French perfumery chain Marionnaud has trained 200 beauty consultants to make up women suffering from illness who come into Marionnaud stores, as part of its new campaign ‘La Beauté pour se sentir mieux’ (Beauty to feel better).
The campaign is an extension of the work the company already does in hospitals and to support cancer sufferers, in collaboration with CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women).
Training began last September and around 116 of the company’s stores will offer the service from January onwards. All of the beauty advisors are volunteers.
Eileen Yeo, Director General of Marionnaud France, said: “Because all women deserve someone to take care of them, Marionnaud has been engaged for many years with women who are sick.
“It is an involvement that is essential for us, because to remain feminine in these battles helps women to boost their self-confidence and feel stronger.”
The beauty advisors went on a special course to learn how to welcome, listen to and give advice to women “to give them a sense of pleasure”, according to Marionnaud.
Women with cancer, in particular, face issues such as hair loss, and loss of eyebrows and eyelashes due to chemotherapy treatments.
“These training sessions are very specific,” said Christine Skaarup, Training Director at Marionnaud, “and taking part in the programme also gives more meaning to the craft of the beautician.”
The beauty advisors wear a badge, which features lips and a heart, so that clients can identify them easily.
The service is also being publicised in-store with leaflets and via the internet, CRM and social networks.
Marionnaud, in collaboration with CEW, began offering beauty treatments to women in hospital in 2009.
In its first year, it gave 5,000 treatments in 25 hospitals throughout France.
Every year, the company also designs and sells a charity teddy bear to raise funds for the project.