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Securing launches, from formula to shelf.

Formulation, regulatory compliance, packaging, component sourcing, multichannel go-to-market: automating your teams’ low-value tasks and bringing data to where compliance, lead times and margin are decided.

The leadership challenges

What is at stake for leadership.

  • Launches that hold their date

    Bring formulation, regulatory, packaging and supply onto one launch timeline, rather than discovering slippage as the on-shelf date approaches.

  • Documented, traceable compliance

    Formulas, raw materials, PIFs, notifications and labelling wording linked together, country by country, ready for an inspection or an authority request.

  • Claims that stand up

    Every claim linked to its evidence (study, test, raw material data) and to its scope of validity, from the marketing brief to the packaging and the product listing.

  • Decisions based on consolidated data

    Forecasts, component stock, retailer sell-out, consumer complaints: reliable, up-to-date indicators shared by marketing, supply and sales.

Day to day

The problems teams run into most.

  • A PIF rebuilt for every launch

    Formula, raw material data, tests and studies live in separate folders and inboxes: compiling the product information file relies on manual collection, with the risk of working from an outdated version.

  • An INCI list copied from one tool to the next

    The composition is re-keyed between the formulation software, the PIF, the artwork and the product listings. Every reformulation means checking every copy, one by one.

  • Claims detached from their evidence

    Claims circulate in briefs, materials and packaging, with no visible link to the study that supports them or to the countries where they are accepted.

  • Endless artwork cycles

    Agency, marketing, regulatory and packaging annotate PDFs by e-mail. The version sent to the printer is not always the one that was approved.

  • Components that delay the launch

    Bottles, pumps and cartons have their own lead times: a delay at a component supplier or a contract manufacturer surfaces late, when the on-shelf date is already committed to retailers.

  • A product sheet to adapt for every retailer

    Each retailer, selective distributor or travel retail operator requires its own format for listings, visuals and logistics data: the same item is re-keyed as many times as there are channels.

Function by function

The time-consuming tasks, and what gets put in place.

The functionTime-consuming tasksWhat gets put in place

Marketing product manager

Designs launches and keeps the range alive.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Write product briefs and track their progress across teams
  • Keep the launch timeline up to date by hand
  • Collect claim substantiation from R&D
  • Prepare presentation materials for retailers
What gets put in place
  • InterfaceLaunch cockpit: brief, milestones, deliverables and owners from every team on one timeline.
  • SteeringLaunch progress tracking, with an alert as soon as a milestone slips.
  • AI agentFirst drafts of selling points and retailer materials based on approved product data.

Formulation and R&D

Develops formulas and documents their composition.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Maintain formulas and their successive versions
  • Collect technical data sheets, safety data sheets and certificates for raw materials
  • Draw up the INCI list for each formula
  • Answer marketing and regulatory questions on composition
What gets put in place
  • EcosystemFormula and raw material repository, linked to the PLM and the ERP: every formula version is traced.
  • AI agentData extracted from raw material suppliers’ documents, missing or expired items flagged.
  • InterfaceINCI list generated from the formula, checked by the formulator.

Regulatory affairs

Ensures product compliance in every market.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Build and maintain the product information file (PIF)
  • Prepare CPNP notifications and registrations outside Europe
  • Check claims and labelling wording country by country
  • Monitor regulatory changes and their impact on formulas
What gets put in place
  • InterfaceRegulatory file per product and per country: PIF, notifications, wording and statuses in one place.
  • AI agentPIF pre-assembly and artwork checks against approved wording, discrepancies flagged for decision.
  • SteeringMonitoring of regulated ingredients: affected formulas and products identified with every change.

Packaging development

Designs and sources bottles, pumps, cartons and POS materials.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Track developments with component suppliers
  • Manage artwork approval cycles
  • Check labelling wording before print approval
  • Keep component specifications up to date
What gets put in place
  • InterfaceArtwork approval workflow: versions, annotations and approvals traced, from agency to printer.
  • AI agentEach artwork version compared with the wording approved by regulatory affairs.
  • EcosystemComponent specifications shared with suppliers and the ERP, without re-keying.

