MBS Inspiration
-
The MBS Group
is one of the world’s leading executive search firms operating exclusively in Retail, Consumer and relevant technologies, and the most successful sector-specialist firm in the UK
Cosmetics as a serious business
The business world is changing at an incredible pace and the place of women in it is constantly evolving. No matter which industry you operate in, the world of work is increasingly being shaped by a new generation of women who have careers rather than jobs and who are unafraid of success.
As changes in the working world unfold, these women want to get together with their peers to discuss how their businesses and lives are changing. It was with this in mind that The MBS Group’s Tracy Short and Janine Leccia hosted the first in a series of networking events for a select group of businesswomen in the beauty, luxury and fashion industries.
After champagne and canapés, brand president of !QMSMedicosmetics, Ruth Harrison, led a discussion that set out to explore the changing attitudes towards women in the workplace and how the beauty sector is adapting to this new generation of female consumers.
With a CV that features Estée Lauder and Jo Malone, Ruth started by laying out the social context that shaped the industry in the 1980s and ’90s, from the arrival of MAC Cosmetics, with its social credentials, to the time when women started to think about ‘careers’ rather than ‘jobs’. During this period, the UK became a credible market for product innovation, with emerging brands such as Urban Decay and Shockwaves.
In the noughties, the UK economy was booming, and the cult of celebrity culture flourished. It was a time of bling and ostentation and many women longed to look like someone else. Celebrity fragrances boomed, with Kylie, Britney, J Lo and SJP becoming the scents of choice for many. ‘Masstige’ and the ‘It’ phenomenon were born, and we consumers were on a mission to spend spend spend! The phrase ‘Because we’re worth it’ summed up the decade.
Today, spending is once again discretionary and women are looking for brands they can trust. ‘This will be the decade of brands with true credentials,’ says Ruth, ‘and in the beauty sector we are seeing the emergence of a new category that blurs the boundaries between pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.’
But what does authenticity mean for an industry that has been built on the search for perfection, and that deals with that most superficial of things; our appearance? Does it mean wrinkles are back in vogue? ‘Not quite,’ admits Ruth. ‘But people want to look more natural, be themselves and recognise themselves in the mirror.’
Founded by Dr. Med. Erich Schulte, !QMS Medicosmetics embodies this new approach, both in terms of its business model and how its products are developed and marketed, both online and in the retail space. ‘Above anything else, we want our clients to learn about their skin. We don’t thrive in crowded department stores, but in environments where we can carry out treatments and be true to our promise of authenticity,’ explains Ruth.
‘!QMS is a very different proposition. For us it is about pioneering technology in skincare, and our prices reflect the ingredients and technology costs, nothing else,’ says Ruth. ‘The success of the business is based on our formulations and, as we are privately owned, we can take as long as we need to develop a product – there are no compromises.’
Inspired by this uncompromising stance and the fascinating prospects for the industry, Ruth then showed us around !QMS’s state-of-the-art facilities in their Cadogan Gardens spa. Many of us will no doubt be visiting again very soon!
Click here for more inspiration.