Introduction: Founded 25 years ago by mother-daughter duo Sylvie and Olivia, Chantecaille is a pioneer in the sustainable beauty space. The brand’s three pillars of philanthropy, botanical ingredients and innovation are expressed through its natural-ingredient-rich formulations and pioneering conservation collections, with each line giving back to different environmental organisations.
In 2024, Chantecaille, which currently has 12 points-of-sale in travel retail, is ramping up its network with the mission of becoming a strong sustainable beauty disruptor in the channel. Below, Chantecaille Chief Marketing Officer Julia Frankenberger and Global Travel Retail and Business Development Director Henrik Ottosson talk about the brand’s ‘beauty that gives back ethos’ and how philanthropy informs every aspect of its business.
For some of our readers who are just now introduced to the brand for the first time, can you tell us how Chantecaille began and the ethos behind it?
Julia Frankenberger: It’s been an amazing 25 years of Chantecaille, which was founded by mother-daughter duo Sylvie and Olivia Chantecaille. The first product assortment was a collection of niche fragrances and quickly blossomed to expand to skincare and colour cosmetics.
A true pioneer in the industry, Chantecaille has become renowned for botanical ingredients. We were the first to launch plant stem cells, conservation collections that give back to the environment and innovative formulas that infuse skincare elements into colour cosmetics. Our skincare collections cater to all ages, skin concerns and skin needs using scientifically proven ingredients.
Our ethos has and continues to be mission driven. Our products bring together the powers of natural ingredients and botanicals. We lead the way in sustainability and are setting a standard for ethically sourced ingredients.
Over the years, we have created 110 conservation-inspired products to support 34 conservation groups worldwide, and our dedication to preserving wild spaces and species continues each season. We have worked with incredible conservation groups that help to protect the oceans, elephants, rainforests, cougars, cheetahs, butterflies, wolves, polar bears and many more.
Can you give us an overview of Chantecaille’s current presence in the channel? Where is the brand available currently, in which regions and with what retailers?
Henrik Ottosson: Chantecaille is currently available in a dozen travel retail points-of-sale. In the US, we’re in Los Angeles International Airport with DFS Group. We have three stores in Macau with DFS Group in Galaxy, City of Dreams and Four Seasons. We are in Hong Kong International Airport with The Shilla Duty Free, down town Hong Kong in Sun Plaza with DFS Group, and onboard Cathay Pacific. In Korea, we are in downtown Seoul and in Jeju Island with The Shilla Duty Free, Lotte Duty Free and in Incheon International Airport with Shinsegae Duty Free. In France, we are in Samaritaine Paris with DFS Group.
We are now speeding up our roll-out and have recently opened with The Shilla Duty Free in Incheon International Airport last month. We are launching in Taipei Taoyuan International Airport with Ever Rich Duty Free this February and finalising our launch plans for Melbourne and Sydney Airports with Lotte Duty Free and Gebr. Heinemann in the first quarter of 2024.
Since its inception sustainability and conservation have been at the heart of Chantecaille. Can you tell us the concrete ways you are implementing sustainable practices across your business operations?
JF: Since the beginning, Chantecaille has been supporting the wellbeing of our consumers and the planet. We have innovated with refillable packaging starting from our Pebble Compacts to our La Palette and Eye and Cheek Shade refills that were introduced before refills became mainstream.
To name a few sustainable practices put into place already, our product development teams are working hard to ensure all our packaging is recyclable, our visual merchandising teams are transitioning to using recycled acrylic materials for in-store counter displays and our communications teams have cut back on creating elaborate mailers and using FSC-certified paper wherever possible. We are taking steps to be more mindful and are committed to creating less waste and utilising recycled products to align with Chantecaille’s mission of being kinder to the planet.
In your view, why do you believe that Chantecaille stands out amid a crowded beauty market in the channel?
JF: Chantecaille sets itself apart in the luxury space with its holistic understanding of wellbeing. It’s not only about looking beautiful, but also about feeling good. Chantecaille products are crafted to deliver results, at the same time delivering a sensory experience. You won’t find any artificial/synthetic fragrance in our product, it’s all plant based.
We’re fierce when it comes to quality and all our skincare and makeup products deliver from an efficacy standpoint. For example, our Faux Cils Longest Lash Mascara has become one of our brand’s hero products and is our number one selling SKU in the US, largely in part to the powerful lash peptide that enhances lash length, thickness and fullness.
HO: The three key pillars of the brand are Philanthropy with beauty that gives back, Botanical ingredients, and Innovation, which encompasses beautiful and ‘must-have’ product design and a very strong in-store visual expression. We bring a bespoke organic feel to the sometimes static travel retail beauty environment.
Clean beauty, niche fragrances, self-expression and personalisation are just some of the big beauty buzzwords. In your view what are the biggest beauty trends that will influence the P&C landscape in travel retail?
HO: Brands with genuinely strong stories to tell and that carry a distinct brand expression will go far in the coming years. We know that customers in the crowded beauty space are attracted to brands with an authentic purpose and brand DNA – Chantecaille, of course, has this. For the skincare category in particular, efficacy has always been important and is key to remaining on top of customers’ minds specifically in Asia. So, as a brand, we know that we need to deliver efficacy, but it is equally important to communicate this in a clear and concise manner at the point-of-sale. Beauty Ambassadors are a critical asset to achieve this and then of course product claims must deliver.
What is your overall vision for Chantecaille in travel retail? Do you see the channel as more of a showcase or sales travel?
HO: We are looking to roll out globally in key doors in the next 12 to 18 months and we are in very positive talks with several retailers. Travel retail is a very interesting channel for recruitment and often the first place customers discover new brands, so it is very important that our travel retail points-of-sale are an important showcase of our brand. On top of that, today the retail execution and standards are first class in travel retail and often exceeding local market execution. That said, we do not see travel retail as a marketing vehicle only but also an avenue of expansion as a huge business opportunity.
Can you tell us about Chantecaille’s latest collections?
JF: Our latest collections are driven by innovative product formulas, botanicals and give-back conservation collections. The 24K Gold Serum Intense and Bio Lifting Cream are two recent skincare launches that have received incredible results and feedback from our clients worldwide.
Our 24K Gold Serum Intense is formulated with a new-to-market ingredient, Gold Vitamin C, which combines the effectiveness of Vitamin C with 24K Gold to prolong the stability of the serum and provide enhanced penetration. Our Bio Lifting Eye Cream contains powerful ingredients to offer long-term visible results that target dark under-eye circles and is 95% natural, a huge step for natural skincare.
In 2023, we’ve worked with three important philanthropy groups. With our Spring 2023 Wild Meadows Collection, we partnered with Villa Abbitas to help preserve the beautiful biodiversity in the Carpathian Mountain range located in Central Romania. The American Wild Horse Campaign was our conservation partner for Fall 2023 and helped to protect the freedom of wild mustangs in America’s west. Most recently, we’ve gone back to our long-time partner Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to plant a tree for every Lip Crystal sold through our Holiday collection.
What are your biggest priorities for the year ahead?
HO: Chantecaille has a big year ahead, our priorities are to enter key airport hubs and downtown travel retail stores while in parallel open several new local markets to take us from being a brand with very strong regional footholds to a brand with a strong global presence. ✈