Supply chain and planning

Ensures product availability, from components to the retailer.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Build sales forecasts with the sales team
  • Plan component and raw material supply
  • Coordinate production with contract manufacturers
  • Track delays and their impact on launches
What gets put in place
  • SteeringSales forecasts and component requirements calculated from history and planned launches, approved by the planner.
  • EcosystemERP, contract manufacturers and component suppliers connected: order and production statuses kept up to date.
  • AI agentAlerts on component delays and proposed trade-offs.

Trade marketing and key accounts

Deploys the brand with retailers, selective distributors and in travel retail.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Send and update product sheets in each retailer’s format
  • Prepare activation plans and POS requirements
  • Consolidate sell-out and stock data reported by retailers
  • Prepare business reviews with key accounts
What gets put in place
  • EcosystemSingle product repository (PIM) feeding the website, retailers and distributors in their own formats.
  • SteeringDashboard per retailer: sell-in, sell-out, stock and ongoing activations.
  • AI agentFirst drafts of business review materials based on consolidated data.
One process, before and after

From the approved formula to the product listing at the retailer.

Today
  1. INCI list re-keyed from the formula Manual
  2. PIF compiled document by document Manual
  3. Claims checked country by country Manual
  4. Artwork corrected through e-mail rounds Manual
  5. Product sheets sent to each retailer Manual
Tomorrow
  1. INCI list generated from the formula Automated
  2. PIF pre-assembled, missing items flagged AI agent
  3. Assessment and sign-off by regulatory affairs Human decision
  4. Artwork checked against approved wording AI agent
  5. Listings published from the PIM to every channel Automated
  • Manual
  • Automated or AI agent
  • Human decision
Investment and return

What the task costs, what the solution costs.

  1. 01

    What the task costs today

    Time spent × frequency × full cost of the roles involved, plus the cost of errors (credit notes, disputes, re-keying) and of delays.

  2. 02

    What the solution costs

    A scoped diagnostic, then a staged build, each stage priced before it starts. Running costs (hosting, licences, maintenance) are stated from the outset.

  3. 03

    The return

    Calculated task by task, on your volumes: hours redeployed, errors avoided, lead times shortened. The tasks that pay back fastest come first.

No average gain is published: it depends on your processes and volumes. The diagnostic quantifies it, task by task, before any commitment.

Questions from leadership

What leadership asks.

Which cosmetics roles can be automated with AI?
The repetitive tasks of six roles first: product marketing (launch timelines, materials), formulation (raw material documentation, INCI lists), regulatory affairs (PIF compilation, labelling checks), packaging (artwork cycles), supply chain (forecasts, components) and trade marketing (retailer listings, retailer reporting). The diagnostic identifies which ones pay back fastest in your business.
How do you automate the compilation of a product information file?
By linking the PIF to the sources that feed it: formula, raw material data, stability and compatibility tests, efficacy studies. An AI agent assembles the available documents and flags those that are missing or expired. The safety assessment and the sign-off of the file remain with qualified people.
How do you make cosmetic product claims reliable?
By linking each claim to its evidence and its scope (country, channel, formula concerned) in a repository shared by marketing, R&D and regulatory affairs. Materials, packaging and product listings reuse the approved wording, and every new claim goes through human approval.
Can multi-country regulatory compliance be automated?
Yes, for the mechanics: document compilation, labelling wording checks, notification tracking and spotting ingredients affected by a regulatory change. Interpreting the texts and deciding to place a product on the market remain human.
How do you shorten a cosmetics launch?
By keeping the launch timeline, deliverables and their dependencies (formula, PIF, artwork, components, production) in one tool, updated by the teams doing the work. Delays become visible as soon as they appear, and trade-offs are made while options remain.
Questions from the teams

What teams look to improve.

