By jumping on the green bandwagon with a new vegan and committed range with a strong natural overtone, the French brand is back on the shelves of the French downtown retailer. “The green movement is nothing new to Arcancil: we have already launched natural, clean and vegan references as part of our ranges, but this new opportunity with Monoprix was a way for us to create a new, much coherent specific line,” explains CEO Anne Delleur Cabarrus.

The formulas developed for Lab Végétal are free from any ingredient of animal origin. For example, in mascaras, beeswax was replaced by vegetable waxes, like carnauba wax. But beyond these simple substitutions, Arcancil endeavoured to remove certain controversial ingredients, without compromising on efficacy and safety.

“Our laboratories have designed formulas free from allergens, parabens, phthalates, and silicones D4 and D5, while maintaining the preservation quality of products,” adds Alix Pélegrin, Brand Manager Arcancil Paris.

In addition, a natural active highlighted on the packaging was added to every product to enhance performance in terms of comfort and gentleness, like cotton oil, aloe vera, tapioca, or camomile.

The challenge was to preserve the brightness and intensity of Arcancil colours in a range of highly innovative formulas. “Lab Végétal is not a nude range. It is an integral part of the Arcancil story, a brand specialized in intense makeup,” emphasizes Anne Delleur Cabarrus.

Arcancil Paris also integrated Lab Végétal to an ecoresponsible approach, by using recyclable kraft paper outer packs sourced from sustainable forests (FSC label) and reducing plastic with powder packaging increasingly made of cardboard. Lab Végétal also joined up to the 1% for the Planet association. Every year, Arcancil Paris will donate 1% of the Lab Végétal turnover to associations committed to environmental protection.

So far, the range counts about fifty references. It will be available in about twenty Monoprix stores in Paris and across France starting from June 2019, but also on Amazon and on the Arcancil website. It will replace the selection of vegan products introduced by the brand last February, and new references are expected after summer and by the end of the year.

By going green, Arcancil aims to recruit younger consumers. “Monoprix attracts downtown customers in search of green cosmetics. Young customers are increasingly turning to natural products, and we know that is how they will enter makeup,” concludes Anne Delleur.

Apart from France, over the next few weeks, Arcancil will offer Lab Végétal in Monoprix stores in Luxembourg and test it on markets with a high demand for natural products: Europe, Canada, Australia, Tunisia, Morocco, and the French West Indies, among others.