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Beauty Brands Global acquired the French sustainable luxury line La Bouche Rouge on Tuesday, The Business of Beauty has learned.
Founded by former L’Oréal executive Nicolas Gerlier, the line was best known for its refillable lipsticks found in leather cases. Despite wide distribution in Bergdorf Goodman, Violet Grey, Saks Fifth Avenue and Le Bon Marché, La Bouche Rouge filed for receivership in July. According to Beauty Brands Global, the line reached €3.5 million in net sales in 2022. That same year, the beauty label raised €10 Million in funding from Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact & Innovation, the Chalhoub Group and BPI; it raised €2.5 million in 2020.
Beauty Brands Global is a new holding company founded by Dilesh Mehta, chairman and CEO of Designer Parfums, the fragrance house behind scents from Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande and Porsche Design. The vehicle is an opportunity for Mehta to own or enter long term licences in the cosmetics and skincare segments without the help of outside investors. Beauty Brands Global plans to revive former derm line DDF Skincare, founded by Dr. Howard Sobel, next year.
“La Bouche Rouge is a beautiful brand and we want to carry on what Nicolas started but move it forward,” Mehta told The Business of Beauty exclusively.
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He said that while the line had premiere distribution in top retailers, it was not set up to run profitably. Despite multiple rounds of capital, when raising funding was much easier, La Bouge Rouge had been losing money since its launch in 2017.
“The financial model was not viable and the cost of goods was too high without bringing enough [revenue] in,” he said. La Bouche Rouge entered China prior to the pandemic, when it was not prepared and had plans to enter the Middle East.
Mehta has appointed Florence Rollet as La Bouche Rouge’s new general manager, while Gerlier will stay on with the brand as a consultant in a creative capacity. The line will continue to operate in Paris; La Bouche Rouge’s approximately 20 employees plan to stay on with the business.
