As soon as 2022, when the preorder campaign was launched on the Ulule crowdfunding website, the idea of a bespoke lipstick in three shades immediately appealed to the public: the objective was exceeded by 400%. Since then, the Maison M concept has much evolved. It now integrates a diagnosis generated by Artificial Intelligence. A mere selfie is enough to analyse a whole set of physical features, including complexion, eye and hair colour, and facial and lip morphology, and get a recommendation of six exclusive shades.
“The customer selects three shades among the six proposals. But they can also choose them directly from our colour chart, which gathers 60 000 prerecorded shades, from gentle nude to blazing red, and from purple to blue, or they can combine the two possibilities,” says Rocchisani.
The three shades selected come in glass cartridges to be inserted in the case. With a simple twist of the ring in the mechanism, the customers get the colour they want, according to their mood.
“We wanted customers to have their own essential colours at all times with them, in only one lipstick. Customisation was key to the project. With only one rotation of the lipstick, every woman can express a new facet of their own personality,” she explains.
Long wear, hydration, naturalness
The proposal is also innovative in that the clean, liquid formula both lasts at least four hours and ensures hydration with skincare actives.
“The difficulty lies in combining long wear and hydration with a list of natural ingredients accounting for up to 99.98% of the whole formula. Ecoresponsibility is also achieved with customisation, because the product is made upon request, so there is no stock. Lastly, having a lipstick that perfectly suits us increases the probability of using it ‘til the very end, so there is no waste,” claims Rocchisani.
The Maison M lipstick is refillable and 100% made in France. The glass refills are recyclable and the case is made from plastic to ensure it remains sturdy over time. The whole packaging is produced with French partners, while the shades are tailor-made to order in the brand’s laboratory, in Paris.
“We miniaturised a production plant for our laboratory to produce the shade in just a few minutes. And we aim to duplicate that in points of sale,” adds the entrepreneur.
Indeed, if marketing is mostly done online, on the brand’s website, the fact that Jean-Michel Karam, CEO and founder of IEVA Group, supported the project broadened the development prospects. The entrepreneur was charmed by the concept at a French TV show called “Who wants to be my business partner?”, so he is now integrating Maison M to his own ecosystem, and opening the doors to the platform L’Atelier du Sourcil, as well as to the corner Boudoir du Regard at the Galeries Lafayette department store in the heart of Paris, where customers can live the colour customisation experience live.
“Meeting Jean-Michel Karam helped implement a professional collaboration instead of a purely financial one, so it paves the way for great projects. We definitely connected, and we have the same liking for technology and customisation, as well as many project ideas,” says Rocchisani.
For now, she aims to bank on the visibility offered by the show to speed up marketing in France.
“We are the only ones in the world to offer this concept, for which two patents were registered, so it is important to accelerate the marketing phase,” she concludes.
