Sephora tries bulk. The beauty products brand, leader of the French cosmetics market, is preparing to test the sale of perfume by the liter in two stores in the Paris region. Customers will be able to refill their bottle of “Sauvage”, Dior and other fragrances from the L’Oréal group.
The major brands are thus following in the footsteps of Mugler, which, under the leadership of Clarins, launched perfume fountains when it created “Angel” in 1992. Thirty years later, other perfumery giants have are in turn: Dior, a subsidiary of LVMH, L’Oréal, another heavyweight in the market since the purchase of Clarins perfumes, and Sephora.
Should we see in this the revenge of perfumeries on the Net? In fact, sales of beauty products in France benefited from the return of customers to stores. “Over the first eight months of 2022, they increased by 21% compared to 2021 and, precisely, by 29% in stores”observes Mathilde Lion, director of studies at NPD Europe for the beauty sector.
This revival comes mainly from those who “have rediscovered the desire to go to the store, to have fun testing products and discovering new products”, remark Thierry Bertrand-Souleau, general manager of the 310 Sephora stores in France. Many have dipped their fingers into make-up palettes, ensuring 34% growth in this segment in France, and rediscovered the pleasure of smelling perfumes, whose sales now exceed those of 2019 by 4%, according to NPD.
“Arbitrations”
The return to normal in Sephora, Marionnaud or Nocibé operated in shopping centers and city centers is to the detriment of online sales. After the boom in distance shopping, the day after containment measures and store closures to limit the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, the Net has returned to a measured level: it represents 13% of brand sales. say “selective”, that is to say only sold in perfumery, according to NPD.
More generally, purchases of hygiene and beauty products on e-commerce sites are settling, also notes Kantar, in a study published Tuesday, September 20 by the Federation of e-commerce and distance selling , on the occasion of the opening of Paris Retail Week. Because the sales of shower gels, body milks, toothpastes and other hygiene products have not escaped the “Internet spending slowdown for physical goods in the first half of 2022”notes Kantar.
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