Interview: True Perfection

In-depth R&D, passionate partners and a belief in delivering only results-driven, high quality skincare products are the secrets behind Swiss Perfection’s success

In a world so seemingly obsessed with having everything in an instant, and where the latest product release is instantly granted “greatest” status, it’s refreshing to meet the team behind skincare range Swiss Perfection. Far from being sidetracked by the trends and fads that sweep the beauty and spa industry, the Swiss brand has taken a dedicated, thorough, qualitative and results-driven approach to creating its skincare range.

“The important thing is to do it because there is a benefit, not just for the sake of it or because it sounds good,” says Gregor Mattli, chairman of Swiss Perfection, when asked about the ever-evolving skincare sector.

“We don’t run for new,” concurs Swiss Perfection’s CEO, Monica Kolakowska, who explains that the formulations for Swiss Perfection’s products are created with the utmost thought and care, the goal being to deliver products that truly benefit the skin.

“We give really special care to our formulations because in today’s world women – and men – are developing different types of problems and allergies. We like to solve these problems exactly, which means we are very cautious with the formulations; no perfume, no alcohol, no colour pigments, whatever is not needed or does not bring anything positive to the skin, we like to reject from our formulas. This is an important value for us, every time we come with a product, we come with a quality product.”

This belief in creating only high quality products is also evidenced in the core ingredient for the Swiss Perfection range, Cellular Active IRISA®, which is derived from the root of the Iris Germanica. The discovery of Iris Germanica’s benefits was not, however, a speedy one, and followed many years of research to find a vegetal cell that not only offered the desired properties but was stable enough to be used in the creation of a product line.

The research was centred around Clinique La Prairie in Montreux, which is owned by Gregor Mattli, and previously his father, and which has always been at the forefront of cellular cures. Early research at the Clinique had focused on the use of animal cells, but as time progressed and with the introduction of Kolakowska as a partner in the development of a cosmetics line, their focus turned to vegetal cells.

“We had the scientists and the infrastructure, so we decided to try and create something vegetal using our special cell technology which means that what we use is not an extract, it is micronised cells, that are in a special way isolated and held intact and then integrated into cosmetics so that they can penetrate the skin and don’t lose their potency,” explains Mattli.

Discovering the Iris Germanica took several years and Mattli says many attempts at finding a cell that could be micronised and stabilised. But with the unearthing of the Iris Germanica and its beneficial root, Mattli says “Swiss Perfection was born”.

Once again demonstrating its belief in taking a measured and controlled approach to its skincare range, instead of rushing a product line out, they opted to try it out at Clinique La Prairie first. “We were overwhelmed by the response, many nationalities flocked to the Clinique, and all kinds of skin types, and the response was so good. And that’s when we really became Swiss Perfection, a very high quality brand. It’s not a marketing gig, it’s really a passion, it was really the response that said we have found something and then Monika took it from there.”

Developing Swiss Perfection hasn’t, however, meant marketing to the masses or pushing out a retail range to as wide an audience as possible, instead Swiss Perfection has retained its core values of creating a results-driven, niche-oriented, luxury skincare line. Kolakowska says the small size of Swiss Perfection has, in fact, played in its favour in terms of developing and remaining true to its goals and beliefs. “We are a very small company – two owners – we don’t have 2,000 shareholders; we can really follow our passion and do what we stand for and what we believe in.”
Mattli agrees adding: “We don’t have shareholders and shareholders always require a dividend or revenue and that is where you cut, you cut on production costs, ingredients and so on. That is one side where we can be very passionate, we use the best and it doesn’t matter, it is expensive and it is expensive in production for ourselves, but it’s a good product.”

Given their passion for the products, it is unsurprising to discover that the Swiss Perfection team are selective about the spas that they partner with too. “Naturally we need to align with quality standards, the philosophy of service and what we want to offer. Today, luxury is service and this is why we work with the places where the service standards are very high,” explains Kolakowska.

In the UAE they have found that alignment at the newly opened Iridium Spa at the St Regis Dubai, currently the only Middle East spa offering its treatments.

Describing its approach to spa treatments Kolakowska says they are “high tech, high touch”.

“We design our protocols in order to be fully resultoriented, we use a technology that is machine-based on microcurrents and that belongs to us as well. We like to say that our treatments are ‘high tech, high touch’ because there is the touch side and the know-how of the therapist who wants to put her savoir-faire inside the treatment, as well as the technology side from the machine, all naturally combined with the product – it is a whole package.”

Similarly to its product line, Kolakowska says its treatments have been carefully planned. “We made our treatments in the best way for the best results they can bring. Every gesture, every product, every step has been thought out, has a purpose, a meaning and is there for a reason.”

Training and educating the spas and their therapists is another area where Swiss Perfection takes a very hands-on approach. “We service the client directly from Switzerland and we also train the client, which means our trainers travel and they train about the product, the philosophy, the marketing, the approach, the protocol application. But we also work with high quality places that also have very well trained and qualitative personnel. We have key account [managers] that are on a daily or weekly basis in contact with the spas, so the contact is very close and is always there,” details Kolakowska.

Swiss Perfection may be a relative newcomer to the Middle East spa scene, but with its high quality products and treatments (see our review on page 71), it won’t take long for it to build a loyal client following. With that in mind Kolakowska says that there are already plans in place to develop a project in Abu Dhabi and one other site in the region. Whichever the next location maybe, Kolakowska says continuity in delivering the treatment and high quality service remains paramount. “We have a clientele that goes to London, to Paris and comes to Dubai and they want exactly the same experience. More than that, maybe some places try to make slight changes, if so, the clients will call us to report this, and say ‘they didn’t use your oil’. They recognise when it is not a Swiss Perfection product used in their protocol, which is completely incredible.”

The Product House is the logistics partner for Swiss Perfection in the UAE.

For more details on the brand call +971 4 379 1966