CARESTIA

What CARESTIA does

CARESTIA SAS is a French specialty commercial printing company founded in 1883 in Grasse, the historical world capital of perfume, and now operating from a 4,000 m² vertically integrated site in Mouans-Sartoux, France. The company invented the scented blotter concept and is the originator of fragrance-testing cards at point of sale; it manufactures scented cards/blotters, cardboard packaging and boxes for cosmetics, promotional scented items, and bespoke micro-encapsulated test-and-sampling products. Following its 2013 acquisition by Arcade Marketing (which became Arcade Beauty Group after its 2014 merger with Bioplan), Carestia operates as a B2B project partner to luxury and beauty brands, with named customers including Chanel, Guerlain, Petit Bateau, and (as of 2026) Nespresso.

The company's core technology stack spans traditional and UV offset printing (including a Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 104), in-house micro-encapsulation (formaldehyde-, paraben-, and microplastic-free, applied to 100% FSC paper), hot stamping, embossing, cutting, gluing, and a dedicated in-house scenting laboratory with chemical engineers and perfumers who validate every production run. Recent product innovations include the ScentLy-Car and ScentLy-Home recyclable cardboard-and-cork fragrance diffusers, FSC paper spatulas co-developed with Chanel, and a 2026 wave of paper-based cosmetic testers (Mini Houppette, Pochoir Papier, paper nail polish testers) plus an Anti-Dispersion device that reduces ambient fragrance pollution at point of sale by 63%. Annual production capacity is 700 million products across small bespoke series and large runs.

Carestia generates revenue through bespoke, project-based B2B contracts with major luxury, beauty, cosmetics, and increasingly adjacent categories (coffee, wines & spirits, home fragrance). Pricing is negotiated per client and project; no public pricing exists. The company is privately held under Arcade Beauty Group, holds ISO 9001, is pursuing ISO 14001 and ISO 12647/2, achieved Ecovadis Platinum (84/100, top 1% in 2025), and disclosed a 2022 reference revenue band of €16-18M with a workforce of ~90. Distribution is 100% direct enterprise sales with no retail or self-serve channel.

Name

CARESTIA

Legal name

CARESTIA SAS au capital de 540 000 € – 416 050 045 RCS GRASSE

Website

https://carestia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CARESTIA is a 140-year-old French specialty printer, headquartered in Mouans-Sartoux, that invented the scented blotter and produces bespoke scented cards, micro-encapsulated test products, and cardboard packaging for luxury and beauty brands as a subsidiary of Arcade Beauty Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mouans-sartoux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom scented printed solutions manufacturing: B2B custom manufacturing of scented cards, packaging, testers, and promotional items for luxury and beauty brands. Project-based work from design through delivery, serving major international fragrance, cosmetics, and beauty brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carestia is a B2B custom manufacturer of scented printing solutions and packaging for the luxury beauty, fragrance, cosmetics, and selective lifestyle markets. It produces scented cards and blotters (including micro-encapsulated variants such as Pull and Smell, Roll and Smell, Cushion blotter, and Touch and Smell), cardboard packaging and boxes, promotional scented items, paper spatulas replacing plastic testers, fragrance diffusers (ScentLy-Car, ScentLy-Home), and bespoke promotional tools. The company accompanies enterprise clients from design and prepress through offset printing, decoration, in-house scenting, micro-encapsulation, and packing on a project-by-project basis.

