The new facilities are situated in Culver City, on the outskirts of Santa Monica and strategically-speaking are well within the LA metropolitan area that has increasingly proven to be a hot house for some of the most exciting new cosmetics brands in North America.
“The West Coast market has high energy,” says Dario Ferrari, president of Intercos, who found the business in Italy in 1973 and has since built it into a $500m+ business.
“There is so much innovation and creativity. This year we identified 130 emerging cosmetic and skin care brands, and 35 of those brands came from this region.”
Expansion aims to take advantage of West Coast growth
Ferrari says the move aims to take advantage of one of the hottest beauty markets in the region, and adds that he intends for the West Coast operations to ultimately bring in about 10% of the company’s total revenues.
Indeed, some of the most exciting, progressive and fastest-growing indie cosmetics brands have emerged in the West Coast area, many of them attracting the attention of big multinational names like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder.
Some of the brands that are gathering attention in the LA area and beyond include Persephenie, Ilia, Shiva Rose and La Tierra Sagrada – slick, fresh, funky brands that tap into leading trends such as natural organic, sophisticated men’s grooming products and out-of-the-ordinary color cosmetics.
Showroom looks sharp
Hoping to attract some of this type of business, the facility in Culver City is a sleek and polished space which, from the photos, looks more like an art gallery.
And onsite will be a chemist who will act as a concierge to West Coast clients who will be able to see their colors mixed on the spot and instantly experiment with shades.
“Important cosmetic and skin care brands are being created on the West Coast and there is capital to support their development,” says Shannaz Schopfer, director of the West Coast Division and Business Development.
“Intercos’ arrival in LA is a statement that says this market is important and that many exciting things are happening here in terms of new technology, creativity and business.”
Currently the company operates in the US, Europe, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, and has a total of 3,600 staff, 500 of whom are focused on innovation for cosmetic and skin care brands.