Guess who's back? Phyto adopts 'less is more' strategy as it takes on more competitive hair care market

Phyto was founded by in 1965 by celebrity hair stylist Patrick Alès. In July 2020, parent company Alès Groupe, which also owned skin care brand Lierac, entered administration.

In September that year, French investment holding company Impala purchased Alès Group for a reported €13.5 million.

Since then, the company has been streamlining the business and preparing to reintroduce the historic brand to the market.

“With Phyto, we’ve taken a less is more approach for the whole business. For instance, we have streamlined the number of SKUs, going from 120 SKUs to 70 SKUs,” said Cecile Ossola, General Manager Asia, Phyto.

The brand showcased its revamped line up at Guardian’s Beauty Around the World event in Singapore on September 4.

“Now, we have about four to five products per claim, so the customer is not lost among many products but have the essentials to take care of their hair,” said Ossola.

Some of the brand most well-known products such as its hair supplements and ammonia-free hair dyes have remained on the portfolio.

Additionally, the brand has simplified its formulas with two major extractions – rosemary and white mallow.

The renewed products will now feature one of two extractions – rosemary and white mallow – depending on their function.

“Before we had many different decoctions. It was very complicated to play with so now we have only two. Every product will have either one of these. Rosemary for scalp products like anti-dandruff and oil control, and then white mallow for hair shine,” Ossola explained.

This streamlined approach is also reflected in the brand’s new packaging, which features a simple label clearly stating the hair type, function and featured ingredient.

The bottles have also gotten an eco-makeover, with the use of recyclable plastic and a reduction of pumps that can make recycling more complicated.

“Our less is more approach is at different levels from environmental to our formulas. But we still aim to have excellent results without compromise,” said Ossola.

Lastly, the brand has ensured that there is not too much discrepancy in pricing across different markets.

“Now with the Internet, you cannot have this sort of practice where a price is so much higher than in France. We want our customers to have accessible pricing that is close to the price in France,” said Ossola.

A tougher landscape

Today, the brand is in the midst of a global relaunch after all the shakeups and reorganisation.

While Europe remains a core market for the brand, it recognises that Asia Pacific is an important market with huge potential.

“We’re redeveloping Asia and the US too because these were good markets for the Phyto brand before. But now the market is a lot more competitive than before and we have lost a bit of traction,” said Ossola.

“Even though we are coming back to a more competitive environment, this is still a brand with a lot of history, a great legacy. When you buy this brand, you get value for money, you know you have something safe and efficient. The products talk for themselves.”