Katia de Martino, Essentia: “For sustainable beauty focused on the consumer!”
After four years of sustained growth fueled by innovation—essential for facing an increasingly competitive market—the Italian company Essentia, led by founder Katia de Martino, is continuing its comprehensive investment policy (formulas, packaging, and technologies). “Recognized for our full-service expertise,” she explains, “our strength lies in our ability to offer our clients, brands, and retailers distinctive concepts that take into account the real expectations of end consumers. We are experiencing an interesting evolution marked by the supremacy of the value of ‘well-being,’ which is impacting all segments of the beauty industry by eliminating the boundaries between categories.” Explanations...
How do you manage innovation?
Katia de Martino: We have a policy of constant investment in R&D with a dedicated and versatile team. We work at two speeds: some projects involve efforts over several years given their complexity; for other projects, the challenge is to be quick in order to offer the right product at the right time. The choice of projects is driven by a mix of intuition, expertise, and data analysis of gap opportunities.
Any examples?
Katia de Martino: For example, the implementation of Matrix Revolution™, which took three years of work. This presented a twofold challenge: to develop a development methodology that would enable us to design products tailored to the specific needs of each consumer profile and to make the customization process accessible. We chose mascara as our first product, a makeup “must-have” but also a product that is difficult for consumers to choose from among the plethora of options available. Today, we have come up with a “ready to go” concept that combines a range of mascaras tailored to different types of eyelashes, and we have developed the world’s first web app capable of performing an online diagnosis of eyelashes, enabling us to offer consumers the mascara best suited to their needs. In order to improve the accessibility of personalization, we launched the Ozmee brand in DTC in Test & Learn mode.
The second example, which is a long-term project, is “Metamorphosis™.” The challenge was to break new ground in packaging design, revealing the full tactile and visual potential of creativity. In two years of R&D, we have built an ecosystem with industrial partners capable of offering solutions tailored to each artwork, material, and quantity. This year marks the launch of “Metamorphosis 2.0,” a new chapter in its evolution: an advanced suite of customized services combining decoration, storage, and filling, made possible by more than ten years of expertise in full service. This model is designed to meet the needs of brands seeking agility, responsiveness, and creativity, and is particularly suited to limited editions and premium collections, which we are presenting in Paris at the new edition of the Places d’Or.
What are your next areas of development?
Katia de Martino: We are experiencing an interesting evolution marked by the supremacy of the value of “well-being,” which is impacting all segments of beauty by eliminating the boundaries between categories. The skinification of makeup, hair products, and now perfume is part of this evolution. Self-care is transforming consumer expectations and shifting the functional use of a product towards the notion of a ritual dedicated to well-being.
We are integrating this change in all our developments. We are continuing this work on the diversification of fragrance formats with a range that is constantly being enriched with new formulas, galenics, and packaging. The evolution of consumer expectations in this area varies according to local cultures relating to the use of perfume, but there is also a phenomenon of globalization of trends promoted by social networks. This is a topic we will address at the Fragrance Innovation Summit.
Another key focus at the moment is “longevity,” which is simply the evolution of the “anti-aging” positioning imbued with this new mindset. At the PCD, we will launch a “ready-to-go” concept adapted to this new ritualized approach to skincare, but which also requires a demonstration of its effectiveness. The combination of “device and skincare” is an interesting avenue in this context, as it brings real added value in terms of performance when the formula is developed taking into account the possible synergy between its active ingredients and the technologies used, whether red light or EMS. We will therefore be offering two types of packaging incorporating targeted technologies and tailor-made formulas.
Finally, a central part of our innovation approach remains the development of concepts that meet unmet consumer needs while providing solutions that promote sustainable beauty, particularly in terms of limiting waste. Our rechargeable and customizable “Smart Palette,” which has won two awards, illustrates our efforts in this area. To promote recharging, it is essential to offer consumers desirable solutions, as few are currently willing to compromise on aesthetics or functionality for environmental reasons.
What is your vision for the future?
Katia de Martino: Brands can no longer rely on traditional expansion strategies, but must understand their customers’ needs and respond to them in a timely manner with products that meet their expectations.
This means being increasingly proactive and relying on an effective development process, which explains the success of certain “indie” brands. This is the challenge facing “heritage” brands, which must satisfy increasingly demanding consumers on all levels—effectiveness, sensoriality, functionality—while demonstrating a genuine commitment to sustainable beauty. In this context, we are the ideal partner.
