Somatoline Cosmetic

Somatoline Cosmetic is an Italian body- and skincare brand specialising in slimming, firming, anti-cellulite and anti-ageing treatments sold mainly through pharmacies. The brand dates its own founding to 2002, describing itself as being on "a mission of beauty since 2002" [3], with its first product reaching Italian pharmacies the following year. It grew out of the science behind Somatoline, a long-established medicinal anti-cellulite cream developed by researchers in Calenzano, near Florence.

In March 2026 the brand changed hands: Manetti & Roberts, a subsidiary of the Bolton Group, sold Somatoline to the French Olyos Group, controlled by private-equity firm Motion Equity Partners [6]. Under its new owner, Somatoline remains an actively marketed pharmacy dermo-cosmetics brand.

Somatoline Cosmetic emerged from the research work of the Somatoline laboratory in Calenzano, in the province of Florence. According to the company, the cosmetic brand was created "from the experience of Somatoline's researchers," carrying their slimming and body-treatment expertise into cosmetics [3]. Its first product, Somatoline Cosmetic Pancia e Fianchi (a slimming treatment for the belly and hips), reached Italian pharmacies in 2003.

The founding year is recorded differently depending on which entity is meant. Somatoline Cosmetic self-dates to 2002 on its official brand site [3], with the first product following in 2003. Business press covering the 2026 sale, along with several pharmacy retailers, instead give 1973 [6] — a date that refers to the older medicinal Somatoline cream and the laboratory behind it, not to the cosmetic brand's own launch. The medicinal product, described on its own site as "the only medicinal specialty for reducing states of adiposity accompanied by cellulite," traces its formula to the 1970s. The names of the cosmetic brand's founders are not documented in available sources.

Following the 2003 launch, the brand expanded steadily. In 2007, alongside its rollout across Europe, it introduced in Italy what it presented as the first slimming product designed to work at night [3]. A men's slimming line, Snellenti Uomo, followed in 2010. In 2012 the company launched Lift Effect, an anti-ageing line for the body, and in 2013 it entered the facial-care market with Lift Effect Viso, described as its first anti-wrinkle face line [3].

The brand has also been known as Somatoline SkinExpert, a name used in some of its marketing.

Somatoline's parent for several decades was Manetti & Roberts, an Italian personal-care company founded in Florence in 1921 and based in Calenzano. Manetti & Roberts came under the Bolton Group, an Italian multinational; the two Wikipedia accounts of the acquisition date it to 1992 [5], while Bolton's own heritage page gives 1983 [8] — a difference that may reflect an initial stake versus full control. Somatoline sat within a portfolio of Manetti & Roberts brands that also included Neutro Roberts and Borotalco.

On 4 March 2026, Manetti & Roberts (Bolton Group) sold the Somatoline brand to the French Olyos Group, controlled by Motion Equity Partners [6][7]. At the time of the sale, Somatoline was described in the Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore as Italy's leading dermo-cosmetics brand and the number-one brand in pharmacy slimming [6].

The company positions Somatoline Cosmetic as a science-led beauty brand, describing itself as putting "science at the service of every woman's beauty" [3]. The brand's stated approach applies the body-treatment research of the original Somatoline laboratory to cosmetic products, with results claimed as visible within about two weeks. Its own tagline frames the brand around "a mission of beauty since 2002."

Somatoline Cosmetic's range covers slimming, firming, anti-cellulite, anti-ageing and facial-care products. Its best-known items span its history: the original Pancia e Fianchi slimming treatment (2003), the night-acting slimming product introduced in 2007, and the Lift Effect lines for body (2012) and face (2013). The brand is distributed mainly through the pharmacy channel — at the time of the 2026 sale, through more than 3,600 pharmacies and over 600 parapharmacies, as well as online [6].

As of March 2026, Somatoline changed ownership, passing from Manetti & Roberts (Bolton Group) to the Olyos Group, backed by Motion Equity Partners [6]. The brand remains operational and continues to be distributed across Italy and several European markets, including France, Spain and Belgium, with indirect distribution reported in Greece and Switzerland [6].