Bureau Veritas Certification interviewed Mr. Talab, Deputy General Director Research and Development / Quality for Guinot Cosmetics, about his company’s ISO 22716 certification obtained from Bureau Veritas Certification. His dedication to quality and enthusiasm about the benefits of this certification come through loud and clear.

Why did you choose to undertake the ISO 22716 certification process?

Mr. Talab: ISO 22716 has become the absolute reference for all Cosmetics industries, with the United States, Canada, China and Japan all agreeing, so that made it the obvious choice for us.  In addition, the ISO 22716 standard served as the basis for the European regulations that will be applied in 2013.  Compliance with these regulations will be mandatory to be able to market cosmetics products in the European Union.  ISO 9001 and the GMP (Good manufacturing Practices) are also included in the standard, which was another reason for choosing to obtain certification to this standard now.

Guinot is one of the first Cosmetics groups to be ISO 22716 certified. What commercial benefits has certification brought in terms of Guinot's image on the cosmetics market and access to the overseas market?

Mr. Talab: We are an international company distributing our products in 65 countries around the world, including Canada and Japan, which are among the strictest in terms of quality regulations.  Our brand is recognized for our high-end cosmetics and so to maintain our good reputation, we seek to deliver only the highest quality products.  We already have certification for the BPF (French equivalent of GMP or Good Manufacturing Practices) certification delivered by the French public pharmaceutical certification body, the AFSSAPS, which is mandated by Canada and the United States, because we manufacture and market over-the-counter medications such as sunscreens and anti-acne products.  ISO 22716 now completes our pre-existing certification that we have had for several years. ISO 22716 certification is our highest guarantee of quality in demanding markets because our conformity to the standard is audited by a well-known, accredited and independent third party, Bureau Veritas Certification.  Now, when we open new accounts in Asia or the U.S. for example, we immediately see the benefits of having our Bureau Veritas Certification because it is globally recognized and they know what we are talking about.

What benefits have you obtained internally from the Certification process?

Mr. Talab: First, we have implemented a very intensive training program for the personnel. Today, our people are very aware that we have this certification and we constantly hear workers and other members of the personnel saying “we cannot do this because it does not conform to the standard.” So we have achieved in-depth education of our workforce, changed our methodologies and transformed behaviors of the 260 people involved in our production. This covers the whole range of activities, from storage to hygiene, with everything coming under a system of control and the respect of procedures becoming a way of life, fully integrated into the minds of our people.  We have also strengthened the application of quality standards and improved the fabrication process with an investment of more than 20 million euros in upgrades to our clean fabrication rooms, etc, to meet the exact requirements of this standard.  This will ensure we avoid eventual production errors that can occur when strict process and equipment standards are not in place and correctly followed.  Such errors can engender important financial losses and damage our brand image. Over the long term we will obtain very important benefits from this.

How did you plan your conformity to the new EU regulation? Was it a critical step for Guinot?

Mr. Talab: Quality is an absolute necessity for us, to be able to commercialize our products in highly regulated markets and to enhance our brand image. For us, it is also a question of ethical practice. We began our quality campaign over ten years ago, well before the development of this standard.  Beginning in 1997, we launched a program that resulted in what I believe is the best quality control laboratory in France.  So our steadfast dedication to quality has guided our approach for many years. These early efforts have definitely facilitated all our work to comply with European and other international regulations.

Why did you choose Bureau Veritas Certification?

Mr. Talab: I never hesitated on the choice of Bureau Veritas Certification.  I travel a great deal around the world and have worked with Bureau Veritas Certification in many countries on certification projects for various companies and product lines. I chose Bureau Veritas Certification because I knew with its level of brand awareness, we could obtain the maximum possible benefits in terms of commercial and marketing. When I am in Japan, for example, customers are all very trusting of the Bureau Veritas Certification name.  It is known in the U.S., in Canada and all over the world. Because we operate in 65 countries around the globe, for us, having the name of Bureau Veritas Certification next to our brand and in our communication is like our passport.

How has Bureau Veritas Certification corresponded to your needs and expectations?

Mr. Talab: We greatly appreciated the way the audit was set up. It was very fast and the auditor was highly competent, knowledgeable and experienced in the specific certification issues of our domain. Extremely honest, she never hesitated to let us know when there was a problem or an issue with our processes or procedures. She was very professional and very serious and we knew we could rely on her judgment.  We were very satisfied by every aspect of the certification experience.
Furthermore, in terms of marketing and communication, the awareness and impact of Bureau Veritas Certification’s brand is very beneficial.  All our international sales offices possess copies of our certificate and use it as a sales tool.  I also made a round of the countries in Asia where we are present.  I spoke with approximately 170 journalists just between Japan and China and spoke in the largest cosmetics store in Seoul, in stores in Shanghai, Beijing, Osaka and Tokyo, distributing copies of our Bureau Veritas Certification certificate in each location.  We have covered Europe and North America in a similar fashion. In France we have generated about a hundred articles in the press covering our management process and certification.  We have also held many conferences in stores and invited journalists to visit our premises. The certification is prominently displayed on our website. Our campaign across the globe has been both extensive and very effective.  Thanks to our Bureau Veritas ISO 22716 certification we can show that we are the most advanced, or at the very least one of the most advanced cosmetics companies in the world. 

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