With sustainable cosmetics on the rise, Matthieu Gomart, the CEO of Flormar, reveals his company’s best practices, which businesses can learn from and implement for themselves.

The global make-up industry is set to hit a gargantuan total revenue of $103.8 billion (around PHP 5.77 trillion) in 2023—a huge 11% increase from 2022! And while established brands like L’oreal, Unilever, and Estée Lauder have long dominated the market, over the years, new players have emerged and are now claiming their share of the pie. Makeup label Flormar is one of them.

Helmed by CEO Matthieu Gomart, Flormar is currently present in over 70 countries, has 800 stores in 200 cities, and counts Israel, Morocco,  Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and UAE as its top markets.

Before joining the Cosmetics French Groupe Rocher, however, Gomart spent 20 years in various auditing and finance functions in the automotive business as well as in the spirits enterprise LVMH/Moët Hennessy. His immediate post prior to heading Flormar is as the CEO of Yves Rocher Russia (a position he held from 2014 to 2020), where he was responsible for growing the brand in Eastern Europe from 300 to 450 stores.

In this exclusive interview with The Business Manual, he reveals Flormar’s competitive advantage over other makeup brands, its success secrets, as well as the sustainability efforts it has started—which businesses can learn from and implement for themselves.

The New Face of Flormar

The brand Flormar is culled from the names of the two daughters of the company’s Italian founders, Floridita and Maria. From its humble beginnings in Milan in the 1950s to the time when the Senbay family bought the company sometime in 1970, it has continuously served women in the beauty market for several decades.

How? By setting beauty standards that align with its commitment to excellence.

To date, the company holds headquarters in Turkey and has steadily grown to become a globally renowned makeup brand in color cosmetics. Meanwhile, its exclusive distributor in the Philippines, ZFace Inc., aims to further expand its reach to captivate makeup enthusiasts—as well as convert new customers to its fold.

Admittedly, the makeup brand suffered major losses at the height of the pandemic. It had been barely introduced to the Philippine market in 2020 when lockdowns were imposed. Fast forward to 2023, however, Flormar is gearing up for a much-anticipated relaunch in Manila.

“We are excited to reintroduce Flormar to the Filipinas,” Mr. Gomart said enthusiastically. “Aside from this season’s extensive range of brow liners, concealers, enamels, glosses, lipsticks, and more, we are proud to announce that we have added a vegan line-up that uses 97% natural ingredients and is free of chemicals, parabens, and harmful ingredients.

“The products will be sold in the Philippines in early 2024. Presently, and also as part of our green initiative, we have done away with plastic sleeves in our packaging and have started using 30% recycled materials for our boxes,” he adds.

Driven by Purpose and Sustainability

An advocate of sustainability himself, Gomart made sure to integrate this into the company’s practices moving forward. “Sustainability is going to be a major part of how we conduct our business from here on. For us, the beauty business goes beyond making a profit,” he declares. “It must be an undertaking that takes the environment into consideration. If we are to thrive and survive, we have to go green.”

As a mass market make-up label, Flormar looks to the 18 to 35 age category from middle-income families as their target consumers. “The Flormar woman is dynamic, self-assured, has many interests, and wants to look as good as she feels. She chooses our brand because she values affordability as well as quality. It’s our goal to continuously empower her and like-minded individuals to express their unique beauty with confidence,” he elaborates.

Globally, Flormar launches about four to five themed collections every year. And in Manila, the relaunch collection will be a curated capsule designed for Asian skin. In fact, Gomart shares that consumers will be glad to know that this international brand is quite affordable. From an unbeatable PHP 79 for a bottle of nail polish to just PHP 850 for its most expensive makeup, the price range is attractive for aficionados. 

Aside from its current online stores in Amorfia, Lazada, and Shopee, Flormar aims to increase visibility and availability nationwide through its partnership with SM Beauty and Watson’s. 

Essentials for Success

According to Matthieu, an effective CEO must possess the following: a well-defined vision, common sense, and the ability to form a strong team. Communicating the company’s purpose, unique ambitions and strategic directions to his global team is, according to him, imperative to success.

Being a numbers person, he does not see the need to complicate things. “If the solution is clear and simple, I immediately put that into place,” he says matter-of-factly.

Lastly, hiring the best leaders, empowering them in their initiatives, and working together to achieve the desired results are all keys to a good organization. “I’m good at what I do so I expect my team to be knowledgeable in their own departments. They have to be able to contribute and generate ideas. I don’t micromanage. I delegate and set expectations within my team.”

Ultimately, however, the heart of any business is the product itself. To this end, Flormar uses the latest in technology in its product development and is aggressive in innovation. In addition, the company does not do animal testing, uses clean ingredients, and prides itself as a responsible manufacturer in line with its ISO certifications.

The Love Factor

How do you achieve work-life balance? “I don’t!” Gomart says candidly. “I’m French and we are vacation experts. I live in Istanbul, while my family resides in Paris. Whenever my work permits, I see my wife and three kids and we go on trips and engage in fun activities. We have become accustomed to this arrangement.”

“Meeting and working with people from different cultures [is the best part about my job]. It’s a dynamic world and a business leader must continue to educate himself,” he adds. “To decompress, I hike, run, meet up with friends, listen to music, and read books.”

Finally, his advice to young executives—“L’amour est important, c’est juste qu’il est constraignant,” he ends. “Love your job. Love your family. Be responsible. Commit.”