One of the most luxurious Swiss skincare brands – Bellefontaine –has just debuted in the Caribbean, as it rolls out exclusively in the most prestigious spas and boutiques in the world.
Bellefontaine was created in 2006 by Peter Yip, one of the partners behind the legendary La Prairie.
Yip, who grew up in Hong Kong surrounded by paintings of beautiful women by his father, the artist, Ping-Sum Yip, has lived in Switzerland for more than forty years and been involved with the beauty industry since 1978. Since he collaborated on the launch of La Prairie, Yip was responsible for establishing the luxury brand across Asia, until the partners sold the brand in the early 1990s.
After sale of his “first baby,” Yip started looking for a way to create a new high-end skincare.
“My goal with Bellefontaine was to create an antidote to skin aging,” Yip tells TMI’s Lois Pasternak during an exclusive interview in Miami during Cosmoprof.
“We made a major investment in cutting edge Swiss laboratories. I wanted to take a holistic approach to skincare, and combine traditional Chinese plants and the flora in Switzerland. As a result, all our products are based on the edelweiss flower, from which we created the Edelgen complex. This ingredient is the foundation of all the Bellefontaine products.
“We take a 360 approach to anti- aging,” said Yip. “The Bellefontaine research is focused on the fight against soft inflammation & free radicals to protect the skin. We stimulate the skin’s defenses to block and prevent this process.”
According to Yip, Bellefontaine’s edelweiss flower extract is combined with exclusive active ingredients and ultra- sophisticated molecules that helps to soothe and dissipate discomfort while reducing redness, strengthening the skin barrier, preserving its natural hydration and balance and offering improved protection.
Bellefontaine’s spa-oriented product line offers anti-ageing, moisturizing, purifying, men’s care, stem cell treatment and more.
All Bellefontaine products are created and developed by the company’s own R&D department and 100% made in Switzerland.
The brand is available in more 35 counties across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, where it is available through a network of exclusive deluxe beauty centers, clinics, SPA and exclusive perfumeries and department stores. The brand is doing particularly well in Russia and China, says Yip. It launched in the U.S. in spring 2020, where it is found at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
As of February, Bellefontaine has also launched in travel retail in the Caribbean through the Rouge stores.
“Bellefontaine is my second baby after La Prairie. I have spent my life making something to please all the ladies of the world, to help them maintain themselves. I am now 78 and I intend to maintain myself as well. That is why I use all the products on myself first.”
Bellefontaine enjoys high-profile debut in Caribbean through Rouge
Luxury Swiss skincare Bellefontaine hit the Caribbean with an “elegant” bang, beginning February 15 exclusively in the Rouge stores in St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The four day special event took place at the Orange Grove Boutique and Mansion Rouge, with a one-day Masterclass in each location, conducted by Bellefontaine’s famed international esthetician, Sophie Demaret.
Rouge launched Bellefontaine the following week in its Grand store in Grand Cayman, where it held two master classes that were open to the public on February 23 and 24.
Next on the agenda, Rouge is launching Bellefontaine at its Port Louis shops in Grenada. This launch will coincide with the inauguration of the new Silver Sands complex in Port Louis Maritime Village in early June, where Rouge is operating seven retail outlets.
Rouge is also introducing the luxury brand in its newly acquired stores in Trinidad, according to Raymond Kattoura, whose company Duty Free and Travel Retail Group manages the business for Rouge in the Caribbean.
