Savéria COSTE: The cosmetic fairy

IN HER CARE WITH MAGICAL NAMES, THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE GARANCIA BRAND
COMBINES NATURE, SCIENCE AND HIGH-TECH.

Wake up time? 5:30.

The pitch for your position?

I create the formulas for cosmetics. I manage the sourcing of ingredients, everything related to innovation, names and visuals of the products. I validate investments and monitor development.

Results to be delivered here and now?     

We are about fifty employees with 3,000 points of sale in France, Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland. We started the year with double-digit growth that allowed us to face the crisis. We are investing in the Korean market. This success is linked to my obsession with sensoriality and effectiveness. My brand plays on the codes of magic (the creams are called Ensorcelante , Fée-moi Fondre , Pschitt Magique …, Editor's note), but it is a concentrate of technology. There is no magic without science!

Our skincare products have been healthy since Garancia was founded in 2004. This spirit must apply to our packaging. We were the first to offer reusable wipes and refills for our micellar water bottles. Our goal for 2025 is to reduce all our virgin plastics by at least 30% and for 100% of our packaging to be recyclable.

Accelerators?

The arrival of Yuka-type applications has catalyzed interest in Garancia. With 100% of products rated green, distributors are giving us more space in their points of sale.

If we have to go back to the origin?

My paternal great-grandfather ran a pharmacy. My grandparents were pharmacists. Their son, my father, too, and he married a pharmacist, my mother. During my studies, I worked with her. She had a project for a pharmacy specializing in beauty that she wanted me to participate in. That's where my passion for care was born and I decided to move towards this industry.

A mentor?

After my studies, I joined Marie Béjot at Oenobiol. I learned a lot from her.

Your journey in a few steps?

I have a doctorate in pharmacy and a master's degree in marketing from HEC. During my studies, I worked at L'Oréal and Decléor. I joined Oenobiol, then I joined a laboratory that was sold to a fund that got rid of the Parisian headquarters where I worked. I then told myself that it was time to launch my brand.

When I created Garancia, the banks didn't follow me and I mortgaged my house to get started.

Your definition of influence?
Generate buy-in by cultivating passion.

Madame FIGARO, September 2020