Premium Beauty News - After last year’s euphoria, it seems that there are signs of a slump in demand. What is your insight on this?
Daniel Saclier - First, we must clarify what you mean by a "slump" in demand... I would like to emphasise on the fact that the trend in the perfume / cosmetic business in France remains dynamic versus 2010: growth figures have always been between 2 and 4%.
During the first half of 2011 the stock replenishment operations were terminated for our basic packaging products. We achieved a good level of sales during this period. Our turnover is also on a good trend, with new launches (Shalimar Initial, Rouge Automatique) and the support of key franchises such as Terracotta, Idylle ...
The second semester will also be active, but essentially focused on the launch of new products, thus contributing to supporting our growth.
Premium Beauty News - What were the highlights in recent months in terms of product launches?
Daniel Saclier - The first half of 2011 generated quite a lot of activity for Guerlain teams and this whatever the marketing axis concerned.
Regarding skin care products, let’s mention: the launch of new day creams in the new Abeille Royale line, in the wake of the successful launch of the serum, the launch of eye care creams for our Orchidée Impériale premium line, and eventually the new generation of products in the 2011 Whitening Collection for the Asian markets.
Regarding perfumes: a major initiative in our historic franchise, with the launch of Shalimar Initial. Our in-house perfume creator, Thierry Wasser has revisited this iconic perfume to target a younger population.
Eventually, as far as make-up is concerned: the re-launch of Terracotta, Lingerie De Peau (our expertise in foundation), and currently, a major new initiative, the launch of Guerlain’s new lipstick, Le Rouge Automatique.
Premium Beauty News - How are you dealing with sustainable development issues?
Daniel Saclier - At Guerlain, we are fully aware of our responsibilities in order to address these environmental challenges. This is the reason why a real sustainable development strategy has been implemented and integrated into the brand’s global vision since several years now. In this context, one of our goals is to constantly anticipate regulations to adapt our tools and processes.
Thus, the environmental impact of our packaging is an issue we are working on, eco-design being a key point of our approach. Our Marketing, Purchasing and Development teams have been fully trained on this issue and we systematically measure the environmental impact of our new products. Finally, we have set up guidelines on a number of parameters (equipments, separability, volumes) and we will continue to actively work on these items in the future.
We do not wish to communicate widely on these topics because we believe that the implementation of such an approach is part of our duty as a responsible company. However, we will inform our customers about our operations in the course our product launches.
Premium Beauty News - The make-up segment and its products clearly appears to be driving the cosmetic market. For Guerlain, how much do they account for and how is the future of these products perceived?
Daniel Saclier - Yes, undoubtedly the make-up sector and its products is a major axis for Guerlain as part of its policy to attract new customers. Such flagship products as Terracotta, Météorites, Rouge G, Lingerie De Peau, the collections of eye shadows 4&6, enable us to anchor in the long term our brand image whatever the geographical area concerned.
