Premium Beauty News - How did you get the idea to import niche perfumery brands into Brazil?
Cristiane Vilar - Apart from Annick Goutal, Creed, or Bond No.9, Brazilians do not really have access to niche perfumery brands, simply because there are not any here. However, some of them did get to know them when travelling to France or abroad. So, as an importer, I decided to introduce the concept of niche perfumery in Brazil: no brand could ever have made it on its own. I worked in collaboration with a French-based partner, Claude Requena. We started by selecting various brands, and then we took the time to have them registered by ANVISA. It is pretty hard to be a pioneer in Brazil: it took us three years to get through the whole process, but we finally got to open our showroom with eight registered brands, Ann Gérard Parfums Paris, Mark Buxton Perfumes, Frapin & Cie, Comptoir Sud Pacific, E. Coudray, M. Micallef, Teo Cabanel, and Au Pays de la Fleur d’Oranger. Other brands will be showcased before the end of the year: Molinard, Arty Fragrance by Élisabeth de Feydeau, Paul Émilien, Rouge Bunny Rouge, and Les Parfums de Rosine.
Premium Beauty News - What is the purpose of this 150m2 area, is it both a showroom and a store?
Cristiane Vilar - The idea is not just to introduce new perfumes, but rather to make as many people possible find out about this concept and provide a different shopping experience. We make our customers embark on an olfactory journey to the south of France, Paris, and oriental countries, or on a historical trip with brands like Frapin, Teo Cabanel, and E. Coudray. France is at the core of the journey, as it is always been dear to the hearts of Brazilians, and it is where perfumery was born. We offer our customers an opportunity to discover and buy rare perfumes featured on an exclusive basis in Brazil, while immersing themselves in other worlds.
Premium Beauty News - Have you considered extending the concept?
Cristiane Vilar - We have, yes, although they are only projects for now. We have contacted other companies to reproduce the concept in São Paulo, Rio, and in the Nordeste.
The e-shop is also being finalized. Other than niche perfumes, it will feature men’s skincare products by British brand Gentlemen’s Tonic, and Alorée organic cosmetics as well, later on.
Premium Beauty News - Did your customers react positively to these rare perfumes?
Cristiane Vilar - Very positively. Whatever their social class, Brazilians have always loved perfumes. They are also quite keen on the olfactory journey concept, which makes it possible to penetrate different worlds. Our customers are rather wealthy, but they are also curious and very open to novelty. There was a high demand for rarity and newness. Brazilians are willing to discover other scents than citruses, which are common here. They enjoy woody, oriental, and even Oud-based fragrances.
Nevertheless, the public still needs to be educated about high perfumery. And that is the reason why I am working on organizing visits for creators in Brazil. I want them to be able to introduce their own brands. The first one, Ann Gérard, spent a few days in Brasília in August to see our showroom, present her collection to both the public and the press, and tell them about her own story and career. We are passionate about beautiful perfumes, so we have been investing our energy into promoting them in Brazil. There are still great things to achieve.
