PMB INTELLIGENCE
Beauty Strategy & Innovation Advisory
Paris Macro Beauty brings together independent editorial and strategic advisory for the beauty industry.
Through PMB Intelligence, we help beauty brands, groups, contract manufacturers, private equity funds and investors assess opportunities, define their innovation priorities and translate them into practical business and product decisions.
Our approach combines experience inside beauty businesses with the cultural and industry analysis developed through PMB Edit. We consider what is changing in beauty, what it means for a particular business, and how that understanding should shape its next move.
Brand & Innovation Strategy
A new category, a changing audience, a portfolio that needs direction. We help teams clarify where to focus and how to build an offer that belongs to their brand.
Our work examines the competitive landscape, emerging expectations and the strengths of the existing business to establish clear priorities for innovation.
Engagements can include category opportunity assessments, brand and portfolio reviews, innovation territories and product roadmaps.
Concept & Product Development
We develop product propositions that connect a brand’s identity with a clear consumer purpose and a credible development direction.
From an individual product to a complete range, the work brings together positioning, product benefits, formulation and sensorial direction, claims, and portfolio architecture. Pricing, cost objectives and development constraints inform the concept from the outset.
Deliverables can include concept presentations, range architecture and development briefs, with priorities for feasibility, testing and substantiation.
Investor & Private Equity Advisory
We support private equity funds and strategic investors assessing beauty businesses and developing growth plans for their portfolio companies.
Our work examines the product offer, brand positioning, innovation pipeline and development capabilities behind a business. We assess portfolio coherence, category opportunities, manufacturing dependencies and the organisation’s ability to deliver its product ambitions.
Drawing on experience inside beauty businesses, including acquisition and post-acquisition integration, we bring an operational perspective to investment discussions and the priorities that follow a transaction.
Engagements can include product and innovation due diligence, portfolio and NPD capability reviews, and post-acquisition innovation roadmaps.
Contract Manufacturer Advisory
We help contract manufacturers translate their technical expertise into a distinctive innovation offer that speaks to the needs of beauty brands.
Working with R&D, innovation and commercial teams, we identify category opportunities, structure development priorities and shape product propositions around consumer expectations, brand positioning and market potential.
Our experience on the brand side brings a practical understanding of how teams evaluate manufacturing partners, assess concepts and decide which developments to take forward. This informs both the offer itself and how it is presented to prospective clients.
Engagements can include innovation portfolio reviews, category development strategies, product concept platforms and presentations for brand clients.
We help beauty businesses organise and strengthen product development, from the initial brief through to launch. Our support addresses the practical decisions, partnerships and processes needed to turn a product ambition into a deliverable project.
Manufacturer Identification & Selection
We identify and assess manufacturing partners against the requirements of the project, considering category expertise, formulation and packaging capabilities, quality expectations, cost objectives and production scale.
NPD Process & Organisation
We review development workflows, responsibilities and decision points across marketing, formulation, packaging and operations. Assignments can include NPD process audits, project prioritisation and improvements to how teams manage timelines, approvals and launch readiness.
Development & Specialist Coordination
We support teams in translating concepts into actionable briefs, managing development partners and resolving project bottlenecks. We also help define and coordinate the specialist input required for testing, claims substantiation and regulatory review.
Engagements can address a specific development challenge or provide ongoing support across a wider product pipeline.
NPD & Operational Advisory
Editorial & Research Partnerships
PMB’s editorial perspective is also available through commissioned research and selected content collaborations.
We work with brands, manufacturers, investors and organisations to examine a category, a cultural shift or a strategic question in depth. Formats can include bespoke reports, essays, interviews and thematic publications, with the scope and editorial treatment defined for each engagement.
Led by Nassim Belhaq
PMB Intelligence is led by Nassim Belhaq, drawing on 15 years of beauty industry experience, including VP of Innovation roles for Coco & Eve and Loving Tan, and senior leadership roles in NPD, product marketing and innovation at LVMH, L’Oréal, Coty and Shiseido.
His experience spans global groups and independent brands, combining strategic direction with the practical demands of developing products, managing partners and leading teams through growth and change.
Working together
Engagements range from focused projects to ongoing advisory support. Each begins with a clear business question, an agreed scope and defined deliverables, with Nassim directly involved throughout.
We take on a limited number of engagements to ensure close involvement in each mandate.
To discuss a brand, product, manufacturing or investment-related opportunity, get in touch.
An independent perspective. A direct working relationship.
To discuss a project, explore an opportunity or learn how PMB Intelligence could support your business, get in touch.