The visit to La Biosthétique gave the MBA students an exciting opportunity to witness and experience the cosmetics and personal care products industry beyond the usual curtain of glitz and glamour. Upon arrival at the company’s facility, the MBA students were received by Dr. Peter Hagel, Consultant to the Board at La Biosthétique. Having served close to 4 decades in the company and thus experiencing the dynamics of this industry over such a long time span, Dr. Hagel was the perfect person to guide the curious students seeking an answer to the question- “What goes into making a successful luxury cosmetics and personal care products company?”
Through a short presentation, Dr. Hagel began by elaborating on the company's history and its founder Mr. Marcel Contier’s vision that led to the creation of the company- to transform a simple hairdresser into a sophisticated and well-trained hair specialist. The students were also familiarized with the mantra of 'Total Beauty' that guides the company to develop high-quality products for hair and skin. After the presentation, the students were taken on a tour of the production and test facility. The basic processes of manufacturing liquid-based and emulsion/gel-based products were explained to the students. The efforts of the company on the sustainability front such as responsible sourcing of palm oil, the use of electricity generated from renewable sources and recycling were also highlighted.
During the office tour, stimulating discussions took place between the different product management teams and the students. Anticipating the trends in the beauty industry, building a product portfolio in advance for future seasons, inputs from the marketing and R&D departments and product differentiation were the most notable topics discussed.
At La Biosthétique, students learnt an important lesson on the power of ‘Experience Marketing’ and ‘Customer Loyalty’. Although La Biosthétique sells its products online (official website only), its major focus lies on its partnership with salons and hair specialists spread across the globe. In an era in which e-commerce is changing the very foundations of buyer-seller transactions, La Biosthétique has stayed true to its founding values. The company even runs academies to train salon professionals and a consulting department to provide business solutions to its partners (salons). These efforts allow the company to maintain close control over the selling atmosphere and offer expert consultation to its loyal customers. The approach has been successful in creating a sense of ‘Exclusivity’, a key ingredient for luxury.
Li Ding, a 3rd-semester student of the MBA program and currently employed as a working student at La Biosthétique’s procurement department spoke about the friendly work culture and how the company is helping her realize her career aspirations. Overall, it was a day that had a lot in store for the MBA students and from the students’ perspective summed up by the comments of Surel Surve, a participant of this excursion, “I have a keen interest in the beauty industry and product management. This excursion boosted my zeal to aim for a career in this industry even further”.

Text and photos: Shvetang Pai Angle, class of 2021