Medmix, the parent company of Geka, a specialist in high-precision beauty application solutions, has announced the appointment of Nande van Aken as Head of Global Operations for Geka.

With over 15 years' experience in driving operational excellence and organizational transformation, Nande van Aken will oversee Geka's global manufacturing operations. She will focus on building a sustainable strategy and strong operations, optimizing functionality, quality and profitability across the business, and strengthening Geka's ability to meet the needs of customers, end-users and industry.

With a proven track record in implementing change and improvement, promoting cultural change and solving complex problems, Nande van Aken is set to strengthen Geka's position as a global innovator in beauty application solutions.

On joining Geka, Nande van Aken said: "I am very pleased to be part of an organization with such a heritage of innovation and excellence. I look forward to working with the team to strengthen efficiency and drive sustainable growth in line with Geka's vision."

Since October 1, 2024, the Ile-de-France site of Wauters, a manufacturer of luxury packaging since 1909, has been equipped with a brand-new "duo machine" combining hot foil stamping and embossing, replacing the old installation. 

Thanks to this acquisition, the Wauters Group is strengthening its know-how, which will be rewarded in 2022 by the EPV label (entreprise du patrimoine vivant - living heritage company), which recognizes French companies with outstanding craftsmanship and industrial know-how.

A high-performance solution for exceptional finishes

"The Wauters Group has always invested in state-of-the-art equipment, including machines with dual expertise: verso/recto printing, embossing and foil stamping. This avoids a makeready step and guarantees better register quality.the company says.

The new duo machine offers enhanced performance for simultaneous hot stamping and embossing operations, guaranteeing optimum consistency and production quality.

The benefits of technological renewal

Ideal for finish overlays, it achieves unrivalled levels of detail and excellent register quality.

The new equipment also offers productivity gains: set-up and production times are reduced, with two "rolled" operations in a single pass.

Designed to minimize energy consumption, it's also more environmentally friendly.

Hot stamping and embossing: two EPV areas of expertise

For over a century, gilding has been Wauters' core expertise. Initially carried out on leather (book covers, desk blotters, etc.) in the first Wauters workshop in the Marais district of Paris, this expertise evolved into labels, and then more broadly into luxury packaging in the late 1960s, benefiting from the company's move to the graphic arts industrial zone in Villebon-sur-Yvette, Essonne (91).

Today, hot stamping is complemented by our expertise in cold stamping. Embossing is another finishing technique inseparable from luxury packaging. Wauters has developed this workshop in all its forms: multi-level, stamping, dry embossing...

At the Luxe Pack trade show held in Monaco from September 30 to October 2, 2024, Cosmogen, a French company specializing in application solutions for cosmetics, unveiled its new products. Innovation was the main theme.

"Our 2024 sales will be at least 15 % higher than in 2023. This is a superb performance, both in terms of our growth and in relation to a market that is rather sluggish.stresses Priscille Allais, CEO of Cosmogen. These results are due to innovation. The main products driving our growth this year are patented products."

Based on five major themes - "cryotherapy", "surgery like", "makeup artist", "candy bar" and "holistic beauty" - the numerous launches unveiled at Luxe Pack Monaco bear witness to the company's dynamism. 

Looking for a cool effect

"The effect of cold on the skin is very popular with consumers, because the effect and the feeling are immediate, explains Maud Lelièvre, Marketing and Communications Manager. This applies not only to skincare products, but also to hybrid skincare and make-up formulas, where the cold effect provides the care and freshness we expect from these formulas. For example, we have developed Fresh Bottle: a small bottle containing a formula with a stainless steel applicator dipped directly into the formula". 

Fresh Boottle is a transparent PET bottle with a stainless steel "dip in" applicator designed for application and massage. The applicator is available in five shapes and textures (Swirl, Mirror, Ribbed, V-Shape, Honey) to target different areas of the face and neck. According to its designers, the immediate cooling effect decongests, tones and firms the skin.

Application precision

In the medical-inspired, "surgery like" category, Cosmogen has extended its Needle range with its Needle Dropper product. Benefiting from new shades in 2024, the Needle tube was already inspired by cosmetic surgery, with a very fine metal applicator, enabling ultra-precise, targeted application, such as filling in wrinkles or targeting imperfections. The concept has now been extended to include a dropper for precise dosing of the amount of formula applied. "Very easy to use, the Dropper is a market classic. This gave us the idea of merging our popular Needle Tube with this Dropper concept, explains Maud Lelièvre. Needle Dropper combines a PET bottle and pipette with an aluminum applicator for ultra-precise dosing with a luxury finish." Oils, serums, hair care, make-up and hybrid formulas can all be dosed with this applicator.

