PARIS – Fencing. Swimming. Track-and-field. Beauty shopping.
Wait. What?
The latter could indeed be considered an off-calendar sport during the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games this summer. That is due to the spate of new beauty retail openings having taken place just before the events that run from Friday to Aug. 11 and Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, respectively. Here is a look at the most recent to debut. On your marks, get set, go!
Antinomie
The Antinomie brand was created two years ago in France to democratize the niche perfumery segment. Its scents are meant to tap into moments in life and accommodate each person’s paradoxes, according to Aurélie Boudoux, Antinomie’s marketing manager.
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There are two Antinomie fragrance collections. The five eaux de parfums were conceived to correspond to moods and include scents such as Rose Sage and Bois Blanc Pudique. The same number of extraits de parfum were made for more powerful life moments and comprise fragrances like Flirt Infini and Silence Éloquent. A 30-ml. edp is priced at 49 euros and the 100-ml. extract at 119 euros.
Antinomie’s first boutique, in Paris, is a paradox unto itself. The 260-square-foot space looks upside-down, with the floor featuring a standing-up chandelier and curtains falling upward, while the ceiling has a downward-facing table and chair.
Antinomie, 99 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris. Tel. : +33 9 56 12 60 49
La Bonne Brosse
Out to reinvent the luxury hair care market with its newfangled brushes and care line, La Bonne Brosse opened its first store, in Paris, right by the Palais-Royal.
“We felt we could change — or shake a little bit — the rules of the market,” said Pauline Laurent, a cofounder of the French brand.
In the boutique her and other cofounder Flore des Robert’s lushly colored hairbrush creations are laid out on a trompe l’oeil tablecloth made with artful stitching to look like a set dinner table. La Bonne Brosse brushes are made in France of cellulose acetate, generally used in luxury eyewear, giving an organic feel and biodegradability. They go for 38 euros to 138 euros.
Sitting on the table of the new boutique, too, are the Cair clean hair care products, launched less than six months ago. That began with a serum, shampoo and conditioner, with prices ranging from 38 euros to 74 euros.
La Bonne Brosse, 18 Rue Richelieu, 75001 Paris. Tel.: +33 7 68 40 93 28
Legacy Concept Store
Legacy Concept Store, not far from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, is the brainchild of Colette concept store alum Sébastien Chapelle. About two-thirds of the 1,615-square-foot, two-floor, sleek space, with marble flooring and displays, and a vintage brick fireplace, carries wristwatches, jewelry, eyewear, art, tech, books and other accessories.
The rest of the boutique is devoted to some 20 cherry-picked niche fragrance brands. These include Escentric Molecules, Akro, Maison Icepinkim, Dorin Paris, Élisire, Atelier des Ors, Orens, My Exclusive Collection, Maison Rebatchi and Stéphanie de Bruijn-Parfum. There are 150 fragrances in all to try out.
Legacy Concept Store, 19 Avenue George V, 75008 Paris. Tel.: +33 1 49 53 99 29
Miin
Chinese entrepreneur Lilin Yang cofounded her K-beauty business in October 2014 with a very small Miin store in central Barcelona. That led to another boutique in Madrid one year later, which was followed by yet others in Munich and Milan. Then, seven years ago, Yang opened a Paris shop-in-shop for business-to-business clients, and in 2023 decided to expand the retail concept more aggressively.
“This year we are opening a new shop every week,” said Yang, company chief executive officer, adding by next month Miin will have 32 shops in Europe. “I hope we can close [2024] with 40 shops.”
The ultimate goal is to reach 100 European locations.
The new 320-square-foot Miin boutique in Paris’ Montmartre district marks its first freestanding door in France. That carries 40 K-beauty brands, including Laka, Benton, Klairs and Mizon. Ondo Beauty and Meisani are private labels there.
One month in and the new store’s been so successful Yang said she would like to open more in Paris immediately.
Miin, 4 Rue des Abbesses, 75018 Paris. Tel.: +33 1 42 51 94 77
Neuraé
Neuraé, the Sisley group’s new skin care brand based on neuroscience, opened the doors of its first brick-and-mortar location, in Paris’ Marais district.
Free, 10-minute mini-treatments at the 860-square-foot boutique can be booked online. These include Neuro-Respiration, focused on breathing and acupressure; Emotion Xplorer Neuro-Soin facial, and Emotion Xplorer Neuro-Modelage Main, a personalized hand treatment. With Emotion Xplorer Neuro technology, a person’s brainwaves are read to paint their emotional portrait.
Each Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the boutique hosts master classes on themes such as emotions, well-being and skin care.
Neuraé, 48 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris. www.neurae.com and @neurae
Patyka
Patyka is a pharmacy brand founded in 2002, but its roots stretch back to the 1920s in Paris.
“It was the first brand in the world to be certified organic,” explained Pierre Juhen, co-CEO at Groupe Finoli, which acquired Patyka 10 years ago and relaunched the brand in 2014. “We’ve made it a biotech skin care brand. Basically, our goal is to break the barriers between science, clean and premium, with one mission, which is clean beauty that delivers.”
Patyka has internalized almost all its operations, including research and development, and had considered opening a flagship for some time. Located in the building of the brand’s headquarters, the two-story, 1,080-square-foot institute will open on Thursday.
“We created it like a round circle [lab] library,” said Juhen, adding the shape is central to Patyka branding, as are white, black and metallic hues used in the institute’s decor.
The ground floor will sell products and host mini-treatments, while upstairs are two rooms for 50-to-90 minute treatments.
Patyka, 58 Rue de Châteaudun, 75009 Paris
Pink Gellac
Pink Gellac, the semi-permanent vegan nail polish brand, has placed its first retail stakes in France, on Paris’ Rue de Rivoli. And as the name suggests, pink is the prevailing color there.
Sold on the 1,080-square-foot boutique’s ground floor are the Dutch brand’s 300 long-lasting nail colors (most are hema-free), LED drying machines for finger and toe nails, and other accessories for at-home use. Up one flight of stairs is a spacious space for events.
Pink Gellac nail polishes are priced from 13 euros to 16 euros per 15-ml. flacon. The Compact Set Sensual goes for 49 euros.
Pink Gellac, 98 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris. Tel. : +33 1 42 36 16 42