The disruptive, eco-responsible cosmetics start-up filed for bankruptcy at the end of July. Four bidders have expressed interest in taking over the brand, which seemed to be on the up and up since it was founded by an ex-L’Oréal man…
La Bouche Rouge was placed in receivership by the Paris Commercial Court in the middle of the summer, on July 25.
According to the court-appointed administrator, Sandra Beladjine (BCM), given the “critical” financial situation, a continuation plan was ruled out in favor of a plan to sell off the French make-up brand founded in 2017.
An invitation to tender was immediately launched. Candidates had until August 30 to submit a preliminary offer.
Three bids and one expression of interest
Three foreign players and one French player have submitted three bids and one expression of interest. They now have until the end of September to finalize their bids.
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La Bouche Rouge fell victim to its ill-timed investments in the Chinese market. “We invested our money in opening a subsidiary in the middle of covid, which weakened our business,” explains Nicolas Gerlier, the company’s founder.
La Bouche Rouge seemed to tick all the right boxes at a time when high-end, innovative beauty is constantly gaining market share.
The start-up was born six years ago, under the impetus of an industry insider. Nicolas Gerlier worked for L’Oréal from 2003 to 2011, as product manager (Lancôme, Armani) and marketing and communications director for the hair care division, before a brief stint at Kookai (Vivarte group).
An auspicious start
However, the company had started out under very good auspices: at the end of 2016, it was the winner of the national Start in Cosmetic competition, and the first beauty start-up to join Station F, the start-up incubator set up by Xavier Niel, that same year. It also received support from Cosmet’up, Cosmetic Valley, the Centre Val de Loire region, BPI and, last but not least, LVMH Research.
Its disruptive concept? La Bouche Rouge presents itself on its website as “the first eco-responsible and humanist luxury make-up company inviting people to consume beauty differently”.
The original idea was to “reinvent the lipstick” “as an object of haute maroquinerie”, “refillable, with a comfortable, long-lasting texture and a clean formula free of microplastics, toxic products and allergens, offered in precious upcycled leather cases, fully refillable, recyclable and customizable”.
La Bouche rouge also calls on French craftsmen to create its cases and bottles, designed as genuine accessories…
Full make-up range and fragrance collection
The brand has subsequently developed a whole range of other natural make-up products, which are both kind to the skin and to the planet, banning the presence of microplastics and displaying a vegan approach. It also offers a collection of perfume extracts.
Its mascaras, pencils, sticks, powders and blushes include Sérum Noir, presented as “the world’s first mascara in a glass bottle with a metal cap, each 100% recyclable”, also “featuring the very first vegetable brush made from castor oil fibers”. Its unique formulation is 99% natural ingredients.
A hundred points of sale
This original, luxurious proposition, despite being positioned at the same price as the established brands, has conquered a good hundred points of sale worldwide, in specialized perfumeries, department stores and other concept stores. It is present in Europe (58 outlets, including 11 in France), Asia (29 in China, Japan, Thailand, etc.), the United States (18), the Middle East (5) and even in New Zealand, where it is sold in one store! Well-known names such as Le Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysées and La Samaritaine in France, Bergdorf Goodman and Nieman Marcus in the United States, and El Corte Inglès in Spain, have all integrated it into their beauty areas.
Everything seemed to be going well for the brand, even if it didn’t publish its results on Société.com.
Until this sudden turn for the worse. We should know by early October whether La Bouche Rouge will be able to get back on the road to success…
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Read more > [LUXUS MAGAZINE] THE LITTLE HISTORY OF LUXURY: LIPSTICK, A WEAPON OF MASSIVE SEDUCTION
Front cover photo: © La Bouche Rouge
