PARIS — Ohana & Co. hosted a morning of talks — “Shark Tank”-style — in its Parisian headquarters.
Karine Ohana, who runs the independent investment bank with her brothers Ariel and Laurent Ohana, hosted the Thursday event, titled “The New Beauty & Lifestyle Brands in the Game.”
Among investors present were Carla Ruiz, executive vice president, global M&A and LIFT Ventures at Shiseido; Presca Ahn, global investment director at Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development, or BOLD, L’Oréal’s venture arm; Harry Richards, investment director of Manzanita Capital; Karim Abbas, founding partner at Aurea, and Laëtitia Zemiro, luxury goods, fashion, lifestyle and innovation investor at Mirabaud Group.
First to present was Gerard Camme, chief executive officer and founder of Element Eight, the luxe oxygenated skin care brand launched in November 2022. Last year it generated just under $1 million. Then at the start of 2024, Element Eight entered six Nordstrom doors, each of which will ring up more than $100,000 with five products, according to Camme.
Eight Active eye serum and cream are the brand’s hero products, making up 70 percent of its sales. A face cream in the franchise is launching this week, and retail rollouts are in the works.
“This year, we’ll probably reach $4 million in [net] sales,” said Camme. “We’re in the middle of a fundraising round, our series A round. We’re trying to raise $6.25 million. We’ve got $2 million in commitments, of which we’ve collected $1 million so far.”
Element Eight’s debut range.
Andrew Macpherson
In November 2022, the brand closed a $6 million funding round, pushing the total raise to date to $7.9 million.
L’Atelier Parfum cofounders Mikolaj Pietrzak and Masha Russac spoke about the brand they launched in 2021. “Atelier Parfum is the creator of emotions,” said Pietrzak, adding it’s also an inclusive brand, positioned in the entry point of high perfumery.
Today, L’Atelier Parfum is sold in about 400 doors in more than 25 countries. In Sephora in Asia, Coeur de Pétales is the brand’s bestseller.
“We are currently the number-one brand in Sephora Hong Kong,” said Russac. L’Atelier Parfum will launch in mainland China this year, while South Korea and the U.S. are in its scopes.
A second L’Atelier Parfum boutique is set to open shortly in Paris, on the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Rue de Castiglione.
“We were profitable from the first year,” said Russac, adding the company is closing its fiscal year in March, when it will register close to 4 million euros in net sales, or the equivalent of about 18 million euros retail sales-wise.
“Our ambition is to be a global brand,” she continued. As such, L’Atelier Parfum will start to fundraise in the next six months.
On the hair care front, Mon Shampoing founders Patricia and Rémy Debrant introduced their natural, customizable brand about five years ago.
“You can customize the shampoo and conditioner based on your hair type with a little booster that you add very easily,” said Rémy Debrant. There are seven boosters in all — one for each hair type. Other products are also offered, such as masks and serums.
Mon Shampoing has had more than 50,000 orders already placed on its website. The brand counts about 200 sales points, including eight Galeries Lafayette department stores, and ships to Europe. It recently opened offices in Mauritius and La Réunion. In the U.S., Mon Shampoing sells through its website.
It is cashflow positive. “What we want to do is … to grow and accelerate, invest in acquiring clients and in retail,” said Debrant. “We are in the process of finalizing a round of financing. We have already committed 1.5 million euros, and we’re ready to welcome more people on board for half-million dollars.”
Over in Amsterdam, Pedro Principe and Nathalie Manivong three years ago cofounded Cocon, which offers high-end spa services at home. Fast-forward to today, and its sales are around 3.2 million euros.
“We’re bringing wellness and beauty together,” said Principe, CEO of Cocon, adding it offers not just a masseuse and products, but a massage bed, as well. “It makes us able to hire the best therapists.”
In its hometown, Cocon has already carried out more than 90,000 treatments. Its top client in less than two years booked 103 treatments and spent almost 18,000 euros. Cocon also operates spas, moving into existing locations in the Netherlands and, most recently, London.
It closed 2023 with more than 1 million euros in sales. Principe and Manivong will begin speaking with investors soon.
