One-liner: the Clúster de Cosmética de la Comunidad Valenciana — sector networking and corporate-demand access for cosmetics/personal-care startups, with AITEX (the REDIT textile-technology institute) acting as technical secretariat and a named president, Consuelo Vaquer (CEO, Nirvel Beauty Group).
What a founder gets
- Sector networking and market intelligence in the cosmetics/personal-care manufacturing space — the practical value of cluster membership for a niche that otherwise has no dedicated Valencia-region trade body.
- Corporate-demand access: 13 founding member companies (see Key facts) who can serve as pilot customers, co-development partners, or supply-chain contacts for a startup building cosmetics-adjacent tech (formulation, packaging, sustainability, personal-care devices).
- AITEX technical support: as technical secretariat, AITEX brings its R&D/testing expertise (an established REDIT institute, same model as ITC for ceramics) to bear on sustainable product development for member companies.
- Emerging-cluster growth trajectory: because it's classified "Emerging" (not yet "Consolidated" or "Advanced"), the cluster itself is in an active growth/formalization phase — potentially more accessible to new members and more open to co-shaping cluster priorities than a long-established cluster would be.
- IVACE+i cluster-program funding eligibility: as one of the 19 officially recognized clusters, it can draw on the €1.85M 2026 IVACE+i Cluster Program budget (50–100% subsidy, up to €150,000/action) for digitalization, sustainability, internationalization, talent, and cooperation projects — a mechanism through which member-collaboration projects can be co-funded.
Who it's for
- Cosmetics, personal-care, and adjacent beauty-tech/formulation startups and SMEs at early-to-growth stage in the Comunitat Valenciana wanting sector networking or corporate introductions.
- Ordinary membership eligibility is now confirmed: primary activity must be cosmetic product manufacturing under CNAE codes 2009-204 or 2009-2042. Universities, technology centers, and industry associations can join as collaborative members.
- Marked
niche: anyin the wiki's controlled vocabulary because "cosmetics" is not itself a listed niche value (see CLAUDE.md §4e) — in practice this cluster serves the cosmetics/personal-care vertical specifically; treat theanytag as a vocabulary limitation, not a claim of sector-agnosticism.
How to engage
- No standalone cluster website — AITEX hosts the technical secretariat; contact cluster.cosmetica@aitex.es directly, or via aitex.es.
- Membership is paid (
cost: paid); specific fee tiers not published in the sources found this pass.
Key facts
- Official classification: "Emerging" tier, #17 of 19 in the 2025–26 GVA/IVACE+i official cluster registry (listed as "Asoc. Desarrollo e Innovación Empresas Cosméticas") — grouped with SECMA CV, the sports-impact association, and Innovall (AI) as the other emerging-tier clusters in the same registry pass.
- Founding companies (13): Nirvel Beauty Group, Germaine de Capuccini, Suavinex, Babaria–Berioska, RNB, Laboratorios Belloch, Grupo Brevia, Grupo Ubesol, Neocos Laboratorios, Quimi Romar, Laboratorios Carol, Sesderma, Laboratorios Forenqui.
- President: Consuelo Vaquer, CEO of Nirvel Beauty Group (Nirvel Cosmetics) — elected unanimously for a 4-year term. This resolves the wiki's prior "no named cluster manager" data gap.
- Funding mechanism: IVACE+i / AVI Cluster Program — 2026 budget €1.85M (€950k post-increase for this cycle); 2025–26 total awarded across all 19 clusters was €1,045,094; direct support also confirmed from the Conselleria de Innovación, Industria, Comercio y Turismo.
- Sector context: cosmetics is not one of the traditional heavy-industry clusters (ceramics, textiles, footwear, toys) that dominate the Comunitat Valenciana's industrial base (~12,700 companies, 40% of sector business volume) — its "emerging" status reflects a newer, smaller, and less institutionally mature sector body than clusters like ATEVAL or the ceramics cluster.
Relations
- Funded by: IVACE+i Cluster Program
- See also: GVA Clusters (registry)
- See also: AITEX