KDC/One and Clarion Group Join Forces to Enter the Indian Cosmetics Market

Canadian company Knowlton Development Corporation Inc. (kdc/one) has partnered with Indian manufacturer Clarion Group to form a joint venture to meet the growing demand for beauty brands in India.

The agreement was signed in Chennai, India by Sandra Wisniewski, global president of kdc/one beauty and personal care, and KN Lakshmanan, chairman of Clarion Group, to establish a new company, kdc/one Clarion Beauty Pvt Ltd, dedicated to supporting the rapid development of beauty and personal care brands in India.

Clarion, headquartered in Mumbai, India, is one of the largest contract manufacturers of personal care and home care products in India. Clarion also provides private label manufacturing facilities and exports its products to the United States, Europe and Middle Eastern countries.

Over the next 12 months, the joint venture will develop and build a new manufacturing plant in the Gujarat region to produce injection molded and metalized beauty packaging. The joint venture will also draw on the formulation experience of kdc/one and Clarion in color cosmetics, skin care and personal care.

Sandra Wisniewski, Global President, Beauty and Personal Care, kdc/one, said: "We are excited to join forces with Clarion Group and combine our respective strengths and collective power to help brand owners grow their businesses in the Indian market. We look forward to bringing kdc/one and HCT's custom packaging design, quality and development credentials and benefiting from Clarion's strong track record in India, highly strategic personal care manufacturing footprint and experienced local management team."

KN Lakshmanan, Chairman, Clarion Group, said: "Not only do our two companies have complementary manufacturing, formulation and packaging strengths in beauty and personal care products, but we also share a commitment to delivering the highest levels of innovation, quality, service, agility and regulatory compliance."