ImerCare® 6M: The French Mica for Make-up by Imerys

TAGS:  Sustainability / Natural Cosmetics    Decorative Cosmetics   

An Interview with Thierry Casteran, Market Vice-President at Imerys for Personal Care in EMEA

Imerys has launched its first natural solution for the cosmetics industry based on mica mineral sourced in France: ImerCare® 6M. This mica has been engineered to optimize its particle size and lamellarity, making it an ideal mineral base for pressed powder. It offers superior cohesiveness, transparency and luminosity.

Mica is a naturally occurring, highly lamellar mineral and unique among platy minerals due to the transparent and luminous effect it imparts. These optical effects are widely used in the cosmetic industry and particularly in make-up applications.


We recently interviewed Thierry Casteran, Market Vice-President at Imerys for Personal Care in EMEA to tell us about this new ingredient and how sustainability is at the heart of this new solution.

#1 - Tell us about your Imerys mica solution, ImerCare® 6M?

Imerys has designed a 100% natural mica which is highly cohesive in pressed powders whilst providing a transparent and luminous finish. ImerCare® 6M is Cosmos-approved mica sourced in France. This mica is ideal for powder foundations, eyeshadows and blushes and is twice as cohesive as standard mica found on the market.

While it confers high cohesiveness in pressed powders, this patented mica ensures good sensoriality, transparency and luminosity. It can be incorporated up to 70% in compact powder formulation. Numerous tests have been performed in the laboratory to highlight mica’s good sensorial properties and good cohesiveness in pressed powders compared to the benchmark.

#2 - Why did you decide to source mica in France?

Sustainability is a rising matter in many angles for consumers, industries and Imerys. The world is changing, the consumer's needs evolve towards more transparency, traceability, ethics, all generating a deeper understanding of the nature of ingredients consumers use in their daily life.

Sourcing ImerCare® 6M in our own site in Brittany - Ploemeur - France, allows us to have flawless transparency and traceability as well as a guarantee of compliance with French societal and ethical standards when operating the quarry.

We are proud to be able to produce something entirely locally for an industry that has its heart in Europe and to be able to develop local expertise.

#3 - You mentioned transparency and traceability, what are the main differences with foreign sourcing?

French regulations are particularly demanding in terms of biodiversity management and quarry rehabilitation. Thus, before any operation, Imerys prepares a rehabilitation plan. ImerCare 6M® being sourced in our site allows us to have an in-depth knowledge of the product's life cycle and thus meet our sustainability criteria. French origin and the “Cosmos approved” label are essential elements for Imerys, the world leader in natural mineral specialties, as are transparency and traceability.

#4 - Sustainability is an important element for Imerys, what initiatives are in place in Ploemeur where ImerCare® 6M is coming from?

Indeed, at Imerys, we take our commitment to sustainable development very seriously, not only because it seems right to us, but also because this commitment is essential to our growth and transformation.

Our Imerys site in Brittany in northwest France, certified ISO 14001 since 2004, is a shining example of Imerys’ Commitment to Environmental Protection. The Ploemeur site has been firmly engaged in various actions and measures for several years, such as the installation of beehives, in partnership with the UNAF (National Union of French Apiculture) or the safeguarding and monitoring of bird species with the association Bretagne Vivante.

These efforts on sustainability have been recognized by the UNICEM (National Union of Quarries and Building Materials Industries) who granted the site with an “exemplarity certificate” for its progress in Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility.

#5 - What can we expect from Imerys in 2022 with regards to its personal care range ImerCare®?

We are excited to finally be able to showcase our mineral-based solutions at InCosmetics, in Paris, from 5 to 7 April. It will be a great opportunity to properly launch our latest ImerCare grades: ImerCare® VitalSkin and ImerCare® 6M – launched during the COVID-19 period – and of course, interact with our global network. These events are essential, that’s where key discussions are held to better understand the future demands, anticipate new trends and be innovative in how we can accompany our customers in driving the future of Cosmetics.

Last but not least, a new mineral solution will be displayed out our booth N142, but I cannot tell you more.

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About Thierry Casteran

Thierry Casteran is based in Toulouse, France and has a metallurgy engineering background, more specifically in materials science and surface treatment. He started his career within the French Navy paint lab, as an R&D engineer, developing paints for submarine and aircraft carriers. After 5 years, he took the role of Lab Quality & Production Manager in the dying department of one of the leading textile companies.

In 2001, Thierry Casteran joined World Minerals, as Tech. Project Manager EMEA. In 2005, the company World Minerals was acquired by Imerys, where Thierry completed 15 years in Sales & Marketing roles in the Plastics and Paints markets. Within Imerys, Thierry was at the head of the Personal Care Market as Global Director for 3 years.

Currently, Thierry is the Filtration & Life Sciences Market Vice-President for Imerys in the EMEA region, which includes market such as Personal Care, Food, Pharmaceuticals.


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