Revamped, the International Cosmetics House project will finally come to fruition in Chartres

Cosmetic Valley, the competitiveness cluster for the cosmetics industry founded in 2005, will have its own "totem" at its heart. The Maison Internationale de la Cosmétique will open its doors to the general public and industry professionals at the end of 2028, opposite Chartres Cathedral (Eure-et-Loir).

This project, which the municipality had long held dear, was nevertheless slowed down by numerous setbacks. "It's true that we've been talking about it for a long time," acknowledges Jean-Pierre Gorges, the city's mayor and president of the C Chartres Métropole urban area. "We had problems related to the location," he recalls. "There was a very good first project for amounts that doubled ( Editor's note: going from 7 to more than 15 million euros ). And technically, not everything was resolved. At some point, you have to know when to say stop. That's what I did."

The new version, designed this time by the French architectural firm Wilmotte and entrusted to the major construction company Bouygues, has been relaunched despite the interest of other major cities in the region. It will take at least two years of work to complete this project, estimated at less than 15 million euros, on this historic and heritage site.

This showcase will therefore bring together the management of Cosmetic Valley, start-ups and all the stakeholders who promote this promising sector, which represents more than 246,000 direct and indirect jobs in France for a cumulative turnover of 71 billion euros.

"There will be a showroom, offices, conference rooms, everything related to perfume, which was scattered everywhere else. This International House of Cosmetics will encourage companies to come and set up shop in this hub. The development of the competitiveness cluster will continue, as we saw with the installation of Dior in Chartres," the elected official projects.

The general public will not be forgotten. A tasting area, accessible from Place Jean-Moulin, and the Cosmétopée, an educational garden of species, will showcase the expertise of these world-renowned companies. "We must not forget that all these companies are 85% export-oriented," the mayor emphasizes.

At the same time, the Chartres conurbation aims to enrich this network by developing an industrial campus , which will be based on an IUT or professional baccalaureates which provide training in all the professions that these companies need to continue to grow.