Marketing product managerHow can I keep a launch timeline on track when each team has its own file?
Define a single timeline per launch, where each deliverable (frozen formula, PIF, artwork, components, production) has an owner, a target date and its dependencies. A connected tool consolidates the progress entered by each team and alerts as soon as a milestone slips, showing its impact on the on-shelf date. Postponing a launch, trimming a range or holding the date remains a marketing and management decision.
Marketing product managerHow do I know which claims can be used, and in which countries?
Keep a claims library where each claim is linked to its evidence, to the formula concerned and to the countries where it has been approved. An AI agent checks that a brief, a piece of material or a product listing only uses wording found in that library, and flags anything else. Approving any new claim remains the responsibility of regulatory affairs.
Formulation and R&DHow can I centralise raw material documentation?
Build a repository where each raw material carries its technical data sheets, safety data sheets, certificates and expiry dates, linked to the formulas that use it. An AI agent extracts information from the documents received from suppliers, files them and flags missing or expired items. Choosing and qualifying a raw material remain the formulator’s decisions.
Formulation and R&DHow can I avoid INCI list errors between the formula and the label?
Make the formula the only source of the composition, and generate the INCI list from it rather than copying it. A connected tool propagates every reformulation to the PIF, the artwork and the product listings, and flags the documents to update. The final check of the list and its approval before printing remain human.
Regulatory affairsHow can I speed up the preparation of a PIF and a CPNP notification?
Structure the PIF along a standard outline and link each section to its source: formula, raw material data, tests, studies. An AI agent pre-assembles the file, flags missing documents and prepares the notification data. The safety assessment, the sign-off of the file and the submission remain with qualified people.
Regulatory affairsHow can I identify the products affected by a regulatory change on an ingredient?
Link each formula to its raw materials and each finished product to the countries where it is sold, in a single repository. A monitoring tool matches regulatory changes against this base and lists the formulas and items concerned, market by market. Interpreting the text and deciding the action plan (reformulation, relabelling, withdrawal) remain decisions for regulatory affairs.
Packaging developmentHow can I make artwork approval cycles reliable?
Route every artwork through a single workflow, with numbered versions, annotations tied to the version and a defined approval order (marketing, regulatory, packaging). An AI agent compares each version with the approved wording — INCI list, claims, mandatory statements — and flags discrepancies before print approval. Print approval remains signed by authorised people.
Supply chain and planningHow can I anticipate component shortages on a launch?
Link the launch sales forecasts to the bills of materials, then track for each component (bottle, pump, carton) the order, the announced lead time and the stock available at the contract manufacturer. A system connected to the ERP and to suppliers monitors this data and alerts as soon as a component threatens the production date. Switching supplier, splitting a delivery or postponing production remains a human trade-off.
Trade marketing and key accountsHow can I send up-to-date product sheets to every retailer without re-keying them?
Centralise product data, visuals and logistics data in a single repository (PIM), and describe each retailer’s format and mandatory fields. A connected tool generates and sends the sheets in the expected format, and an AI agent drafts the missing copy from the approved data. The team reviews and approves before sending.
For the CIO

An architecture that fits what you already have.

  • Integration, not replacement

    The starting point is your ERP, your PLM or formulation software, your PIM, your DAM and your retailer portals, connected together.

  • A single repository

    One source of truth for the formula, the raw material and the finished product, distributed to every system.

  • Documented, traceable flows

    Logged exchanges between systems, with suppliers and contract manufacturers: you know which version circulated, when, and why.

  • Well-governed AI agents

    Defined scope, no regulatory decision delegated, human approval on uncertain cases, a log of every action, formula confidentiality respected.

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02 — Getting started

Describe what’s holding your teams back.

A first conversation to qualify your need. Then a scoped diagnostic: the scope, the solution, the estimate.

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