From the end of the 19th century, Cosmydor stood out due to the originality of its fragrances and the “creative audacity of its packaging,” says Xavier Quattrocchi-Oubradous, "Re-founder" of the 129-year-old French brand.

An arts enthusiast who’s fascinated by heritage brands, Quattrocchi-Oubradous uncovered the très chic Parisian brand, which was initially founded in 1877 and specialized in the manufacture of premium soaps, eaux de toilette and other beauty products. Unusual for the time, its 1877 formula was 100% plant-based.

Cosmydor had been a “sleeping beauty” since the late 1960’s, but Quattrocchi-Oubradous was struck by the brand’s “incredible aesthetic and original personality” and chose to bring it back to life, through high-quality cosmetics, containing “exceptional concentrations in active ingredients, in line with the public’s new expectations for naturalness, authenticity and efficiency.”

Today, Cosmydor offers a range of organic-certified creams, balms, serums, cleansers and soaps for face, lips, hands and body—all artisanally hand-crafted and made in France using modern botanical and aromatherapy principles, and organic-certified.

The brand is pushing sustainability in beauty to new standards, according to Quattrocchi-Oubradous, with 100% biodegradable products, regional sourcing of packaging, exclusion of plastic containers, and “gentle manufacturing processes.”

Cosmydor’s “exceptional efficiency” he says, comes from a unique formulation philosophy: the best active ingredients are carefully selected and concentrated to the maximum—10 to 25 times more “than most existing skin care.” Quattrocchi-Oubradous calls this philosophy “ ‘virtuous cosmetics: preserving the planet whilst taking the best care of your skin.’ ”

Turning Cosmydor's Packaging Into A Work of Art

Cosmydor’s original packaging was a true work of art, explains Quattrocchi-Oubradous. He says, Jules Cheret, who was one of the first artists to depict women in advertising images and whose style is characterized by its density, the importance of details and ornaments, first collaborated with Cosmydor in 1891.

This collaboration led to the brand’s historic success and earned it several awards at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900. “Loyal to our creative DNA, 129 years later, we asked Grems, one of the most talented French artists of his generation, to freely reinterpret this design legacy,” explains Quattrocchi-Oubradous.

As part of this partnership, Grems created three graphic designs, that are printed on the boxes of three face creams in the brand’s Intense Skincare range, as well as on the solid soap.

In addition, the brand is pushing sustainability in beauty to a new standard, according to Quattrocchi-Oubradous, with 100% biodegradable products, regional sourcing of packaging, exclusion of plastic containers, and gentle manufacturing processes with no waste of energy or water.

Beauty Packaging recently got in touch with Quattrocchi-Oubradous to learn more about this impressive endeavor.

A Q&A with Cosmydor's Xavier Quattrocchi-Oubradous

Jamie Matusow: What has your role been in packaging the brand?

Xavier Quattrocchi-Oubradous: In terms of the packaging, my role is to help find solutions that match ideas from our creative director, Philippe Guillermic. He has the final say on all of the design aspects, even the costs, which can often be steep and a struggle for us, however we did not want to cut any corners or go against his wishes.

JM:  What role has sustainability played in the re-launch?

XQ-O: This is quite difficult to answer as sustainability is quite a recent concept (as is organic). I mentioned its 1877 formula was 100% plant-based. We also noticed its products had never included petrochemicals, and we have no trace of plastic packaging previously. At relaunch we made sustainability a critical pillar of Cosmydor’s new DNA and it made so much sense to continue these core values.

The product development process was a lot of fun (and still is), as there is virtually no limit to what nature can offer to help our skin. There is an infinity of possibility to mix super-efficient ingredients, with different textures and surprising fragrances, without the need for anything artificial.

The design part was a pleasure, too, and all credit again, to our creative director. The sourcing of packaging was a nightmare, as we had decided against any plastic container and against any non-European supplier. It was long and fastidious with plenty of drawbacks. As a skincare brand this is really the part we control less, so frustration is never far away.

JM:  Where does the brand name come from?

XQ-O: We don’t know exactly, it is somehow mysterious. It starts like ‘cosmetics’ and finishes by ‘or’ (gold in French), a bit like Dior...

JM:  How did you determine the packaging for each product? And how did you go about sourcing it?

XQ-O: The first constraint was no plastic—practically we were left with glass and aluminum. Sourcing had to be European to reduce the carbon footprint, and then came some marketing, coupled with design for the following result:

1. Jars in opaline glass (made in Belgium) for our high-end range—with black & white minimalistic design. The opaline jars are beautiful and remind us of the first half of the 20th century. We use secondary packaging for this range, in (recycled/recyclable) cardboard (made in Belgium). On our website, we offer the option to buy without the box with a £5 rebate, in order to incentivize customers to avoid buying unnecessary packaging. Unfortunately, this cannot be replicated at our retailers.

2. Aluminum tubes (made in Portugal) for our entry range creams, with a more colorful design, and no secondary packaging.

3. Miron glass (made in the Netherlands) for bottles (liquid soaps and serums)—again with black & white minimalistic design, and no secondary packaging.

4. Miron glass jars for balms, also with black & white minimalistic design, and no secondary packaging apart from a gift box.

5. Boxes for bar soaps in (recycled/recyclable) cardboard (made in Belgium), with pattern design;  same as opaline jars: secondary packaging in (recycled/recyclable) cardboard, optional on our website.
 
JM: Did you face any particularly tough challenges regarding the packaging?

XQ-O: Finding the right pump for our liquid soaps was a real nightmare. This is because we wanted a certain shape that has the ability to handle our very thick liquid soaps (they contain little water) and it had to fit in the Miron bottle, which has a very narrow neck. We found it, but it is our only non-European bit of packaging, and it took 18 months to source...

JM:  What about water usage?

XQ-O: Our artisanal manufacturing enables us to produce without wasting any water at all (nor energy by the way).

JM: How long did it take from idea to shelf?

XQ-O: Three years (gasp).

JM: Any reusable or refillable packaging?

XQ-O: Reusable is a work in progress. We hope to be able to officially announce this by mid-2021, which will be the ability to re-use 100% of our glass packaging. Our liquid soap bottles are all refillable, and we will soon add the same option to cleansers. Everything is 100% recyclable.

JM:  Where is the line available?

XQ-O: NET-A-PORTER globally, Selfridges (London), Dover Street Market (Paris), and many other spas and beauty stores, including in New York. [See: www.cosmydor.store]

JM:  Price range?

XQ-O: From £11($14) for a cold-processed bar soap to £86 ($113) for a C/5 Anti-Wrinkle Cream with Prickly Pear Vegetable Oil & Ho Wood Essential Oil (with box).

JM: What can other beauty brands learn from Cosmydor?

XQ-O: If anything, they can see that it is possible to manufacture cosmetics in a different way (artisanal), with more efficient formulas (higher percentage of active ingredients), and to package in a more sustainable way. It requires a lot of time, energy and money, however we believe every brand in this day and age should be responsible.