Regional minister Fermi visits Crema for discussions on the Lombardy Cosmetic Cluster headquarters

A meeting with Alessandro Fermi, Regional Minister for University, Research and Innovation, took place at the Libera Associazione Artigiani di Crema, bringing together several local institutions and stakeholders.

In attendance, alongside Marco Bressanelli, President of REI – Reindustria Innovazione and President of the Libera Associazione Artigiani Cremaschi, were Dr Gian Domenico Auricchio from the Cremona Chamber of Commerce, Member of Parliament Silvana Comaroli, Senator Renato Ancorotti, Professor Gianni Rossoni, President of the Crema Homogeneous Area, Dr Fabio Bergamaschi, Mayor of Crema, Ilaria Massari, General Director of REI – Reindustria Innovazione, Massimiliano Falanga, Director of Confindustria Cremona, Renato Marangoni, Director of Libera Associazione Artigiani, and Regional Councillors Riccardo Vitari and Matteo Piloni.

With a national turnover of €38 billion, the cosmetics value chain continues to grow at double-digit rates year after year. A highly innovative sector, with almost 7% of investments dedicated to Research and Development, cosmetics has increasingly strengthened its relationship with the research community in recent years, particularly through numerous active collaborations with Lombardy universities.

Alessandro Fermi, Regional Minister for Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region, officially confirmed the launch of the procedure for the recognition of the regional Cluster:

“The Cosmetics Cluster will be officially recognised by the summer. The regional administration is already in contact with Reindustria. We strongly support this initiative because the Cluster already meets all the necessary requirements, and because we are defining innovative measures to support Clusters as part of the new programming framework.

The regional objectives for research and innovation will have a budget twice as large as the previous programming period. Several measures are being launched in these months, with further initiatives planned for the near future.”

“Reindustria serves the local economic community,” stated President Marco Bressanelli. “It is a great satisfaction to receive the Minister’s appreciation for the work carried out so far in support of the cosmetics Cluster, which has led to its future institutional recognition. This represents a significant opportunity to strengthen new prospects and opportunities in the territory, as well as an important driver for international attractiveness.”

“The provincial GDP is strongly supported by this sector,” stated Dr Gian Domenico Auricchio. “The cosmetics industry has a strong export orientation and a remarkable capacity for innovation, generating significant economic, social and employment impacts across the territory.”

The delegation visited the premises of the former University building in Via Bramante, discussing the future role of the site as a hub for research, training and innovation. The facility could host future cosmetics laboratories, supporting both post-secondary ITS Academy training programmes and research activities carried out in collaboration with companies.

The Mayor of Crema confirmed the municipality’s strong commitment to making the site available, as the building is owned by the Municipality of Crema and the Province of Cremona. More than €5 million have already been allocated for its redevelopment, with works recently awarded.

“This is an important moment of dialogue between the public and private sectors in order to best direct investments in the building,” stated Fabio Bergamaschi, Mayor of Crema. “The role of the business community is fundamental, and our thoughts naturally turn to the Cosmetics Cluster, an excellence that has experienced extraordinary growth in Crema and the surrounding area over recent decades.”

“The sector’s international reputation is growing,” recalled Senator Renato Ancorotti, founder of Ancorotti Cosmetics. “The value chain generates essential everyday products that contribute to people’s well-being and quality of life. These products have taken on a fundamental role: each of us uses an average of eight products per day, from brushing our teeth in the morning to all personal hygiene and skincare products.”

In recent years, international networking initiatives have also multiplied, including “The Value of Beauty”, presented by Renato Ancorotti, involving leading companies such as L’Oréal, Ancorotti Cosmetics, KIKO Milano and many other prominent names in the sector.

At European level, the Go4Cosmetics network brings together 10 regions with a strong cosmetics vocation, led by the Lombardy Region and the Centre-Val de Loire Region. The initiative is managed by Cosmetic Valley and Reindustria, the lead organisation of the Lombardy Cosmetic System, ensuring the active participation and involvement of Lombardy companies represented by Cosmetica Italia and the Cosmetic Technology Hub, as well as five Lombardy universities: Politecnico di Milano, University of Milan, University of Pavia, University of Milano-Bicocca and Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.