Since September 10, Florasis has had an exclusive presence at La Samaritaine. In partnership with DFS, the Chinese cosmetics brand has set up shop in the LVMH-owned Paris department store, paving the way for a future physical distribution network in Europe.
A key player in the world of Chinese beauty products (C-beauty), Florasis has been distributing its Nomadic Glam collection, inspired by the Mongolian prairies, exclusively in the Samaritaine department store in Paris since September 10.
The launch is representative of the beauty brand’s universe, drawing on the imagery of imperial China and the myths and legends of the Middle Kingdom in its packaging and storytelling.
Florasis thus becomes the first Chinese C-beauty brand to collaborate with DFS – a subsidiary of the LVMH group specializing in travel retail – outside China, and to be distributed by La Samaritaine. This agreement coincides with the 60th anniversary of Franco-Chinese relations.
Imperial power
Contrary to what its image suggests, Florasis is nevertheless a recent beauty brand. It was launched in 2017 near Lake Xiziin the city of Hangzhou, known as the Garden of China. At the time, a nationalism advocated by the government and reappropriated by China’s younger generations was in full swing: the “Guochao 国潮” movement. In other words, a pride of belonging calling for the consumption of local products and celebrating the Chinese art of living.
Its Chinese name Hua Xizi 花西子 – literally “make-up with flowers” – aptly reflects the composition of its products, based on flowers and plants, as an echo of the country’s expertise in herbal medicine. Florasis uses natural ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine, such as peony seed oil extract and bai zhu root, to create formulas that balance and brighten the skin.
But the strength of Florasis undoubtedly lies in its narrative, which embraces the collective Chinese imagination. Its Chinese name Hua Xizi is close to the honorary title Xi Shi, which derives fromone of the four beauties of ancient China, the archetypal femme fatale. The latter succeeded in defeating the Wu kingdom in 473 BC and restoring the power of the Yue kingdom. This rebirth is also embodied by the phoenix, the brand’s emblem.
Extra-Asian ambitions
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Featured Photo: © Florasis
