After the arrival of La Perla Beauty in the brand’s select La Perla Stores, the luxury brand is gearing up to release its collection in the autumn. It will enter the region through key luxury and prestige retail partners as well as its new North America e-commerce site.
“The US is very much a key market for La Perla, being the biggest cosmetic market in the world,” Lisa Jackson, Chief Commercial Officer, La Perla Beauty, told CosmeticsDesign-USA. “It is a market that our distribution network looks to and wants to understand our plans within it.”
Detailing the brand’s hopes for its move into North America, Jackson added: “La Perla Beauty is Haute Beauté, without doubt, luxurious and true to the La Perla Heritage while also being conscious, mindful, sustainable and ethical, which are trends we are seeing a move towards, from both retailers and consumers.”
Timing is everything
As it emerges into the cosmetics scene, La Perla Beauty will present its entire inaugural fragrance, color cosmetics and body care ranges to US shoppers.
Despite the challenges of launching a new brand during a pandemic, La Perla sees opportunities in all three beauty categories.
- The fragrance category in the US is experiencing double-digit growth versus 2020, but also versus 2019. As consumers have looked to fragrance to enhance their moods, Jackson noted: “We feel the timing is great to enter the US fragrance market with luxury fragrances from one of the world's most well-known brands.”
- “Body care is very relevant now, especially as consumers have prioritized self-care during and post-pandemic,” said Jackson. La Perla Beauty has created its body care collection with prebiotics infusion and plant-based ingredients, which it claims provide superior skin treatment and moisturization.
- Cosmetics as a category was hard hit during the pandemic, as consumers were masked and stayed at home. Yet Jackson believes in its promising return: “This is poised for a comeback as consumers return to work and begin to return to social get-togethers.” With a nod to the clean beauty trend, La Perla Beauty anticipates that brands made from sustainably sourced and clean ingredients are likely to outperform the category.
Insights from the brand’s early launch reveal that it is now facing a global consumer and that the local specificities are less pronounced. However, there is one area that is prominent, Jackson reveals: “The clean beauty movement is stronger than ever in the US.”
Breaking into the US
As the biggest cosmetics market in the world, the US has promising opportunities and notable challenges. For La Perla Beauty, the greatest hurdle the Italian-born brand must overcome is the significant plethora of beauty options available to consumers.
“There is a huge selection of products for US consumers to choose from, from celebrities to large corporates to boutique brands, and it can be difficult to be seen and carve out your space in such a busy landscape,” said Jackson. “We are also entering initially across three categories in one of the most competitive markets in the world.
However, the brand hopes that its strong retail partnerships, the quality of its overall offering, and the brand’s authenticity will speak to an audience that seeks conscious luxury.
Looking ahead, the brand has a “robust plan for innovation” over the next three-five years that will see it expand beyond fragrances, body care and makeup into other beauty categories in new distribution outlets. “This will help propel our growth and introduce La Perla Beauty to a new consumer,” said Jackson. The brand is also looking at pop-up initiatives during 2022 to provide an immersive opportunity for its consumers to connect with its beauty brand and products.