Matiere Premiere’s ambitions to open 20 new stores following Kering Beauté investment
This was the brand's second round of funding since its launch in 2019. The first took place in October 2020, with international shareholders who remain partners.
Matiere Premiere was created by three co-founders: perfumer and artistic director Aurélien Guichard, president Caius von Knorring, and general manager Cédric Meiffret – who will all remain as majority shareholders.
The brand has said that the boost of capita will allow it to hire more staff at its Paris head office, and to bring on more regional support.
It also said it plans to accelerate its international retail expansion and according to its president, Caius von Knorring, it has ambitions to open 20 standalone stores.
Von Knorring said that these would be “primarily in the major cities of our priority markets: France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East, and China.”
He revealed that the brand also plans to strengthen its online presence through its own e-commerce website, which it is in the process of currently “refining to offer an exclusive and personalised user experience.”
Fields in Grasse for exclusive use
The brand’s USP is centered around “the expression of one exceptional raw material per fragrance combined with a direct and understandable aesthetic.”
Cofounder Aurélien Guichard is the nose behind every fragrance, which the brand said “combines olfactive materials, creative and production know-how with a contemporary and minimal signature style.”
According to Matiere Premiere, Guichard is the only perfumer in the world to cultivate his own ingredients, namely the Rose centifolia in its Radical Rose scent, and tuberose, the central raw material in its French Flower fragrance.
The brand has dedicated fields in the Grasse region, with the entire production exclusively for its use, and said that by prioritising sourcing from additional ethical producers for other ingredients, it can ensure an ultra-high olfactive quality and level of sustainability in its practices.
Matiere Premiere’s fragrances are currently available in 50 countries at around 400 points of sale. It follows a selective distribution model, with presence in some of the world's top luxury retailers such as Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Its most recent eau de parfum creation, Vanilla Powder, was launched in October 2023 and has enjoyed great success among the fashion elite.
Notably, this is the first brand that Kering Beauté has bought a stake in since it was recreated in February 2023.
In June 2023, the luxury business also fully acquired the Paris-based perfume house Creed, showing its preference for investments in the ever-growing fragrance category.