Product overview

Carestia Arcade Beauty is a specialist printer and creator of scented solutions for the luxury beauty and cosmetics industry, founded in 1883 in Grasse, France. The company operates a vertically integrated production site spanning design office, prepress, offset printing (traditional and UV), decoration and finishing (hot stamping, embossing, cutting), in-house scenting laboratory (including micro-encapsulation), and shaping/packing. Its product portfolio centers on scented cards and blotters (the product it invented), packaging and boxes for cosmetics, and promotional scented items. Key product lines include the ScentLy-Car and ScentLy-Home fragrance diffusers (recyclable cardboard and cork), paper spatulas replacing plastic cosmetic testers, anti-dispersion devices for fragrance testing, and pre-scented cards. Services cover the full value chain from design through to logistics, serving fragrance, skincare, makeup, home fragrance, and wines & spirits markets. The company operates exclusively as a B2B manufacturer and does not offer a public API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scent Cards and Blotters (Cartes à sentir) Scent cards and blotters for olfactory discovery at point of sale, serving the perfume and cosmetics industry. Includes standard impregnated cards, micro-encapsulated scent cards (Pull and Smell, Roll and Smell, Cushion blotter, Touch and Smell), and pre-scented cards marketed to luxury and beauty brand customers.
• Packaging and Boxes (Étuis et coffrets) Cardboard packaging for small-format beauty products, including boxes for promotional items, samples, and full-size products for skincare and makeup customers.
• Promotional Scented Items (Objets parfumés et promotionnels) Creative promotional scented objects and marketing tools, including bookmarklets, scented drawer inserts, and bespoke promotional items for fragrance brands.
• Paper Spatulas (Spatules carton) Cardboard spatulas replacing single-use plastic spatulas for point-of-sale cosmetic testers, 100% FSC certified and fully recyclable, marketed to cosmetics brands.
• ScentLy-Car Vehicle air freshener diffuser made of recyclable cardboard and industrial cork, customizable in shape, size, and decoration, delivering fragrance throughout car journeys for up to 3 weeks.
• ScentLy-Home Home fragrance diffuser available in round, square, rectangular, or hexagonal forms, featuring a self-locking lid with adjustable height to modulate diffusion intensity, 100% customizable and made of recyclable materials.
• Mini Houppette Mini powder puff made of FSC paper, 100% recyclable, designed for makeup touch-ups and precision makeup application.
• Pochoir Papier (Paper Stencil) Paper stencil for applying lipstick, eyeliner, blush, eyeshadow, or eyebrow products, guiding the user to visualize the shape and rendering of the cosmetic.
• Testeurs de Vernis à Ongle Papier (Paper Nail Polish Testers) Paper nail polish testers for point of sale that avoid the use of dissolvent, reduce waste, and allow clients to retain the product reference.
• Dispositif Anti-Dispersion Anti-dispersion device for fragrance testing at point of sale that limits fragrance mixing between products, reducing ambient pollution by 63%.
• Cartes Pré-Parfumées (Pre-Scented Cards) Pre-scented cards made of FSC-certified paper and fully recyclable, showcasing specific fragrance notes, often paired with QR codes linking to product information.
• Micro-Encapsulated Scent Cards (Pull and Smell, Roll and Smell, Cushion Blotter, Touch and Smell) Micro-encapsulated scent cards (Pull and Smell, Roll and Smell, Cushion blotter, Touch and Smell) that release olfactory notes upon friction. Microcapsules are free of formaldehyde, parabens, and microplastics, applied to FSC paper that is 100% recyclable, with juice economy advantages.
• Design Office and Prepress Service (Bureau d'études / Pré-presse) Integrated design and prepress unit providing 3D mockups, technical feasibility testing, material and cutting trials, color density optimization, inking optimization, and press characterization for client projects.
• Offset Printing Service Offset printing with traditional and UV capabilities on six-color presses, enabling high-quality printing on various paper and cardboard substrates.
• Decoration and Finishing Service Decoration and finishing operations including selective varnishing, drying, hot foil stamping, embossing-stamping, cutting to shape, automated folding and gluing, shaping and packing.
• In-House Scenting Laboratory Service Integrated fragrance laboratory staffed by chemical engineers and sensory evaluation teams, developing and optimizing scenting techniques including micro-encapsulation, with each production run validated by a perfumer.
• Shaping and Packing Service (Façonnage et conditionnement) Manual assembly, specific folding and gluing, shaping, accessory application, stapling, co-packing, and protective sachet packing operations with rigorous logistics management per project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700 million products manufactured per year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NespressominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 February 2026First collaboration producing pre-scented cards composed of FSC paper and entirely recyclable. Three unique aromas developed specifically by Mane. Integrated within a street marketing operation with QR codes linking to product sales references.
• Paperscent (GK Concept)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2020Exclusive international partnership with GK Concept for distribution of the Paperscent concept. Paperscent is a compact device or machine designed to distribute scent strips to consumers on demand at point-of-sale. Carestia conducts joint research with GK Concept to define paper typology compatible with the machine's decoration technique and guarantee universal compatibility with juices and inks. Carestia supplies the blank blotter, pre-printed or hot-stamped.
• Arcade Beauty GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Carestia acquired by Arcade Marketing in 2013, which became Arcade Beauty in 2014 when it merged with Bioplan group. Integrated as a world leader in fragrance sampling and mini-products while maintaining its identity. Provides group-level R&D support, technical synergy, and global market access.
• Grasse ExpertiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarestia acts as sponsor for Grasse Expertise, a collective label under the Club des Entrepreneurs du Pays de Grasse that brings together regional stakeholders from fragrance, aroma, cosmetics, health and wellbeing sectors. Grasse Expertise is a significant contributor to the region's economy and sustainability.
• Club des Entrepreneurs du Pays de GrasseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business network under which Grasse Expertise label operates. Carestia participates in regional initiatives and supports local economic development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Quadpack Industries: International beauty packaging manufacturer offering a broad portfolio of packaging components and turnkey solutions for skincare, makeup, and fragrance brands. Competes for sustainable packaging programs with major beauty houses.
• Pochet du Courval: Historic French luxury packaging manufacturer producing glass flacons, caps, and decorative components for the world's largest fragrance and cosmetics houses. Comparable as a long-standing French supplier to the same luxury fragrance customers Carestia serves.
• Geka: Global manufacturer of beauty applicators, mascara brushes, and packaging components with strong positions in fragrance and color cosmetics. Comparable in supplying precision components and applicators to the same luxury beauty customers.
• HCP Packaging: Global beauty packaging supplier offering primary packaging (compacts, lipsticks, mascara) and secondary packaging for cosmetics and skincare brands. Overlaps with Carestia on beauty packaging and decoration/finishing services for premium brands.
• Albea: Global beauty packaging incumbent offering plastics, metal, and paper-based packaging for cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance. Albea competes for the same luxury beauty packaging wallet as Carestia at materially greater scale and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Veriplast: French specialist in luxury beauty and fragrance packaging, including sampling applicators and decorative components. Direct peer in the French luxury beauty packaging ecosystem serving comparable fragrance houses.
• Bioplan: Now part of Arcade Beauty group, Bioplan produces fragrance sampling strips and mini-products. Direct comparable and historical sister entity to Carestia within the same parent group, sharing the same end-customers in fragrance sampling.
• Pusterla 1880: Italian luxury packaging specialist producing decorated boxes, cases, and folding cartons for premium fragrance, cosmetics, and wines & spirits. Closely comparable to Carestia in specialty printed/decorated packaging for luxury end markets.
• Texen Industries: French-based luxury beauty packaging manufacturer producing primary packaging, sampling solutions, and finishing for fragrance and cosmetics brands. Direct comparable in serving European luxury beauty with custom packaging and sampling.
• Arcade Beauty: Parent group and direct operator of fragrance sampling and mini-product manufacturing across multiple sites. Arcade Beauty shares Carestia's core category (scented sampling, mini-products, beauty packaging) and overlaps on customer base with major fragrance houses, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcade-beauty/posts/?feedView=images

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CARESTIA