What Laboratoire Dermscan does

Laboratoire Dermscan (legal entity EUROFINS LABORATOIRE DERMSCAN) is a French contract research organization specializing in pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Founded in 1990 by Frédérique Girard-Ory and headquartered in Villeurbanne (Lyon), France, the company operates two core service divisions: Eurofins Dermscan (cosmetics and beauty product testing) and Eurofins Pharmascan (pharmaceutical and health product clinical trials). Services span in vitro pre-clinical safety testing (toxicology, microbiology, physicochemical analyses, solar tests) and in vivo clinical studies on volunteer panels, including safety, efficacy, and sensory evaluations using more than 100 measuring devices and 250+ established test protocols.

The company's underlying technology combines accredited laboratory infrastructure with a proprietary volunteer database of approximately 23,000 healthy subjects and patients across multiple countries, spanning infants through seniors and multi-ethnic backgrounds. Electronic case report form (eCRF) data collection, biostatistical analysis, and clinical report writing are integrated within full-service trial management from feasibility through regulatory submission. The company is ISO 9001 certified since 2002, operates in compliance with ISO 14155 and GCP-ICH guidelines, and is approved by France's Agence Régionale de Santé for clinical study conduct.

Commercially, Laboratoire Dermscan operates a B2B professional services model with quote-based project pricing and dedicated sales teams per market segment. It generates revenue by conducting 4,000+ pre-clinical and clinical studies annually for enterprise clients in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical device, dietary supplement, and hygiene product sectors. Since 2018, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eurofins Scientific SE, providing access to a global network of approximately 1,000 laboratories in 50+ countries. Own clinical trial centers operate in France (Villeurbanne, Aix-en-Provence), Poland (Gdansk), Tunisia, Thailand (Bangkok), Mauritius, and Spain (Barcelona), with the Espace Volontaires platform supporting volunteer recruitment at compensation rates of €15 to €1,500 per study.

Name

Laboratoire Dermscan

Legal name

EUROFINS LABORATOIRE DERMSCAN

Website

https://dermscan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Laboratoire Dermscan is a French CRO operating since 1990 that provides pre-clinical and clinical testing services for cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, serving enterprise clients across Europe, Africa, and Asia via a 23,000-volunteer panel and Eurofins Group affiliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research Organization (CRO) — Clinical Trial & Cosmetic Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs (HLAGAAAE), Toxicology & Safety Assessment CROs (GLP) (HLAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Clinical trial services
• Cosmetic product testing
• Pharmaceutical testing services
• In vitro pre-clinical testing
• In vivo clinical studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Services: Full-service CRO providing pre-clinical and clinical trial management for pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, covering all phases from feasibility through regulatory submission to final reporting
2. Cosmetic Testing Services: Safety, efficacy and sensory evaluation testing for cosmetics and beauty products, including consumer tests and instrumental measurements
3. Volunteer Panel Studies: Clinical studies conducted on volunteer panels for product evaluation before or after market launch

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Laboratoire Dermscan is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that conducts pre-clinical in vitro testing and in vivo clinical studies on volunteer panels to evaluate the safety, efficacy, sensory profile and consumer acceptance of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. It offers full-service clinical trial management (from feasibility and protocol design through in-life monitoring, data management via eCRF, statistical analysis, clinical report writing and regulatory submission) for cosmetic manufacturers (Eurofins Dermscan) and pharmaceutical/health product companies (Eurofins Pharmascan), including access to multi-ethnic volunteer panels across multiple countries through its own laboratories and the Eurofins global network.

Product overview

Eurofins Dermscan Pharmascan operates as a dual-division clinical research organization specializing in cosmetic (Eurofins Dermscan) and pharmaceutical (Eurofins Pharmascan) product evaluation. The company offers pre-clinical and clinical trial services including in vitro testing, in vivo studies on volunteer panels, safety and efficacy assessments, and consumer testing. Services are delivered through owned laboratory sites in France, Poland, Tunisia, Thailand, and Mauritius, integrated within the broader Eurofins network of approximately 1,000 laboratories worldwide. The volunteer recruitment platform (Espace Volontaires) supports subject recruitment across demographic categories from infants to seniors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eurofins Dermscan Testing services division for cosmetics and beauty products, providing standardized and customized in vitro (toxicology, microbiology, skin/eye irritation, sensitivity, solar tests) and in vivo clinical trials (safety, efficacy via instrumental measurement, sensory evaluation, consumer testing) on volunteer panels for cosmetic manufacturers and beauty brands.
• Eurofins Pharmascan Pharmaceutical and health product clinical trials division offering pre-clinical and clinical trial management (CRO/CRC) in healthcare facilities, with full-service support from feasibility and protocol design through monitoring, eCRF-based data management, statistical analysis, and clinical report writing for regulatory submission, in compliance with ICH-GCP and ISO 14155.
• Espace Volontaires Volunteer panel program that recruits and manages healthy subjects and patients (infants, children, adolescents, adults, seniors across multi-ethnic backgrounds) to participate in the company's clinical studies and consumer tests, with compensation of €15 to €1,500 per study (capped at €6,000/year tax-free per French law).

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 4,000 studies conducted annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Naos GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Eurofins Dermscan Pharmascan conducted a clinical study for the Naos Group evaluating the interest of a dermocosmetic product in improving quality of life for diabetic and dialysis patients suffering from skin dryness and pruritus. Study conducted with medical teams in Poland (Eurofins Dermscan Poland) and Mauritius (Insight Research).
• Pierre Fabre Dermo-CosmetiquecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmetique utilized Eurofins Dermscan Pharmascan's ability to recruit subjects with specific criteria (erythematotelangiectatic or papulopustular rosacea) in Poland for a clinical study evaluating product benefits. Results published in JEADV.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: Global testing, inspection and certification company with a cosmetics and personal care testing practice. Comparable to Dermscan's cosmetic product testing, sensory evaluation, and claims-substantiation services.
• ICON plc: Major global CRO providing clinical research services across all phases. Comparable as a clinical CRO competitor targeting pharma and consumer health sponsors.
• Intertek: Testing and quality assurance provider with consumer products and cosmetics testing labs. Comparable for cosmetic safety, efficacy, and regulatory testing services targeting beauty and personal care brands.
• IQVIA: World's largest CRO offering full-service Phase I-IV clinical trial management across pharma and consumer health. Comparable to Pharmascan's full-service clinical CRO model, though at vastly greater scale and broader therapeutic coverage.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection and certification group with consumer product testing capabilities including cosmetics. Overlaps with Dermscan on safety/efficacy/claims testing for beauty products.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO with strong safety assessment, preclinical and clinical trial capabilities. Directly comparable to Dermscan-Pharmascan's combined pre-clinical (in vitro toxicology) and clinical offering, especially for cosmetics and personal care clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eurofins-dermscan

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Laboratoire Dermscan