Spanish pharmaceutical company Cantabria Labs has bought ELANCYL, the expert body care brand, after reaching an acquisition agreement with the French group Pierre Fabre.

A pioneer in anti-cellulite care, ELANCYL joins the Cantabria Labs brand portfolio with the objective of developing the brand internationally, leveraging and promoting the properties of the plant-based active ingredients that are the result of 45 years of innovation and expertise by Pierre Fabre. ELANCYL posted turnover of € 9,8 million in 2019 through commercialization in over 20 countries and enjoys leading positions in France, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Poland.

With this move, Cantabria Labs takes an ambitious step to consolidate its position as a leading European skin health company with highly innovative products of proven efficacy and scientific endorsement. The company’s engagement with skincare experts and professionals as core partners powers its expansion to improve people’s skin health and quality of life.

“In a strange and difficult year, when everything around us is uncertain and in flux, we felt we had to be entrepreneurs and remain alert to market opportunities,” said Cantabria Labs president Juan Matji in relation to the deal. “ELANCYL products are trailblazers in the body care industry and enjoy an excellent reputation worldwide.”

Pierre Fabre CEO Eric Ducournau also commented on the deal: “We are glad to see the ELANCYL brand taken over by Cantabria Labs who is ideally positioned to take it to the next level. As far as Pierre Fabre is concerned, this divestiture is perfectly consistent with our strategy of focusing our skincare investments on brands relying on dermatologist recommendation and targeting pathologic skins which is not the case of ELANCYL today.”

Cantabria Labs is a dermatological laboratory posting constant growth and enjoying leading positions in Spain, Italy and Portugal, with its brands HELIOCARE, ENDOCARE, NEORETIN, BIRETIX and IRALTONE as science and innovation benchmarks in the dermatological area.

Pierre Fabre’s turnover reached over € 2.4 billion in 2019 spread over 130 countries. The company is structured around two main divisions: Medical Care with a focus on oncology and dermatology, and Dermo-cosmetics with a portfolio of global brands including EAU THERMALE AVÈNE, DUCRAY, KLORANE, A-DERMA and RENÉ FURTERER.