As awareness and education levels rise, an increasing number of Asian consumers are opting for natural beauty products that boast sustainable credentials.
“People are more careful, they are more educated, they read the labels more. They expect not only efficacy, but also, they need some guarantee that if they apply this product on their face, everybody, they will not be any damage to their health or the environment,” said Nathaelle Davoust, global general manager of Melvita.
Melvita was founded in 1983 by a French biologist and beekeeper, Bernard Chevilliat. The brand was acquired by French major L’Occitane Group in 2008.
The brand is considered a beauty pioneer for its use of natural and organic ingredients long before it became a widespread trend. The brand has also maintained its commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing earning certifications from Ecocert and Cosmébio.
“Natural and organic used to have a reputation for being less efficient and less pleasurable. But science has been making huge progress. In our labs, when we compare to the regular cosmetics, we have the same, if not better, efficiency,” said Davoust.
New look, who’s this?
With these shifts, she believes Melvita has a huge potential for growth moving forward, especially in APAC.
Today, Melvita is available in several important APAC markets, such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
The next 18 months will be crucial for Melvita as it rolls out a rebrand across these markets.
“We used to be very niche, but now with more awareness in the younger generation – and the cooler brand we are introducing – I believe this is our time to bloom, and I strongly believe the market is here in Asia,” she told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.
The revamp is a large undertaking and will introduce a new look for the brand, upgraded stores, brand-new eco-friendly packaging, as well as stronger product claims.
“All this is very exciting, it’s like we’re a whole new brand,” said Davoust, who also noted that the brand was not changing any formulas.
Alongside the rebrand, Melvita will also launch a new campaign.
“You’re going to see very bold campaigns. After meeting with my general managers of Asia, I was very happy with their ideas and creativity. We’ll be working with new influencers because definitely, we will invest more in digital.”
Furthermore, the brand will drum up more excitement around the brand with a brand new product lineup that feature chestnuts as its star ingredient.
Moving forward, the brand is also exploring the potential of expanding into new markets in APAC.
“We are already very strong in Japan, China, and we also have the ‘medium’ markets in Malaysia and Hong Kong. In these markets we will continue to solidify, extend the distribution and accelerate sales.
“At the same time, we are also prospecting new markets, such as Australia. Also, there are the markets where we used to be but left. We were probably too early in those markets like Korea or Singapore. But the brand is so much stronger than it was even a year ago, I strongly believe in its potential.”
