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French Organic Beauty Care since 1983, Melvita brings you the purest expressions of nature…

Melvita is one of the world’s largest certified organic beauty brands. Founded by natural and organic beauty-pioneer, Bernard Chevilliat in 1983 in the South of France Melvita offers beauty care top-to-toe. Bernard was a bee-keeper and biologist who left the city and moved to the Ardèche to settle in the middle of one of the purest and unspoilt landscapes in France.

As a global leader in organic formulation the brand harnesses the power of pure plant oils, floral waters and honeys to create gentle and effective skin, body and personal care products certified organic by EcoCert and supported by Cosmebio. The products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and are created by a 25-strong Research and Development team using cutting-edge green-science. New patented complexes, such as the 3-Honey Complex and the White Flowers Complex deliver measurable results on the skin, and most recently the team pioneered the application of UHT technology in beauty-care resulting in a 100% preservative-free formula. All Melvita products exclude all ingredients of petrochemical origin such as paraffin and silicone, ethoxylated or glycolated products (PEGs), and preservatives including formaldehyde generators, parabens and even phenoxyethanol.

Made sustainably in an Eco-Factory with some of the highest possible standards of ethical manufacturing and certified with the ISO 14001 standard, the site has everything from solar-voltaic panels to provide sustainable energy for power and water heating, to a living ‘green’ roof helping the building blend into the natural landscape: proof that, even on an industrial scale, we can still work together to look after the planet. Furthermore the brand created the Melvita Foundation, independently governed, to donate funds to charitable projects and initiatives world-wide that support bee populations and their habitats.

Launched in the UK in 2010 the products are available from premium outlets including John Lewis, Fenwick and Feel Unique.

www.uk.melvita.com/

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The post Melvita wraps up Christmas appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

Organic beauty brand Melvita has reformulated one of its best sellers and launched two new gift sets designed to leave customers feeling pampered over the Christmas season.

Melvita’s L’Or Bio Extraordinary Oil has been enhanced and repackaged in a sleek new bottle featuring hexagonal etching and a metallic gold finish. A blend of five organic oils, the oil is designed to nourish skin and hair.

And to brighten up your branches, the brand’s first Christmas Bauble has been introduced – with three travel-sized treats hidden inside: L’Or Bio Extraordinary Oil, L’Argan Bio Hand Cream and Rose Floral Water.

Melvita’s new luxury L’Or Bio Gift Set contains the brand’s best-selling L’Or Bio Extraordinary Body Oil, which offers a natural, sophisticated scent with fresh notes of Italian bergamot, jasmine and tiare flower, along with the L’Or Bio Extraordinary Shower Gel.

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The post Pocket rocket sales appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

Internet sales, e-commerce and social media have long been the mantras for successful retailing. If you want to be perceived as being a savvy, contemporary and forward- thinking store it’s imperative that you not only have a well-presented and securely built website, but more importantly that you offer shoppers the opportunity to buy your goods online.

The media has been banging on about online shopping being the growing sector to keep your eye on for years now, and if you haven’t made your move yet you may soon be playing catch-up!

Mobile selling

But what about m-commerce? The?latest term to be?bandied around?by marketeers and?industry experts, it?refers to the more?recent phenomenon of consumers purchasing via?their mobile devices. Described as?being a “hot bed?of activity” by Laura Sanchez, founder and CEO of beauty information platform Lypsso at a recent natural and organic seminar at Professional Beauty, m-commerce is growing at an exponential rate. Mobile retailers in the UK alone increased revenues by an estimated 31% in 2014, and sales are expected to keep on climbing.

With this in mind, it is now advised that all websites are ‘optimized’ for a range of devices, meaning they can adapt to the size and requirements of whatever device is being used to view them on, whether that be a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Gone are the days of squinting at a 4” screen trying to read the illegible miniscule typeface of an archaic information portal – smart websites adjust their size and design as and when needed, making the user experience far more agreeable, and customers far more likely to buy.