Make-up: a variety of innovative applicators

The "makeup artist" theme is illustrated by the new Cosmogloss range. This new generation of hybrid applicators, composed of ultra-soft TPE micro-pins for application on the lips or around the eyes, is suitable for light-textured make-up and skincare formulas. It's also ideal for touch-ups, and easier to maintain than a flocked applicator.

For make-up, Cosmogen also offers a professional set of five brushes designed to perfect the complexion: a foundation brush to even out the face, a concealer brush to conceal dark circles, a powder brush for loose/compact powder, a blush brush to tint cheeks and a highlighter brush to sculpt cheekbones. The handle is in aluminum with a matte finish. The PBT bristles are also available in 100 % rPET.

Cosmogen's offer also includes a ceramic Kabuki, a luxurious professional brush available in two shapes: a round shape for compact/free powders, and a beveled shape for blushes and bronzing powders. The ceramic handle provides a cool effect when handled, and a high-end appearance.

Cosmogen also offers a whole range of sponges, including a multi-purpose sponge designed to be used like a finger, with a slanted side to camouflage dark circles, a pointed side to reach targeted areas perfectly, and a domed side to create a light touch. The pebble-shaped r-Cosmoblender range contains 30 % of recycled PU foam (PIR) to reduce waste.

Tips that recall the shape and texture of candy

The colorful, jello-like silicone tips of the new Jelly Silicon Brus range of hybrid brushes will appeal to those nostalgic for Dragibus candy, and seduce fans of bright colors! Featuring a lacquered wooden handle, these brushes are suitable for skin care, allowing the formula to glide easily over the skin. They can also be used with make-up to conceal imperfections. Special feature: the silicone tip doesn't absorb the formula, avoiding wastage. 

Holistic trend

In Cosmogen's bestselling Squeeze'n range, featuring an applicator tip with patented on/off rotary closure, Squeeze'n Roll is now available in synthetic blue quartz, a more economical solution with properties identical to the original blue quartz. The cold stone helps tighten blood vessels and eliminate fluid that accumulates and causes puffiness.

Cold stones help tighten blood vessels and eliminate fluid that accumulates and causes puffiness. As part of Cosmogen's Squeeze'n range, featuring an applicator tip with patented on/off rotary closure, Squeeze'n roll is now available with synthetic blue quartz. An alternative to the original blue quartz, this synthetic version is more economical. Squeeze'n roll is also available with an applicator in imitation jade (serpentine), obsidian and rose quartz.

Another announcement from the Paris-based SME: its Maxi Squeeze'n Detox range is now also available in TPE. In line with the skinification trend, the tube can be topped with a cap, easy to use thanks to its rotating on/off system, for scalp massage. Once the tube is empty, the applicator can be removed for sorting.

Yaël Zajac

For its first haute parfumerie collection dedicated to Centifolia Rose, grown at the heart of its Domaine de la Rose in Grasse, southern France, Lancôme has selected the HDS Inune refillable pump from Aptar Beauty, a global specialist in dispensing systems.

Lancôme's 11 Absolue fragrances are created using two new patented rose extracts, specially developed for the L'Oréal Group brand. The olfactory integrity of the juices is therefore crucial. With its robust design and cutting-edge technology, Aptar Beauty's Inune pump meets this imperative.

Designed without POM (polyoxymethylene), the Inune pump offers a mechanism with no metal contact with the juice. It uses Aptar's High Definition Spray (HDS) technology to ensure that every facet of every fragrance is revealed in all its complexity.

Refillable spray with fine diffusion

With Absolue Les Parfums, Lancôme switches to a refillable system. The HDS Inune pump features an SNI 15 screw neck for easy filling. The HDS Inune refillable pump delivers a light, fine spray with a wide-angle spray pattern. With each spray, it delivers a 70-microliter dose that settles generously on the skin, enriching the fragrance sensory experience.

"We're seeing an increase in niche fragrance collections among luxury brands, using the same packaging solution for a variety of scents. Each brand has its own requirements, and Lancôme's are particularly rigorous, both in terms of aesthetics and technology. Our partnership has resulted in a high-performance distribution solution that blends perfectly with the range's visual identity".says Yaël Letrosne, Senior Account Manager, Aptar Beauty, EMEA.

Featuring an invisible mechanism, the HDS Inune refillable pump is manufactured and decorated at the Aptar Beauty factory in Le Neubourg, France. It is anodized to a shiny gold finish to match the cap and metal plate on the bottle, for a luxurious look.