São Paulo – Chemical engineer Geysa Belém always knew she wanted to work with cosmetics. Hence she completed a specialization in cosmetology and set out seeking a specific focus for her enterprise: mostly products made with Brazilian raw material. Since it was opened, in 1994, in Diadema, in the Greater São Paulo area, Arte dos Aromas (The Art of Aromas) grew as it fine-tuned the goal of its founder further and further. Now, one of the brand’s flagships is the EcoCert line of organic items. And that holds true of Brazil and Europe, to which the company has been selling since 2009. Presently, exports answer to 8% of the company’s revenues, a rate that should reach 15% in 2012.
"We started out producing essential oils, but always had the concept of aromatherapy with us," explains Geysa. According to the businesswoman, sales gained strength in 2004 with the release of the Amazon Bath&Body line, made using Amazonian ingredients such as Brazil nut, Buriti, Andiroba and Cupuaçu.
At present, the company makes 52 products such as shampoos, conditioners, soaps, oils, exfoliating creams and lotions, among others. "Of all those, 12 are organics and belong in the EcoCert line, which bears the name of the French certifier that gave us clearance to export items made using non-chemical raw materials," says Geysa.
According to the entrepreneur, organic products have a strong appeal overseas, especially when they are somehow reminiscent of the world’s largest rainforest. "It was by investing in this aspect that we began selling to Europe," explains Geysa. The brand now ships its cosmetics to Denmark, France, Italy and Lithuania, in a process that started after a participation in the Biofach organic trade show, in Nuremberg, Germany, in 2009.
In order to grow abroad, the goal is to strengthen the contact with the brand’s current buyers and invest in new ones. Preferably in some Arab country. "We are keenly interested in those markets, we just need to find the best channel to reach the Middle East," says Geysa.
In Brazil Brasil, Arte dos Aromas sells its products at stores specializing in natural and organic products. "We are not available at drugstores or supermarkets," says Geysa. "Ours is another focus altogether," explains the entrepreneur of Cupuassu and Buriti creams.
Contact:
Arte dos Aromas
Telephone: + 55 (11) 4043 -1820 / 4051-3927
Site: www.artedosaromas.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