Adapt to succeed

Coined as being a ‘retail outlet in your customer’s pocket’ it would be foolish for natural and organic beauty retailers to ignore m-commerce, not least because Asia represents half of the global mobile commerce market. And with sales increasing by 15% each year, the Asian market is one of the fastest growing in the world for natural and organic beauty, exemplified by the rise of concept stores seen throughout Asia opened by some of the heavyweight organic

Western brands, such as Jurlique, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Melvita.

For steadfast bricks and mortar retailers who are willing to delve into some online activity, the secret is to diversify. Many high street retailers are having great success cultivating a ‘bricks and clicks’ environment, by which they allow customers to access the common benefits of shopping online – product reviews, information and coupons – while still shopping in a physical store. This helps retailers to compete with the often discounted prices offered online. Importantly, however, the latest figures from ‘omni-channel’ retailers (those with significant e-commerce and in-store sales) show that at least 30% of their online traffic is now originating from mobile devices.

So, to provide fast, competitive and convenient shopping for customers, not to mention sales for yourself, make sure your store is the latest ‘pocket retail outlet’ on the high street.

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The post Go figure… appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

After a few years of what economists might euphemistically call ‘negative growth’, the organic market is back on the march as Osborne’s ‘green shoots of recovery’ start to come out for Spring.

Talk at Natural & Organic Products Europe was focused around the 2.8% growth achieved in the organic sector in the UK, according to The 2014 Soil Association Organic Market Report. And the best news was that some of this upturn is down to the burgeoning organic beauty market. The figures reveal that sales of organic health and beauty products grew 17% in 2013 to reach a good-looking £37.2 million.

However, though any upturn is music to the ears of struggling retailers, some commentators have questioned the veracity of the Soil Association’s statistics.

“The Soil Association figures would not be representative of the UK natural and organic beauty products market, since they only look at Soil Association licensees,” says Amarjit Sahota, president of Organic Monitor.

He argues that the Soil Association figures miss out a lot of the market they’re purporting to capture. “Many organic brands are not certified according to the Soil Association and are not captured in their data” he says. “Examples include Weleda, Melvita and Dr Hauschka.”

Capturing reliable statistics has always been an issue for the natural and organic beauty market. After all, how you define ‘organic’ will alter how you slice the data in the first place.

And should you include the big brands that rely on low percentages of certified organic ingredients to claim the tag? Or should you simply concentrate on the plucky smaller companies who really go the extra mile to make sure their products truly make the natural and organic grade?

Until these problems are solved there’s always going to be quibbles about exactly what the market looks like.

Meanwhile, at least Organic Monitor and the Soil Association both agree that organic beauty is now definitely on the up.

“Growth in the UK market for natural and organic beauty products has been subdued since the financial crisis in 2008,” says Sahota. “Growth rates have been between 5-7% per annum in the UK since then, compared to double-digit growth rates in continental Europe.  “However, we expect growth rates to pick up this year and in subsequent years as the retail sector picks up.”

Matt Chittock is a freelance copywriter and journalist

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The post Embracing sell-o-vision appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

For fashion and beauty snobs there’s no dirtier acronym than QVC. The original home shopping channel is associated in some people’s imagination with chintzy diamante trinkets and Swiss Army-style cooking accouterments destined to collect dust in kitchen cupboards and bedroom drawers.

But, as a surprisingly upbeat profile in last month’s Vogue shows, the channel is gradually becoming more credible – thanks to upmarket fashion faces and a healthy smattering of natural beauty brands.

Established natural names like Liz Earle and Balance Me have already added a luxe gloss to QVC. And for French brand Melvita QVC is an established part of their marketing mix.

“It’s wonderful because it’s a place where they really let you tell the story behind the brand,” says Melvita’s telegenic UK brand manager Simon Ford, who’s no stranger to getting in front of the QVC cameras.

“It does feel strange though, selling to the cameras rather than one-to-one. You’re often in the taxi on the way home buzzing from the experience but wondering how it came across on TV.”

