Premium Beauty News - In April 2024, Kering Beauté acquired a minority stake in Matière Première. How has the brand benefited from this partnership?
Caius von Knorring - Matière Première has experienced rapid growth since 2019, but this expansion requires substantial funding. We operate in a highly competitive environment, which means we have to meet needs in terms of production, develop corners in department stores or expand the team to manage this growth. But sometimes payment times go through long cycles. Hence the need to call on an investor to ensure financial stability and continue our expansion with peace of mind.
Kering Beauté was a natural choice. We wanted to work with a manufacturer rather than an investment fund. Not to mention the fact we also shared common values, such as restoring the prestige of perfumery. This vision of perfumes as luxury products is in line with the quality of the ingredients that go into our formulas. Kering Beauté’s support reinforces our upmarket positioning while giving us the flexibility we need to keep expanding.
Premium Beauty News - What are the challenges resulting from this collaboration for Matière Première?
Caius von Knorring - Above all, this partnership will enable us to consolidate our international footprint by giving concrete form to our investments in POS. By the end of the year, we will have 80 new personalised corners. This partnership will help us to raise our profile.
The opening of our first own boutique in Paris this winter, probably in early 2025, is a milestone. This first Parisian location will set the tone for the other boutiques we want to open later, particularly in the UK, Germany, the United States, the Middle East, and China. That is why we are taking the time to lay solid foundations and perfect our identity. We also want to develop our e-commerce team to offer a top-class online service.
Another aspect of our plans concerns the cultivation of our fields of flowers, the DNA of Matière Première. Our tuberose field has tripled in size since 2022, and we are currently planting a second three-hectare field of roses. We are also starting to grow lavandin for a future project. The organic cultivation of our flowers has become a fully-fledged activity of the brand.
Lastly, next year we will be launching a new eau de parfum and expanding the Extraits range that we recently unveiled.
Premium Beauty News - What does the Extraits range represent for Matière Première?
Caius von Knorring - This collection was an obvious choice. It is certainly in tune with the times, but more than anything it reflects our desire to offer the highest quality products on the market. These Extraits embody the very essence of the brand: outstanding ingredients, unrivalled scents, and hold, at a price that may be steep but which is in line with the market. Each Extrait features a higher concentration of the flagship ingredient, sublimated in this case by a new facet conveyed by an original ingredient. True to our brand commitment, this range reflects our desire to offer top-of-the-range fragrances that place the ingredient at the heart of the story.
Premium Beauty News - How many POS does Matière Première now have around the world?
Caius von Knorring - We are currently present in 55 countries, with around 500 POS. We do not plan to increase this figure significantly, to maintain the limited, confidential distribution that is the hallmark of a luxury, niche brand.
