An iconic beauty brand à la française, Payot is now working to strengthen its positioning with its heritage and strong image, in particular with women. Distributed through professional and selective networks, it has also just opened several directly-operated stores in Paris to convey its identity. This approach is part of an overall development strategy described by Karine Strippoli, Director France & Belgium.
Founded in 1920 by Nadia Payot, Payot is one of the pioneering brands that have sought scientific endorsement for skincare, in particular with the famous Pâte Grise, designed to conceal skin blemishes. To support its entry into a new century, Payot reinvented itself by revamping its lines, while maintaining its basics. Today, Karine Strippoli wishes to recall and highlight this heritage.
“Payot is one of those brands that have a history in cosmetics. It is very present in women’s collective unconscious. This is a point on which we want to recapitalize. My mission consists in developing the brand on the French market by restoring it to its former glory”, she says.
To her, the brand’s identity is based on the self-confidence it conveys.
“Nadia Payot came up early with a masterly preparation in a small jar for treating blemishes, as an act related to women’s emancipation. Even today, Payot does not seek to fit women into a straitjacket, but rather to approach beauty according to their skins’ conditions, whatever their age or lifestyle. This is reflected in our signature: beauty in motion”, adds Karine Strippoli.
One product, one gesture
In addition to the brand’s history, the image strategy is based on the professional expertise that has always been associated with this skincare range. Payot products are distributed through selective channels, as well as in salons and spas, and they go with very specific treatment methods and protocols.
“At Payot, skincare is always related to a product and a gesture, whether in a salon or at home. Nadia Payot was the creator of this facialist concept based on the notion of physical cultivation of the face, which involves working on the muscles under the skin. Combined with the ingredients, this approach delivers tenfold results”, claims the Director.
Sensorial experience is also one of the brand’s basics: it is developed in the in-house laboratory, at the head office located West of Paris. “This way, we can control the whole value chain: choice of ingredients, dosage, formulation, industrial transposition, and perfect knowledge of the product in relation to formulation expertise. We just love innovating in this field”, says Karine Strippoli.
A reformulated range
The Payot range includes around 120 products – anti-ageing cleansers, moisturizers, radiance boosters, and make-up removers – divided into about ten franchises and different galenic forms.
Three years ago, the brand undertook to transform its entire range with responsible sourcing of actives and an ecodesign approach to packaging. “Today, our formulas contain at least 80% of ingredients of natural origin, and we have defined a number of constraints regarding packaging”, assures the Director.
Double-digit growth
“Buying Payot is buying a little piece of France, and a little bit of this woman who radiates self-confidence”, explains Karine Strippoli.
Packaging sourcing, manufacturing, and packaging are all carried out in France, with a production site based in Saumur, in the West of France. But the company also has a truly international reach, with a presence in 65 countries and several subsidiaries abroad: in Australia, Russia, and Germany.
The year 2023 was marked by a 15% increase in sales, estimated at EUR 45 million, for a workforce of 100.
France alone accounts for sales of almost 12 million euros, distribution being split between the professional channel, with 700 salons and spas, as well as partnerships including with Thalazur and Club Med, and the retail channel, with chains like Beauty Success, Passion Beauté, Une Heure Pour Soi and Marionnaud, on the national level.
“This last network is important, because it gives us greater accessibility and visibility. This is essential to the brand’s development in the years to come, as is the third avenue of growth represented by the Payot stores recently opened in Paris, which are fitted with treatment rooms”.
With the Olympic Games just a few months away, these five prestigious addresses, including on Boulevard Haussman and rue Legendre, will serve as international showcases and laboratories for direct experiences with consumers, while generating additional turnover.
For 2024, the brand is once again aiming for double-digit growth, driven by the digital development of distribution outlets and a major media campaign. “We aim to let women know everything we can do and to display the strength of our capital”, concludes Karine Strippoli.
Portfolio
