BW Confidential - Issue #16 - November/December 2013 - (Page 20)

Update Companies on the move Spa ambitions A change in distribution strategy looks to be paying off for customized skincare line My Blend by Dr Olivier Courtin by Naomi Marcoulet W hen it first launched in select department stores in 2008, the Clarins’ made-to-measure skincare brand, My Blend by Dr Olivier Courtin, garnered strong interest, as it set out to pioneer a promising new territory—personalized skincare. However, while there was interest from both consumers and retailers, the company found that department-store distribution was not adapted to the madeto-measure concept and it pulled out of retail to focus on the spa channel in 2011. The strategy seems to be paying off, with new spa openings on the agenda and sales up 35% this year. “When we launched My Blend, it was designed to be a custom skincare treatment, with products specifically blended [for the customer] following a skin diagnosis [a booster formula based on the diagnosis is added to creams and serums in the line]. Diagnosing the skin requires 15 to 20 minutes, but people did not have time for this and [the store] was not the place to do it. Consumers did not know the brand either,” explains Clarins managing director Dr Olivier Courtin-Clarins. The brand opted to change its distribution to a channel where consumers would have more time for skin diagnosis: hotel spas. My Blend now has a specially developed spa treatment menu and its custom approach to facial skincare complements the criteria of luxury hotel operators looking to partner with exclusive brands. The brand also introduced a new diagnostic tool, called My Skin Diag, this spring. It offers “ My Blend was designed to be specifically blended following a skin diagnosis. [This] requires 15 to 20 minutes, but people did not have time and [the store] was not the place to do it Clarins managing director Dr Olivier Courtin-Clarins s My Blend offers customized skincare based on a personalized skin diagnosis 20 ” a more in-depth skin analysis by using a sensitive probe to measure factors like hydration and firmness. The brand opened its first spa outlet under the Spa My Blend by Clarins banner in 2011 with a 1,500m² (16,146ft²) space in the Royal Monceau hotel in Paris. This was followed by spas at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto, Canada and the Majestic Barrière in Cannes, France. The brand also has a treatment room at the Hotel de Paris in Saint Tropez, France. Expansion to international markets is also in the pipeline, with an opening in the Maldives scheduled for 2014, while there November-December 2013 - N°16 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #16 - November/December 2013

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
Brand & retail news recap
Companies on the move
Take note Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW Highlights from our e-publication
Launches The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview Coty ceo Michele Scannavini
Insight: Fragrance
Category overview
Regional breakdown
Launch strategies
The niche market
Retailer initiatives
Launch roundup
Strategy M&A analysis
Retail
The store of the future
Creative strategies
Store concepts
Digital Innovation strategies
Market watch: Brazil
Country overview
Natura & Grupo Boticário
International brand strategies
Prestige retailing
Trendwatch Upcoming innovation
Travel retail
Channel analysis
The CIVETs
Digital strategies
Interview: L’Oréal Luxe md travel retail worldwide Barbara Lavernos
Interview: WDFG global head of beauty Antonin Carreau
Radar Up-and-coming brands
Emerging markets Company profile: Shanghai Jahwa
Packaging
Luxury packs in the BRICs
Luxury innovations
Industry viewpoint
Last word Euromonitor International senior analyst beauty and personal care Oru Mohiuddin

BW Confidential - Issue #16 - November/December 2013