“The idea is to make everyone comfortable with their own skin,” said 72-year-old Jean Daniel Mondin, when asked about the defining beauty trend of the year. Reinforcing this trend is the Europe-based brand Mary Cohr, founded by Modin, which specialises in patented tech-based skincare through its non-invasive salon treatments and a premium product line.
Jean Daniel Mondin with wife at Mary Cohr’s first salon in Bandra, Mumbai
The brand has 17,000 salons across 70 countries, including Russia, UK, Australia and South Korea, and recently opened its first-ever salon in India, in Mumbai’s posh neighbourhood Bandra. This is in partnership with Lloyd Luxuries, which also owns the franchise of men’s luxury salon Truefitt and Hill across India. At the preview launch of the French skincare brand in Mumbai, Mondin discussed the business of beauty in India with LuxeBook.
How did your journey in the French beauty business begin?
I come from a background of cosmetology. My father was a plastic surgeon and I, around 43 years ago, was pursuing a doctorate in pharmacy. It is close-knit with the beauty industry, but I never wanted to get into the business of plastic surgery. Over the years, I observed that there are too many beauty products for women in France, which come with even more promises aided by excessive advertising and marketing of the brands.
As aestheticians get to see one’s skin up-close without makeup and with more clarity, I thought that they are the only ones to prescribe the right skincare and beauty products. This led me to conclude that it is a more professional way to sell products.
What is Mary Cohr all about?
We are a France-based chain of all-natural beauty products and salons across the world. Our multiple-step services involve a thorough skin consultation with the in-house aestheticians, followed by the specific treatment and a recommendation to use Mary Cohr’s post-treatment products for four weeks. This is a new concept in the salon and beauty market, where everything that’s being used on you during your treatment will be available to purchase after the service as well.
Our aim at Mary Cohr is to make women understand that the treatment is the real star. And the product is what you use in the interim between one treatment and the other. This is what our brand brings to India. Essentially, this is not a brand dictated by products, but a fine balance of professional treatments and its complementing products for a prolonged result
When did you think of introducing Mary Cohr to India?
For us, the right time is all about meeting the right partner, and for Mary Cohr it was finding a partner in Llyod Luxuries. In a beauty salon, the star is not the product but the customer and her skin. Although aestheticians can thoroughly check the skin and its issues and suggest the right treatment, the problem is to find that right person who can entrust your brand with, and who will raise our beauty salon with the right technique and will educate the staff of the salon for a recognised presence in the city.
Who are your target consumers in India and globally?
As a salon brand, we don’t want our customers to feel intimidated by our services. We want everyone to come and try it. Our customized treatments go up to 9-10K. We’d like to position it as a premium brand, but not an ultra-luxury brand.
Does Mary Cohr’s business model for India differ from the brand’s operations in other countries? If yes, how?
The business model is the same; it is to take care of women’s beauty concerns, not only by offering products but by giving a visible result. For the consumers who are looking for an aesthetician, Mary Cohr has highly trained aestheticians.
At the core of our business, knowledge and training is first step to quality. All the treatments performed in India are same as that of Europe, South Korea and Australia. This is monitored by an in-house produced video series created for the aestheticians to follow, step by step. Hence, the protocol remains the same. To ensure the quality of the result, we have to ensure the quality of the protocol. This highly technological approach is another way to think beauty and do beauty.
Mary Cohr beauty products
Could you give us an insight into the beauty and skincare salon market in Europe?
In Europe and around the world, there are too many brands with too many manufacturers. With the increasing competition, people try to save money on everything and end up sacrificing the quality of the product as well. Compared to other manufacturing operations, our factory in France regularly purifies air and water to keep the quality of Mary Cohr products high.
What is non-invasive beauty treatment and how popular is it with consumers?
By invasive we mean, in no way would your skin feel irritated during or after the treatment, even in the slightest of way. When an aesthetician performs a Catiovital treatment (Mary Cohr’s signature facial) on the face, the first phase begins with the application of thermal mask, which helps to open the pores, purify toxins in the skin and accelerate blood flow. There is also a step where two ionization rods are used to inject a serum into the skin. This is how detailed technology can be for beauty and skincare.
Beauty equipments for Catiovital treatment
How important is technology in the skincare industry today?
Most of the beauty institutes and brands use retailed products. But there is no significant result seen after that process. We improve this existing limit of beauty by using technology.
Especially in India, the way the beauty and wellness industry is growing, and as the disposable income is improving, the most disruptive thing is going to be technology in this space. Also, it is completely natural, safe, and there’s lesser risk involved here. The hand has a limitation, and this gap can only be bridged by technology.
How is Mary Cohr contributing to the clean beauty movement?
It’s not a marketing gimmick for us. Mary Cohr’s creams do not even have the tag of being paraben-free, as it is obvious for us. The idea is to develop the brand as a distinguished clean brand.
Mary Cohr in Bandra, Mumbai
What is Mary Cohr preparing for next?
Mary Cohr’s aim along with our partner Lloyd Luxuries in India is to develop tutoring schools to improve the quality of aestheticians, to provide top-notch treatments. We’re focusing on expanding to top five cities first, and then to tier-II cities with around 20-30 stores across India.
