By Letta Kalamara

lkalamara@naftemporiki.gr

Greece, with its incredible wealth of unique natural ingredients and the high calibre of its scientists, could achieve the same kind of success as South Korea if a similar collective strategy were in place, said Athanasios Petmezas, a pharmacist, producer and founder of cosmetics company Epidermia.

As he explained, the pandemic, despite the difficulties it brought, acted as a catalyst for consumers’ shift towards health and skincare, highlighting the importance of domestic production.

Asked how difficult it is to run a business in Greece today, he replied:

Doing business in Greece today requires constant adaptability. The challenges are real and familiar to all of us: from high operating and energy costs and inflationary pressures on raw materials to bureaucratic hurdles which, despite progress in digitalisation, continue to consume valuable time.

One challenge we are facing today, given the complex global geopolitical and economic environment, is sourcing and importing raw materials. The problem even affects materials we have been using for years. International upheaval is forcing us to change shipping routes and supply lines to avoid countries where conditions remain volatile. As you can imagine, this sends transport and operating costs soaring.

Shipping delays, global shortages and price volatility require foresight and strategic partnerships with reliable suppliers to ensure uninterrupted production. Despite these pressures, at Epidermia we consciously choose to absorb the additional costs, maintaining stable pricing in order to support our partners.

Our philosophy at Epidermia, however, is that difficulties should not act as a barrier but as an incentive to evolve. Greece now has an exceptionally mature and highly skilled workforce — scientists, chemists and specialised technicians — which is the real driving force behind our production. Moreover, Greek-made cosmetics enjoy considerable recognition both at home and abroad, thanks in part to the high safety standards required by the European Union.

So, yes, it is difficult, but not impossible. The key to making a business venture succeed today lies in flexibility, continuous investment in modern equipment and the ability to offer added value. When customers — whether end consumers or companies entrusting you with the manufacture of their products — see consistency and outstanding quality, the business does not merely survive; it grows.

He underlined that Epidermia operates a modern, vertically integrated manufacturing facility that enables the company to develop high-specification cosmetics for the face, body and hair.

“Our business is built around two equally important pillars: our own branded products, which we distribute through pharmacies via both B2B channels (through pharmaceutical wholesalers) and B2C channels (directly to pharmacies), and private-label and contract manufacturing for third parties.”

Petmezas stated: “Our product philosophy is based on what we call scientifically proven beauty. With more than 40 years of accumulated laboratory experience in the pharmaceutical sector, we develop advanced formulations. Many of these are the result of collaborations between Greek scientists and Greek universities, drawing on clinical data.

Whether we are producing our own ranges or developing products on behalf of third parties, manufacturing takes place at state-of-the-art facilities approved by the National Organisation for Medicines (EOF) and operating in strict compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

Sustainability is also a central pillar of our strategy. Our facility runs on green energy from renewable sources and follows zero-waste practices. In other words, we offer the market products with an excellent balance of quality and price, combining safety and effectiveness with respect for the environment.”

He highlighted three areas that the company stands for:

– Scientific evidence and R&D: We do not simply follow cosmetic trends. Every formulation we develop, often in collaboration with Greek universities, is backed by clinical data and studies. The use of immortelle in our product ranges, for example, is no coincidence; it is based on the plant’s outstanding skin-regenerating and anti-ageing properties.

– The “Clean & Green Beauty” philosophy: Our customers know they are using products manufactured at a facility powered by 100% green energy and operating according to zero-waste principles. We offer highly effective cosmetics free from harmful chemicals, designed to respect both the skin and the environment.

– Value for money: Because we are the manufacturers ourselves and control every stage — from the initial concept to the finished product on the shelf — we can offer premium quality and luxurious textures at highly competitive prices, without intermediaries.

Asked about plans for further expansion, he said:

“Further expansion is not simply a future goal; it has been an integral part of our strategic planning from day one. When we designed Epidermia’s production facility and laboratory in 2020, we made sure the infrastructure included space for future expansion. This allows us to increase production capacity whenever necessary to support our next major step: expanding our international presence and developing exports.

Greek cosmetics are of excellent quality. However, to be honest, as a country we can and must do much better when it comes to branding abroad.

We need only look at the phenomenon of K-beauty, or Korean cosmetics. Without necessarily having superior ingredients or formulations compared with those of European products, Korean brands have managed to achieve global dominance because there was a clear business commitment and, above all, a coordinated national strategy supporting the industry. Consumers buy cosmetics from that particular country without necessarily knowing or even caring about the individual brand; what matters to them is the country of origin.

Greece, with its incredible wealth of unique natural ingredients and the high calibre of its scientists, could achieve similar success if a comparable collective strategy were in place.

At Epidermia, we are taking this step independently, investing in our international prospects and exploring opportunities to place our products in overseas markets, both under our own brands and through private-label manufacturing for foreign companies.”