Cosmetics Business recently caught up with Xavier Quattrocchi-Oubradous (right), the (re)founder of French skin care brand Cosmydor and entrepreneur behind design agency We Are Not Chickens.
Originally founded in 1877, the Parisian cosmetics company specialises in organic, eco-friendly artisanal products.
In this exclusive interview Quattrocchi-Oubradous explains why the brand is being reborn 140 years after its debut, how he plans to honours its Art Nouveau heritage and how the manufacturing process is more like a Michelin 3-star restaurant than an industrial factory.
Tell me the original founding story of Cosmydor.
Cosmydor was founded in 1877 in Paris. Interestingly, we knew through an article in a medical magazine that it was a powerful skin care product and was not at all a priory of the time.
Later the brand focussed on eau de toilettes, creams and soaps. The brand decided to generate international awareness by hiring one of the greatest artists of the time, Jules Cheret, who created in 1891 a beautiful Cosmydor illustration (above).
It is still considered one of the most beautiful advertisements ever produced.
Why did it stop trading?
In 1968 the owner died and none of his sons wanted to take the business over. Therefore, the brand went