With a wealth of experience in the fashion and cosmetics industries behind her, Katalin Berenyi knows what it takes to make a new idea succeed in even the most competitive of markets. She's confident that Erborian, her new skincare range inspired by Korean herbal medicine, will make the grade.
Moving to France from her native Hungary when she was 20, Katalin quickly immersed herself in the fashion world. After completing a Masters in Fashion Business at the prestigious Institut Francais de la Mode, she moved to the United States in 1996 where she had her first taste of running her own company, designing and selling women's clothes.
Upon completing an MBA at Rice University in Houston she returned to Paris in 2001 to join a major cosmetics company as a Marketing Manager, later being promoted to International Marketing Manager for Lancome. "Crucially for my entrepreneurial development, I was able to see first-hand the varied reactions to product ranges in different markets around the world," says Katalin.
A new product based on traditional ideas
It was whilst travelling the world in her marketing role that Katalin first had the idea for her own skincare range based on the traditional Korean use of herbal ingredients. "The Korean skincare routine is very sophisticated," continues Katalin. "Women pass on skincare secrets from generation to generation, and are very demanding about the quality of products they use. I thought there was a possibility to adapt these traditional methods to the European market, which is always open to alternative products."
Her mind was made up when she met experienced cosmetics researcher Hojung Lee through the European Professional Women's Network. Hojung, a native South Korean, had a long-standing desire to found her own cosmetics company. "As a researcher and a marketer we have an effective and complementary partnership," says Katalin, "and because we were both trained to work in a similar way in the cosmetics industry, we know exactly what to expect from each other."
"Erborian is an innovative anti-fatigue skincare range based on the herbal elements of traditional Korean medicine," explains Katalin. "It combines product development done at our laboratory in Korea, with French marketing and design, so we will have the best of both worlds. We plan to start distribution in France with the rest of Europe following shortly after. There is no comparable brand on the market and I'm convinced our range has great potential."
From idea to business plan
Katalin's first stop upon leaving L'Oreal in March 2007 to concentrate on her new venture was the Paris Entreprendre business development agency. "They helped me structure my ideas into a coherent business plan, and it was there that I first heard about the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards. I am always trying to organize networking events within the cosmetics industry, and I thought entering the competition would be a great opportunity to gain some further exposure and make new contacts."
"It's a real honour to have been selected as a finalist in the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards," concludes Katalin. "It's recognition for the hard work that Hojung and I have done so far, and I'm looking forward to receiving some expert feedback from our coaches so that we can further develop our existing competitive advantage." Katalin's first stop upon leaving L'Oreal in March 2007 to concentrate on her new venture was the Paris Entreprendre business development agency. They helped me structure my ideas into a coherent business plan, and it was there that I first heard about the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards. I am always trying to organize networking events within the cosmetics industry, and I thought entering the competition would be a great opportunity to gain some further exposure and make new contacts."
Erborian is now sold in 300 stores and 12 countries worldwide and Katalin is also working on the launch of a new brand in March with the distributor Sephora.
