Sector
Cosmetics and consumer goods
Turning a formulation or technology advantage into a product the market adopts — that is the central question Calsoï works on with cosmetics and consumer goods companies.
What Calsoï brings to this sector
Jean-Christophe Simon has led R&D projects at L'Oréal, Kao and SEB Group. He knows the development cycles specific to mass-market products: time-to-market pressure, the need to convince buyers of the technology's value, and the trade-offs between disruptive innovation and range optimisation.
Calsoï can help to:
- Build or refocus the R&D strategy of a cosmetics brand or consumer goods manufacturer
- Structure a project portfolio and establish clear prioritisation criteria
- Unblock a product development stalled by insufficient resources or inadequate organisation
- Prepare an R&D dossier for a fundraising round or a divestiture
Key challenges in the sector
Cosmetics and consumer goods face three simultaneous pressures: short cycles (the market does not wait), increasing regulation (REACH, substance restrictions, environmental labelling), and growing demand for technological differentiation from retailers and consumers alike.
R&D must address all three at once. A strategy that handles only one of them produces projects that arrive too late, are blocked by regulators, or are undifferentiated on shelf.
Engagement formats
Calsoï offers three formats depending on the company's stage: innovation strategy advisory to set the direction, fractional R&D leadership to drive execution, and divestiture mandate if the company is considering monetising its R&D assets.