According to the Vogue piece, some high profile fashion and beauty people have also become big fans. Bespectacled Brit designer Giles Deacon recently braved the channel, while Kathy Phillips, founder of High Street beauty brand This Works, says: “Years ago it would have been considered vulgar to sell on television, but everything is more egalitarian now.”

This sudden fondness for egalitarianism belies the real reason brands want to get on QVC: it shifts product – lots of it. In 2012 QVC took £403.7 million, and though some might sneer at the perceived naff presenters and cheap gimmicks, that’s a figure not to be sniffed at.

Deacon certainly doesn’t. He managed to flog the entire stock of his costume jewellery range in 60 minutes on the channel, a sales ratio which rivals online for swift sales.

However, though it works for some, other companies don’t get along so well with the shopping channel formula, which relies on deep discounts from manufacturers – or offering exclusive ‘gifts’ with every purchase.

“Usually they push the whole ‘bargain’ aspect of beauty,” says a beauty insider associated with a company that broke off its relationship with home shopping after getting cold feet, adding: “That’s just not our style.”

With the UK retail sector still in the doldrums, 2014 may see more medium-sized natural brands deciding that the home shopping medium is a closer sales match than they expected.

It’ll be interesting to see how the relationship develops. The QVC consumer is certainly a customer that natural beauty boutiques and health stores rarely manage to reach – and spreading the word across the mainstream might be a good thing for everyone who’s passionate about the future of the category.

Matt Chittock is a freelance copywriter, journalist and editor of the Natural Beauty Yearbook. Follow him at @MattCWrites.

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The post Sustainable Beauty Awards honour natural brands appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

A number of natural and organic brands received recognition at the inaugural Sustainable Beauty Awards launched by Organic Monitor.

Weleda won the award for Sustainability Leadership due to its ‘value-creation business model’. The judges referred to the fact that the company’s business model creates economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges.

Andreas Sommer, Weleda Group’s chief commercial officer, commented on the win: “This latest award is especially important to us because of our unique roots. Economic, social and environmental responsibility have been at the heart of our business since 1921, and we are constantly looking for new ways to improve what we do. To have our efforts recognised in this way has been tremendously rewarding.”

Dublin-based You Organic was the runner-up in the Sustainable Packaging category for the low environmental footprint of its novel packaging, which uses aluminium pouches to package its bodycare range.

Australian Jasmin Aromatique won the Green Formulations award with its range of organic beauty products, and Bulgaria-based Alteya Organics was runner-up in this category with its selection of rose-based organic skincare products.

Amarjit Sahota, founder and president of Organic Monitor, commented on the launch of the awards: “As well as giving industry recognition, we hope the awards will inspire others in the beauty industry to take the green road.”

These wins for the natural beauty sector follow the Pure Beauty Awards which saw JooMo 100% Truly Natural Facewash with SaponinJ won Gold in the Best Natural Launch, with the MooGoo brand getting Silver, Antipodes Joyful Hand and Body Cream Bronze and Melvita Rose Nectar Milky Cleansing Oil being Highly Commended.

In the Best Organic Launch, Dr Organic Liquid Gold 100% Pure Argan Oil picked up Gold, Silver went to The Organic Pharmacy Rose Balm, Estelle & Thild Micro Scrub Lily won Bronze, and Get Glowing by VOYA was Highly Commended.

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The distinctive BUAV leaping bunny logo, launched in 1996 to help consumers identify products not tested on animals, is 15 years old this month.

The logo features on many natural beauty staples – including brands like Melvita, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Bulldog Natural Skincare. In total it’s been stamped on products made by over 400 companies and sold around the world.

Michelle Thew, chief executive of the BUAV, said: “I am immensely proud of the BUAV’s work during the last 15 years to establish a global certification which enables consumers to make an informed choice when looking for products which aren’t tested on animals.

“There is absolutely no need to inflict suffering on animals for cosmetic, personal care and household products. Next year we hope to harness that same public will and finally end animal testing for new cosmetics sold in Europe with our petition at www.NoCruelCosmetics.org”

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The post On the beauty desk: Melvita Extraordinary Floral Waters appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

If it’s Tuesday then it must be time for something extraordinary on the beauty desk – and this time it’s Melvita’s turn to oblige.

