With one product sold online every 10 seconds and a three-digit annual growth, Typology managed to build itself a comfy place on the French beauty market, in just four years. The DNVB now counts 50 employees and is marketed in the UK, in Germany, and in the US – since late 2022.
No stores, solid global targets
After the MyFab and Made.com successful experiences in furniture and decoration online selling, Ning Li continued to move forward, by creating Typology as a beauty pure player from the very start. And he is successful again: he claims the company is now the largest online selling skincare brand in France.
“We sell more products than Sephora and Yves Rocher in this niche”, he adds.
Given the still low online sales penetration on the global cosmetics market, the brand believes it has a huge growth potential and is not considering broadening its distribution network to physical retail.
“There will not be any physical stores in the near future. Being online only helps keep our communication and margins under control. The direct-to-consumer model is the best way to create a brand, because we manage the customer experience more easily”, explains Ning Li.
It also allows for a more flexible access to the global market. Apart from France, Typology is present in the UK, in Germany, and also in the US, where products have been marketed for six months on specialized websites.
“Things are going very fast in the US. It became our second market, after France, in only a few months. We also have projects in other countries, in Asia and Europe”, adds the Director.
Launches at a steady pace
The skincare-oriented brand counts more than a hundred products focused on different skin concerns, with short, natural, or even organic, high-performance formulas, and high active concentrations.
“Our philosophy consists in investing in the products rather than marketing, and I think we have the strictest ingredient blacklist on the market”, claims Ning Li.
If manufacturing is carried out in partnership with third-party manufacturers, the R&D laboratory is integrated to the structure and constantly tries to innovate, with about 30 new products per year.
Innovation and agility are obviously the brand’s main growth drivers, and Typology never hesitates to explore bold concepts and change directions, if need be. It aims to satisfy its customers’ desire for efficacy.
“From this standpoint, our D2C model is an advantage. Since we do not need to pay for distributors, we can offer very high concentrations in actives, most of which are the highest on the market. But the notion of efficacy is subjective, since it depends on each skin. So, we developed a very detailed skin diagnosis to offer targeted product recommendations”, Ning Li explains.
Most packs are made from aluminium or glass, so they are recyclable, and plastic – recycled and monomaterial – is reserved for the largest containers.
New CBD-based and sun ranges
Typology has recently launched a new range of products highly concentrated in CBD to strengthen the skin barrier and reduce inflammation in sensitive skins. Plantes 1007 and Plantes 4006, a night oil combined with six botanical extracts with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to soothe the skin and soften all types of redness, and a Mask-Salve with Squalane and 240 mg CBD. These fragrance-free, preservative-free, essential-oil-free products are made with 100% of ingredients of natural origin and Cosmos-Natural-certified.
Two new sun references will also be launched before summer, as well as an antioxidant capsule collection composed of a mask, a serum-oil, and a day cream.
Other developments are expected, in particular in segments close to dermocosmetics, where Typology considers itself absolutely legitimate.
“I want Typology to be a beautiful brand with a long-lasting philosophy that is respected in as many countries as possible”, concludes Ning-Li.
