Pierre Fabre Laboratories celebrated the 20th anniversary of its employee shareholding plan

 I have decided to make the proposition to you, the employees who are alongside us in our shared adventure, that you become shareholders in Pierre Fabre Laboratories. I believe that this decision is an act of recognition for the contribution that each of you has made to the success of our company over the years. By becoming a shareholder, you will become future entrepreneurs of Pierre Fabre Laboratories. I invite you to embark on this adventure.

With these words, broadcast on the company radio in 2005, Mr. Pierre Fabre announced the creation of an employee shareholding plan. The plan was simply named Ruscus, the Latin name for butcher’s broom, a plant native to the Tarn region that was used in the first drug marketed by Pierre Fabre Laboratories in 1962.

In his speech, Pierre Fabre announced his ambition for employees to eventually own 10% of the company's shares. This goal was achieved twenty years later, with employees now holding 9.9% of the capital. This can be compared to an average of 4% for CAC 40 companies (Source: FAS, Fédération des Actionnaires Salariés).

In 2005, only a handful of unlisted companies were involved in employee share ownership. However, the Ruscus plan was a great success from its very first year: 93% of employees based in France subscribed to it, investing all or part of their incentives and profit-sharing, with an additional matching contribution from the company. From 2007, the plan was extended to 14 countries, including the main European countries, Mexico and Brazil. Today, 80% of employees eligible for the Ruscus plan have chosen to become shareholders, with participation rates reaching 83% in France, 87% in Mexico and up to 93% in Belgium. The next country to join Ruscus will be the United Kingdom in 2026.

Thanks to the Ruscus plan, employees are collectively the company's 2nd shareholder alongside the Pierre Fabre Foundation, which is a government-recognized public-interest foundation, and which Pierre Fabre, who passed away in 2013, made his sole legatee. Pierre Fabre Laboratories thus constitutes a unique example in the French industrial landscape, because profits not reinvested in the company are donated, on the one hand, to this humanitarian foundation, and, on the other hand, to the employees whose efforts and commitment make these profits possible.

Pierre Fabre Laboratories wished to look back on 20 years of experience in order to draw useful lessons for the future of employee share ownership in France. To this end, they organized two round tables at an event attended by around one hundred participants on September 17 at the Pierre Fabre Foundation headquarters in Lavaur (Tarn): 

• The first round table, on "employee share ownership: a lever for employee commitment and loyalty", was attended by Olivier Paon, Chairman of the Fédération de l'actionnariat salarié, Nicolas Villet, Managing Director of BNP Paribas Epargne & Retraite Entreprises, Sami Toutounji, a partner with expertise in employee share ownership at Gide, and Maud Vimeux, Chief Human Resources Officer at Pierre Fabre Laboratories.

• The second round table featured Patrick Martin, Chairman of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF), Jean-Claude Mailly, former General Secretary of the Force Ouvrière trade union, and Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre Laboratories, discussing "the role of employee share ownership in the creation and sharing of value".  

The debates concluded with a very personal address by Pierre-Yves Revol, Chairman of the Pierre Fabre Foundation, who spoke of the deep-rooted motivations behind Mr. Pierre Fabre's creation of the Ruscus plan.  

The event also provided an opportunity to screen a short film, "20 years of sharing and commitment", dedicated to the Ruscus plan’s past and present. 

Discover the film : 20th anniversary of Pierre Fabre Laboratories.

Key figures for the Ruscus plan

• Start date: June 2005
• Employee shareholding in Pierre Fabre S.A.: 9.9%
• Number of countries participating in the Ruscus plan: 14 countries
• Number of employee shareholders: 6,625 (i.e. 80% of all staff in the countries concerned)
• Ruscus representatives: 150 volunteer employees responsible for explaining and promoting the plan to their colleagues
• Subscription rate reached in 2025: 67%
• Amount invested by employees in 2025: €22.4 million (an average of €3,991 per employee)
• Company contribution in 2025: €4.6 million (i.e. an average of €738 per employee)  

About Pierre Fabre Laboratories 

Pierre Fabre Laboratories is the world’s second-largest dermo-cosmetics company and one of Europe’s leading pharmaceutical laboratories. Its Dermo-cosmetics & Personal Care portfolio includes international brands such as  Eau Thermale Avène, Ducray, Klorane, A-Derma, René Furterer, Même Cosmetics, Darrow and Elgydium. Its Medical Care activity covers 5 main therapeutic fields: oncology, dermatology, rare diseases, primary care and family health care.     

In 2024, Pierre Fabre Laboratories posted 3.1 billion euros in revenues, 70% of which came from international sales in 120 countries. Based in southwest France since its creation and manufacturing nearly 90% of its products in France, Pierre Fabre Laboratories employs 10,200 people worldwide. Its R&D budget amounted to 219 million euros in 2024, of which 60% was allocated to targeted therapies in oncology and 35% to skin health and care solutions.    

Pierre Fabre Laboratories’ majority shareholder (86%) is an eponymous humanitarian Foundation. Employees constitute the company’s other shareholder. This capital structure guarantees the company’s independence, long-term vision and contribution to the common good. The dividends paid to the Pierre Fabre Foundation contribute to 35 healthcare-access programs deployed in 22 of the least developed countries in the world.   

Pierre Fabre Laboratories’ CSR policy has been assessed by AFNOR Certification and has been awarded the “Exemplary” level of its CSR label (ISO 26 000 standard for sustainable development).  

For more information, visit www.pierre-fabre.com, @Laboratoires Pierre Fabre

Press contact

Dorothée KOHLER 
dorothee.kohler@pierre-fabre.com 
06 08 09 22 41