The company has enhanced their popular Floral Waters range to include a selection of three new Extraordinary Floral Waters. Each variant has been designed to intensively and naturally hydrate skin, and features Hyaluronic Acid to smooth out skin texture.

The range includes a rose product (with anti-ageing clove extract); orange blossom (with fig extract for extra moisturisation) and narcissus (which includes lemon extract for improved skin tone).

Retailers that need to prove the efficacy of their beauty range should take note of Melvita’s research findings. Ninety per cent of users said that Orange Blossom Extraordinary Water “leaves the skin supple”; 95 per cent felt Rose Extraordinary Water “gives a firming sensation” and 82 per cent reckoned Narcissus Extraordinary Water “brings radiance to the skin”.

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The post Event report: Can the world sustain our desire for natural? appeared first on Natural Beauty Yearbook.

We all know that consumers love being offered ever more exotic natural ingredients in their beauty products. But what is the industry’s addiction to hard-to-source materials like ylang ylang and rosewood doing to the environment – and can the world sustain our desire for naturals?

That was the question at the heart of Cosmetic Executive Women UK’s latest breakfast event, held in London on 9 June.

Two distinct parts of the industry were represented onstage – Simon Ford, from well-respected natural beauty brand Melvita – and Stephane Zwaans, global head of raw materials purchasing for global giant Givaudan.

Journalist Josephine Fairley chaired the debate for a room packed with women representing both mainstream and natural beauty brands.

Sustainable scents

The session kicked off with a short video introducing Givaudan’s Innovative Naturals programme. Through the programme it has forged partnerships with producers in Venezuela, Australia and Laos designed to ensure the sustainability of fragile supply chains while supporting local communities.

Both Simon and Stephane agreed that responsible sourcing was of paramount importance to the industry, as well as to the environment.

“We work very closely with suppliers and can work not just to avoid chemicals, but to support the environment on a local level,” said Simon.

“By going direct to farmers for our ingredients there’s no middle man, and so the farmers get a regular outlet, and a fair price for their products.”

Perfume partnerships

Gaining the organic accreditation companies like Melvita demand for its ingredients costs money, and Simon spoke about how the brand supports farmers through the process.

“It’s about putting economic incentives in place,” he said.

“We say ‘work towards Ecocert accreditation and we’ll guarantee a certain price’”.

Stephane spoke about how ensuring a sustainable supply chain of products was essential for the future of beauty – but also about how it responded to a genuine need in wider society.

“There’s a business reason for sustainable sourcing – but also other reasons – fairtrade and ethical reasons. More and more it’s part of our own journey. I have kids, and they’re very interested in ethical issues – it’s a no-brainer.”

“I heard Colin Firth on the radio explaining how shopping is now a political act. Every time we spend money we can support farmers in the Third World or support the oil industry. I know where I’d rather put my money.” – Jo Fairley

Paying the price for natural?

The panel established that natural and organic ingredients were becoming increasingly popular with consumers. So would Givaudan be interested in sourcing the world’s first all-natural perfume?

“There is ample space to make a 100 per cent natural fragrance – if customers ask for it. We’d certainly be able to do that,” said Stephane.

While acknowledging that natural ingredients were central to developing new products, Stephane talked about how synthetic fragrances were often complementary to natural ones – and ultimately brought down the price of the final product.

“We’ve tried to mimic natural ingredients in the lab, but we’re not quite there. But we need to cater for the £5 consumer as well as the £50 consumer,” he said.

“Now organic is less niche and more mainstream, there’s a wide range of price points available,” added Simon.

“We’re an everyday brand – not luxury. We tend to get customers who come in wanting to replace synthetic products and finding out that ours are sometimes cheaper.”

“For us it’s a continual challenge, and we’re innovating to meet the expectation of modern consumers. This means investing in clinical trials to prove efficacy. We have a responsibility to move things forward.”

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