Jamie Matusow, Editor-in-Chief11.02.15
Update: Chanel ranks at #16 on our latest report Top 20 Global Beauty Companies 2021.
Paris, France
www.chanel.com
Beauty Sales: $2.5 billion (est.)
Key Personnel: Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer, co-owners; Maureen Chiquet, global chief executive officer; John Galantic, president, U.S. and chief operating officer; Christian Mahé, senior vice president, research & technology.
Major Products/Brands: Luxury fragrances, skin care and color cosmetics sold in fine department and specialty stores, including Chanel No. 5, Allure, Allure Homme, Coco, Coco Mademoiselle, Chance, No.19, Cristalle, Pour Monsieur, Antaeus, Egoïste, Les Exclusifs, Bleu de Chanel, Sublimage, Le Blanc, Hydra-Beauty, Rouge Coco, Le Vernis, Inimitable, Inimitable Intense, Les 4 Ombres, Vitalumière, Joues Contrastes.
New Products: Blue Rhythm de Chanel cosmetics, Misia fragrance, Le Blanc Brightening Moisturizing Cream, Les 4 Ombres Eye Palette.
Comments: Luxurious and iconic, French brand Chanel continues to have prestige—particularly Europeans’ love of prestige fragrance—on its side, and retains its allure with consumers throughout the world, though Chanel N°5 has reportedly fallen in sales over the last few years. In 2014, the company went purely prestige when it sold its masstige Bourjois color cosmetics brand to Coty in a stock exchange deal. Bourjois products are sold through approximately 23,000 points of sale in more than 50 countries around the world.
Part of Chanel’s success is due to an exclusivity it maintains. Speaking at her alma mater, Yale, in 2014, Maureen Chiquet, global chief executive officer, noted that as Chanel is privately owned, it allows them to “focus on the quality of our products, on the beauty of our image, on the special designs that we have, on providing incredible customer service, and the way I look at it is, profit will come.” As a privately owned company, Chanel does not release sales figures.
News of Note
Late in 2014, Chanel announced that Italian makeup artist Lucia Pica would serve as global creative makeup and color designer, replacing Peter Philips who had left the year before.
In March 2015, Chanel released Misia, a new fragrance named for a close friend of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. It was the first scent from Olivier Polge who took over from his father, Jacques Polge, as in-house fragrance creator at Chanel. Misia is the latest in Chanel’s Les Exclusifs line.
Chanel announced in May that it plans to open its first spa—dedicated to skin care— at the Ritz Paris, before the end of the year.
Gisele Bundchen appeared naked on Chanel billboards in June, publicizing Chanel N°5. Photographer Patrick Demarchelier created the print and billboard ad.
Just last month, Chanel paid tribute to the two recipients of its CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award. Both were lauded for their accomplishments in skin care.
Paris, France
www.chanel.com
Beauty Sales: $2.5 billion (est.)
Key Personnel: Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer, co-owners; Maureen Chiquet, global chief executive officer; John Galantic, president, U.S. and chief operating officer; Christian Mahé, senior vice president, research & technology.
Major Products/Brands: Luxury fragrances, skin care and color cosmetics sold in fine department and specialty stores, including Chanel No. 5, Allure, Allure Homme, Coco, Coco Mademoiselle, Chance, No.19, Cristalle, Pour Monsieur, Antaeus, Egoïste, Les Exclusifs, Bleu de Chanel, Sublimage, Le Blanc, Hydra-Beauty, Rouge Coco, Le Vernis, Inimitable, Inimitable Intense, Les 4 Ombres, Vitalumière, Joues Contrastes.
New Products: Blue Rhythm de Chanel cosmetics, Misia fragrance, Le Blanc Brightening Moisturizing Cream, Les 4 Ombres Eye Palette.
Comments: Luxurious and iconic, French brand Chanel continues to have prestige—particularly Europeans’ love of prestige fragrance—on its side, and retains its allure with consumers throughout the world, though Chanel N°5 has reportedly fallen in sales over the last few years. In 2014, the company went purely prestige when it sold its masstige Bourjois color cosmetics brand to Coty in a stock exchange deal. Bourjois products are sold through approximately 23,000 points of sale in more than 50 countries around the world.
Part of Chanel’s success is due to an exclusivity it maintains. Speaking at her alma mater, Yale, in 2014, Maureen Chiquet, global chief executive officer, noted that as Chanel is privately owned, it allows them to “focus on the quality of our products, on the beauty of our image, on the special designs that we have, on providing incredible customer service, and the way I look at it is, profit will come.” As a privately owned company, Chanel does not release sales figures.
News of Note
Chanel continues to launch new fragrances as it looks to boost N°5 sales.
In March 2015, Chanel released Misia, a new fragrance named for a close friend of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. It was the first scent from Olivier Polge who took over from his father, Jacques Polge, as in-house fragrance creator at Chanel. Misia is the latest in Chanel’s Les Exclusifs line.
Chanel announced in May that it plans to open its first spa—dedicated to skin care— at the Ritz Paris, before the end of the year.
Gisele Bundchen appeared naked on Chanel billboards in June, publicizing Chanel N°5. Photographer Patrick Demarchelier created the print and billboard ad.
Just last month, Chanel paid tribute to the two recipients of its CE.R.I.E.S. Research Award. Both were lauded for their accomplishments in skin care.
