The beauty sector is growing strongly in Catalonia. With a global turnover of more than 12,000 million euros annually, this area concentrates 4% of Catalan GDP, and the forecast is that it will continue to gain weight. With this objective, the Beauty Cluster brings together companies in the sector, with the aim of strengthening the Catalan industry and its role at an international level.
The sector, with more than 780 companies, employs close to 35,000 people in Catalonia, according to data from the Generalitat's competitiveness agency, Acció. Within these companies, those specialized in fragrances, essences and perfumes are the ones that concentrate a greater volume of turnover, with 44% of the total, with large companies such as Puig at the forefront.
"The sector is in a very good moment and is growing year after year. Without going any further, from the industry at a state level, 2,300 new perfumes were launched last year," illustrates Adrià Martínez, Strategic Project Manager of the Beauty Cluster, which encompasses 320 companies in the sector at a state level, from Barcelona. To maintain this pace of industry growth, "the sector must continue to bet on export and internationalization," focusing on market diversification, especially given the situation of trade with the United States.
In fact, half of the companies in the sector located in Catalonia are regular exporters. In 2024, they reached a record: exports exceeded 5,000 million euros, 40% more than the previous year and their historical maximum. The main market for the Catalan industry is precisely the United States —with 660 million—, followed by France —with 520 million—; Italy and Germany —both with about 340 million more— and the United Kingdom, with another 320 million.
"The sector is starting to look more at other markets, such as Asia, which is a window that we have open and that is being worked on a lot from the industry," remarks Martínez, who highlights the role of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. For each market, in addition, the industry must work to adapt the product: for example, in fragrances different trends are worked on, such as preferences for intensity in Saudi Arabia and subtlety in East Asia, according to Martínez.
Not only is internationalization key to the sector's growth: so is innovation. So much so that in Catalonia, more than 800 million have been invested in the last five years in 14 projects, which have created more than 1,500 jobs. With these figures, Catalonia positions itself as the second region that has invested the most capital in its beauty and personal care sector in the EU in this period, only behind the Parisian Île de France.
In addition, Catalonia ranks as the sixth region in the EU in attracting foreign investment projects in the last five years, with six initiatives with a total value of 26 million euros and which have created more than 270 jobs. In this sense, 13% of the sector's companies present in Catalonia are subsidiaries of foreign companies.
To boost the sector, the cluster organizes the Barcelona Perfumery Congress, which was held in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat with a hundred exhibitors and some 2,000 visitors from a dozen countries, including markets such as India and Egypt. Looking ahead to the next edition, scheduled for 2027, the cluster plans to continue expanding the event and consolidate it as a benchmark event for the industry not only at a national but also international level.
The event, like the cluster, is aimed at companies and professionals throughout the value chain, which goes far beyond the final product. The industry includes everything from raw material producers and importers to creators of fragrances —with Eurofragance at the forefront—, cosmetics and personal hygiene and care products. And the fragrances created in Catalonia go far beyond the perfume bottle: "It is very transversal and includes all sectors, from the fragrance of a car to the one given off by a store of a certain brand. Olfactory marketing is an element that is increasingly taken into account."
From all links in the value chain and from all areas of the sector, the future is being looked at, seeking opportunities to continue growing. In this context, those linked to raw materials and manufacturing services stand out above all, in parallel with the incorporation of technology in the industry in all its areas, with the aim of continuing to grow in Catalonia and reaffirming its positioning also at an international level.