InterviewsWycon Cosmetics: when makeup is a way of life

It was the year 2009 when Wycon Cosmetics made its triumphant entrance into the world of cosmetics. Their idea is simple: offer women a range of makeup, skin care and body care products that are all made in Italy, and all at accessible prices.

The concept: remove the middle man between producer and consumer and invest in the quality of texture. This is how Gianfranco Satta, well known entrepreneur in Cosmetics‘s; and Raffaella Pagano, product manager and established expert in the world of of makeup and body care, gave shape to their concept and set up their beauty line together.

Since their first store opened, things have changed dramatically for Wycon Cosmetics. There are now more than 170 single-brand shops throughout Italy, as well as a presence on the main high streets of Europe, including in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Belgium, Cyprus and Malta. By the end of 2017, this will expand to include Moscow, Russia and Almaty, Kazakhstan. But that’s not all. They also have a strong social media presence, with over 235,000 Facebook followers and more than 143,000 on Instagram. They’ve held campaigns for sensitive and hotly debated subjects like abortion, violence against women and eating disorders. It’s been a busy road, marked with precise and calculated steps.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Fabio Formisano, Global Head of Marketing & Communication, who told us about how this brand was able to break the mold of cosmetics companies and become a leader in the Italian market.

 

Let’s start with the name. Wycon: We Are Icons. It’s a strong statement. Who is Wycon Cosmetics aimed at? Who’s your main target?

Women can all see themselves in our tagline. We decided to move away from age demographics, and look instead at a psychological profile: age doesn’t matter, we choose women with a capital W, who have the courage to be themselves and stand tall in the face of adversity. Women who see makeup not as something to cover defects, but something that can bring out their true personality.

Your stores have a specific philosophy: giving clients a holistic experience involving all 5 senses. How important is the shopping experience for Wycon Cosmetics?

I’d say it’s fundamental: involving the client in a shopping experience that stimulates all the senses was our top goal when we planned the new layout. We wanted people to live the collection through a 360-degree, multi-sensory experience that starts with sight and progresses to scent.

On the subject of proximity marketing: is this a path you’re planning to take?

Of course. We have digital projects in the works that will come out between the second half of 2017 and the first of 2018. Consumers are more and more demanding and connected, so our goal will be to mix online and offline strategies as much as possible.

Could we call Wycon a digital beauty company aiming for empathetic storytelling through social channels?

Exactly. We want our consumer to recognize and understand that our brand isn’t just about our collections, it’s about important values as well. We do this through projects and videos that tell the stories of women and the emotions they feel. Our success in terms of reach and share demonstrates that people appreciate what we offer.

The “Heart of Beauty” is your charity project designed to fund Italian nonprofit organizations that help women. How did this come about? What kind of social responsibility does a company like Wycon Cosmetics have?

It’s all part of our customer success management (CSM): Heart of Beauty is concrete support that Wycon Cosmetics wanted to give from time to time, to associations that help at-risk or less fortunate women. We see it as vital to what we do– to thank the thousands of consumers who choose us every day, and to reinforce our leadership in the Italian cosmetics market. We’ve taken on sensitive subjects like anorexia and violence against women, and plan to tackle more in the future. We’re using our potential to guarantee real, concrete support.