Olivia Camplez

Olivia Camplez used to work in Paris in the field of e-commerce (Apple, Pixmania), but four years ago, her dreams of remote places randomly drove her to São Paulo, Brazil. She decided to settle there, even though she did not speak Portuguese. She quickly met with local start-ups and gradually got used to her new Paulista life. But one thing was missing: a choice of high-end, niche cosmetics and skincare products. In just a few days, she got the idea of opening a concept store dedicated to this world: her own Maison de Beauté.

Once she had set up her business plan, found funding sources, chosen the brands and products she wanted to be referenced, as well as the store location, moved in, and taken care of customs barrier administrative issues, among others, Dominique - Maison de Beauté opened at last, on a late November day in 2016. Designed by the Centdegrés agency as a Parisian Haussmanian flat, the place is welcoming and unusual. Dermatologist Joëlle Ciocco provides professional treatments in the beauty salon area, and about twenty brands are offered in the store area: they were all chosen with great care according to ethical criteria, and with a holistic rather than exclusively cosmetic vision of beauty and wellness.

Treatments for the face (By Terry, Diptyque, Joëlle Ciocco), body (Uka), and hair (Christophe Robin, Rahua), makeup products (Ilia, RMS Beauty), and perfumes (Terry de Ginsburg) complete the offering of candles (Cire Trudon, Diptyque), pillows, accessories, and tea (Kusmi Tea).

I wanted a concept that would embody beauty’s paradise, a place where customers would feel at home and warmly welcomed and advised to find everything that would contribute to their own wellness. I wanted to develop the notion of shopping experience,” Olivia explains.

The concept has no equivalent in Brazil, which makes it attractive: it became a success in just a few months. “In Brazil, women love novelty and originality. In addition, even in times of crisis, they actually find refuge in beauty,” the creator has observed. “There is also quite a new phenomenon. In this country fond of plastic surgery, skincare lags behind other segments. And yet, today’s women, our 30 to 60-year-old customers, most of whom regularly travel, are increasingly more receptive to naturalness, organic products, and ethics. They no longer need to get immediate results, they act consciously, and they have this notion of time and product and use quality,” she adds.

Given the first results and thanks to her main investor Galeries Lafayette, Olivia intends to keep growing. She will organize several pop-up stores before the end of the year in Brasilia and Rio and also plans to open other shops in Mexico and Colombia. As for products, new brands from all continents will soon be referenced, in particular perfume brands. The idea is to launch six new ones per year, and maybe a private label as well.