Renato Ancorotti

And yet in 2009 things were looking less rosy, when the greatest economic crisis to hit the Western world in over seventy years was just beginning. “My daughter and I realised the potential of the mascara market,” says Renato Ancorotti. “All the surveys show that if there’s just one product women really have to have it’s mascara! Mascara is also a very complex product to manufacture with a lot depending on the applicator used. There’s a very close bond between the two. That’s why brands demand greater security of supply and a total quality guarantee. And this is precisely what we offer.

Seven production units

The company has clearly not skimped on its industrial resources to meet these needs. In four years, its number of production and storage units has risen from one building in a Crema industrial zone to seven covering 10,000 m². And that is set to grow still further next year with the addition of 3,000 m². Ancorotti Cosmetics counts no less than ten filling lines, and increased its capacity to 30,000 units per day just a few weeks ago.

Mascara is still our spearhead, and represents over eighty-five percent of our current business,” says Renato Ancorotti, “but we also rely heavily on the back injection technique to produce eyeshadow.

The Italian firm has invested several hundred thousand euros over the past few weeks in the implementation of this technique. Nine machines with a total capacity of 40,000 parts/day now work together in one of Crema’s seven buildings.

Next the world!

And it’s not over yet. Not only does the company intend to increase its influence in other niche make-up markets (powder, foundation, etc.), it also wants to continue expanding its geographic footprint throughout the world. Especially since, in terms of production capacity, there is room for manoeuvre with more than 20% still available.

I have to admit, requests are pouring in from everywhere,” says Renato Ancorotti. “Almost 80% of our customers are based in Europe, but there is huge potential in other continents. Which is another reason why we make they very most of the marketing opportunities opened up by the trade shows developing overseas, such as MakeUp in New York and now MakeUp in Seoul.” The firm prides itself on its sales presence in some twenty countries worldwide, and rightly so.

To this has been added Ancorotti SkinCare, whose production unit based in north Milan will be transferred to the Crema site in the coming weeks. “Here too, development prospects are particularly bright,” says Renato Ancorotti. “We expect a 47% increase in 2014 and almost 60% next year with a sales target for 2015 expected to approach 3.5 million euros.