Premium Beauty News - Over the past five years, Fiabila made considerable investments to improve its production tool and enhance its capacities, in particular by opening a plant in Brazil. What are your objectives in this country?
Alexandre Miasnik - Indeed, for the past twenty years, Fiabila has implemented a growth strategy focused on investments and on a presence on key markets, including Brazil. Today, most of our offering in this country is produced locally under conditions which, from a qualitative and regulatory standpoint, do not meet the requirements we are used to in Europe and the United States, for example. Fiabila’s objective is very clear: making radically different products available on this market and becoming the main local supplier.
Premium Beauty News - The plant is now fully operational, both from the industrial and administrative standpoints. What next?
Alexandre Miasnik - We are now ready to perform the color mixing and filling processes. By the end of the first semester 2017, we will be manufacturing thixotropic bases locally with extremely modern techniques, following the model used in France today and spreading across the USA. Therefore, in the short term, we will be able to offer our customers the service and flexibility resulting from our presence at the core of the Brazilian market, but also the same products and quality level as in France.
Premium Beauty News - Brazil is one of the largest nail polish consumers. From a health and aesthetic point of view, your high quality product offering is quite unique on this market, which is said to be very sensitive to prices. How do you think you will convince local brands?
Alexandre Miasnik - The Brazilian market’s dynamism is closely related to the low price level, which makes it possible for all social classes to buy this product. However, we have been observing a price increase in loss leaders as well as a strong growth of middle-end products. In addition, Brazil has recently strengthened their cosmetic regulation, which is getting more and more similar to what we have in Europe. This means that for all categories, the selection of raw materials and the production conditions must be adapted without any significant impact on prices. To this day, only Fiabila can answer to these constraints, while demonstrating a strong creative power.
Premium Beauty News - The Brazilian economy has experienced difficulties over the past few years. Even if the beauty market is resilient, the euphoria of the early decade has disappeared. What is your perception of the market today?
Alexandre Miasnik - Obviously, the market is less euphoric now, but it is still remarkably dynamic, in particular in terms of sales volumes, despite a product offering that is often limited, with a segmentation almost exclusively based on color.
Today, Fiabila can make much more varied, efficient, and innovative products for Brazil, and that is key for growth.
