Early last week, Richemont announced its plans to launch its new beauty division under the direction of Boet Brinkgreve, the first CEO of Labortoire de Haute Parfumerie et Beaute. In addition to completing his Masters’ in Business Administration in 2012, Brinkgreve worked closely with DSM-Firmenich and held several positions in his time at the health and beauty company. In his last role as president of the ingredients division, Brinkgreve was able to majorly boost the company’s natural, renewable, and biotech capabilities.
He will report directly to Richemont’s chairman, South African businessman, Johann Rupert. Rupert established the reputable Switzerland-based company in 1988 and built a portfolio of luxury Maisons across three major fashion departments, most notably working with universally regarded jewellery brands such as Cartier and Buccellati, as well as high-end watchmakers like Schaeffhausen and Jaeger-LeCoutre.
A lot of the multinational brands owned by Richemont are also high-status names in the fragrance sector. For example, Chloé is celebrated for its signature fragrance, Eau de Parfum. The light and fresh scent draws on romantic floral notes to create an elegant and timeless perfume. Its infamous hand-tied bow topping the softly pleated glass bottle has become an iconic image of sophistication.
Montblanc reflects a more contemporary market with their upcoming fragrance for men, Legend Red EDP. The bright red lacquered bottle stands out and excellently complements the expressive and decisive scent released by the brand. The combination of citrus and woody notes blends to create a fresh fragrance that compliments the vibrance of current social trends. In addition, Dunhill’s fragrance collection also offers several compelling aftershaves and Eau de toilettes that create a classic fragrance for modern life. The brand has built a range of scents under the titles Black, 51.3N, Custom, London and Pursuit.
Other luxury labels working with Richemont that have established their popular perfumes are Van Cleef & Arpels and Alaïa. The former took inspiration from their iconic jewellery when producing their initial fragrance, First, by designing the bottle to resemble an earring from their Snowflake High Jewellery collection. The organic shape reflects the natural scents used in the perfume with its key notes of citrus fruits and exotic flowers. Alaia’s highly anticipated entry into perfume production was first released in 2015, Alaia Paris has maintained its excitement with consumers ever since. Again, the bottle takes inspiration from the designer’s signature feature, acting as an ode to the laser-cut leather used since the early 1990s. The scent is also designed to be reminiscent of the past, combining the essences of freesia, and peony with muskier undertones.
Currently, these brands outsource the production of these fragrances under license. This includes Chloé, who works with Coty to produce their infamous women’s perfume, and Montblanc, who is affiliated with Inter Parfum. However, with the development of Richemont’s new beauty division, it is believed that they will negotiate to recover the licenses of these brands when their current contracts expire. In doing so, the company intends to share the best business practices with these brands, helping them contend with giants like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder in the highly competitive market.
In times to come, consumers can expect to find all these renowned luxury fragrances and more across Richemont outlets.