Chemistry and cosmetics: the urgent call for restoring competitiveness

The Antwerp Declaration Community – which brings together more than 1,300 organisations – is calling on European leaders to urgently restore the continent's industrial competitiveness. Markus Kamieth, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF, warns that Europe's manufacturing capacities are eroding at an unprecedented rate, thereby weakening the value chains that are essential for the ecological transition. Frédéric Gauchet (France Chimie) emphasises the urgent need to promote a strategic "speciality chemicals" sector on which the entire industry – including cosmetics – depends.

The message is clear: the Clean Industrial Deal must deliver tangible results by 2026, with fair competition and skilled jobs preserved.

In France, the consistency of public policies is also being called into question. Despite announcements on industrial sovereignty made in Davos (Presidency of the Republic, January 2026), France Chimie is warning about the halt in the reduction of the CVAE (value added contribution), the incomplete compensation for indirect carbon costs, the potential freeze on France 2030 credits and the doubling of the water abstraction charge.

At the same time, the cosmetics industry is facing an external shock: US tariffs are expected to result in an estimated loss of €500 m in 2025. Added to this are regulatory pressures, notably the Urban Waste Water Directive (UWWD), which could cost the cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors between €513 m and €633 m per year – five times the initial estimates. In this context, Febea is calling for the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) to be put on hold so that the impact analysis can be reviewed. More broadly, manufacturers are demanding regulatory simplification (Omnibus VI project), increased support for exports and a recognition of the sector as a strategic European ecosystem.