares Vision offers a single, integrated and scalable solution to ensure quality, transparency and sustainability.