Beauty in sustainability
“I would like people to know about the company, because the products are coming from the values of Davines. The company has a unique angle in the beauty industry. We started the journey to become a more and more sustainable company many years ago. I would like the association between Davines and sustainability to be very very strong.” This is what Paolo Braguzzi, chief executive officer of Davines, would like customers to know about their products.
Davines is an Italian, family-owned hair-care brand, distributed internationally in 70 countries. Emirates Woman met with the company’s CEO and Haysam Eid, who is in charge of distributing the products in the region, at the Professional Beauty exhibition
in Dubai.
What is the story behind Davines? How did it come about?
Paolo Braguzzi: It started in 1983, so it is a relatively young company. It was founded by a couple. They already has expertise in the industry and they started literally in their garage. It was by accident. They were building a small factory, but it was not ready, so they actually started in the garage. This family spirit has been a part of the company since then.
For the first 10 years the couple focused on creating and manufacturing products for other companies. Then the second generation joined the company in 1993. Davide [Bollati] is actually the chairman of the company. He has a scientific background, he is a pharmacist and he has a masters degree in cosmetic chemistry. So, he decided to strengthen the lab and at the same time to start his own brand.
As an Italian brand, what are the steps that Davines took to break into other markets?
PB: I think two things. The first one is a very humanistic approach to the business. You know that Italy was home to the Renaissance. The idea to have man and woman as the centre is coming from our culture and it is very strong for us. Something else is the good sense for design. We are very much obsessed by beautiful design. We try to reflect it in our products and our new Davines Village.
Do you feel like certain shampoos and conditioners are more in demand depending on the country?
PB: For instance, are the top selling products in Italy the same as those in say the UAE? I knew you were going to ask this, so I checked and, believe it or not, the best sellers in Italy are the same as the best sellers in the UAE. In Italy the number one best seller is styling rod, which is the curling serum. So maybe the type of hair here is similar.
What is the biggest challenge that Davines has faced since forming?
PB: At the beginning it was a bit challenging to talk about sustainability. Everyone was telling us that we were wrong. Hairdressers care about trends and fashion, not sustainability. But now the path taken by the society is in our favour, and more and more people care, so life is becoming easier.
What has been the company’s biggest achievement ?
PB: I think it’s the Davines Village, which is our new offices and factory. It was the dream of Davide, since forever. The idea was not just to have a factory or a warehouse, it was to create a building, which is a statement for all the value that we believe in. It is a 100 percent emissions free building. We don’t use fossil fuels. We are finishing the building of a beautiful botanic garden, where we will grow our own ingredients.
What makes your products different from the many brands out there?
PB: We are obsessed with design and performance. Like every other company we believe that we have great products, but there is a soul behind it. Whenever we develop a product, we try to use the product to deliver a message.
Are there plans to expand the company’s operations in the UAE and the Middle East?
Haysam Eid: Certainly, we have been working closely with Davines, looking at other opportunities in the Middle East, and soon we will hopefully be closing a deal with a sub-distributor in Saudi Arabia. That has been our main focus. It is the market in the Middle East. Hopefully after this we will look at neighbouring countries, like Kuwait, which will probably be the next stage.
Where can customers find Davines products in the UAE?
HE: We do B2B business, so they can find all the products in selected salons across the UAE and eideal.com. The in-salon experience is where we like customers to discover the products.
Media: Instagram, Getty
