Layla Cosmetics

INTERvIEW WITh BABILA SPAGNOLO, LAYLA COSMETICS CEO

EXPORT MAGZINE: What have you planned for your participation in Cosmoprof 22? BABILA SPAGNOLO: Our buzz word for Cosmoprof 22 is innovation. We will be presenting two brand new products, one which is destined to revolutionize the most deep-rooted habits in semipermanent nail varnish and the other to answer one of the most frequent requests of our public. The first is the Solid Gel Polish, which has never been made in Italy before. It’s the end of bottles, with convenient “pods” like eyeshadows and a solid consistency that offers the additional option for whoever wants it: the possibility of easily applying the product to cover the correct portion of nail before polymerization, getting round difficulties that the least expert encounter with liquid varnishes that inevitably tend to run.

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND PERFECTLY COMBINING IRONY AND INNOvATION

A solid gel polish created to “break the rules”, as the slogan says. The second in the long-awaited waterproof version of the acclaimed The Longer The Better mascara. Ready once again to amaze with an updated formula created to create water-resistant threads. Super long and voluminous lashes that survive diving!

EM: In the past few years, Layla Cosmetics has implemented some major changes. Can you tell us about them, explaining the strategy behind the various initiatives you have undertaken? BS: In modern society, everything can change very quickly and it is important to keep up with habits and customs that are continuously evolving. At the same time, it is fundamental to characterize each initiative with something that represents a link with our history, something that identified, makes recognizable and, if possible unique, anticipating trends instead of undergoing them. Layla Cosmetics is not a brand that gives its preference to glossy models suggesting easily accessible standards of perfection; Layla Cosmetics chooses communication channels that are instinctively enjoyable that satisfy the needs of the body and the mind at one and the same time. Layla Cosmetics chooses the irony of Taffo and the innuendos of Rocco Siffredi in the conviction that makeup should be used to smile and not to be perfect. There has only been one aim since the beginnings way back in 1936, to convey authentically and transparently who we are, what we do and why we do it.

EM: In our opinion, you have not restricted yourselves to launching ‘new products’ but rather ‘new concepts’. Is the path you are taking proving you right? BS: Exactly, you have hit the bull’s eye! WE do not make do with launching products that are of excellent quality but within everybody’s reach, we also focus on communicating what we believe in, concepts in which we think many can recognize themselves. The reaction is definitely positive, perhaps because never as before there has been such a desire for authenticity.

EM: What are your bestsellers? BS: We started as a company making nail varnish, so first of all there is the Gel Polish but the important progress obtained in the recent past has consolidated us as an all-round make-up brand, so immediately afterwards we find The Longer The Better mascara, the Eternal lip colours and the three-colour Rarity eyeshadows.

EM: The present time, at an international level, is not the simplest. Are there any foreign markets that you deem are more inclined to implement the current commercial and communication strategy of Layla Cosmetics? BS: In this economic-social situation that forces us not to approach some markets, we care continuing to have great confidence in the potential of the brand and the LAYLA communication and we effectively believe that there are various areas we can focus on with the awareness of having at our disposal all the right instruments for brilliant results. Taking into consideration the geographic Asian macro-area, we know that we have an important possibility of expansion on the South Korean and Japanese markets, thanks above all to the latest launches characterized by packaging that is even more suitable for that potential clientele. China is a separate matter which we want to approach with an online-first strategy but which will have a fairly wide horizon. We are also on the right road in India to start collaboration with a market place that would allow us for the first time to have visibility on an extremely complex market but which at the same time is fascinating and potentially interesting. As far as Europe is concerned, we are expanding in the online segment to cover almost all the main markets, thanks to the agreement with two global strategic partners. Traditional distribution here is clearly in difficulty even though we continue to be able to establish new collaborations with the Baltic countries and Romania. Closing the circle, we can see opportunities for expansion in both offline and online distribution in the United States and probably in Latin America as well, precisely in Chile, through direct agreements with chains of drugstores and perfumeries. Claudia Stagno

DSQUARED2

DEFINING THE CONTEMPORARY MAN

The Canadian twins, Dean and Dan Caten, behind the DSquared2 brand, present a new fragrance inspired by the wood of their homeland’s vast forests. Original Wood is designed around the characteristics of this ancient material: strong and sturdy, with a complex structure that makes it unique and inimitable. This makes it perfect to define the contemporary DSquared2 man, who is sensual, with confidence in himself and in his personality. The Original Wood man lives by his passions, on good vibes and is attracted by what is new. Looking for a sophisticated essence that expresses the authenticity, depth and passion that defines him, he finds it in this intense and vigorous fragrance. Evoking the elements of nature, the top notes are of natural and reassuring violet leaves and the fluid freshness of the aquatic accord which vibrate with the spicy accents of the responsibly sourced cardamom Guatemala.