Kering Beauté invests in niche fragrance brand Matière Première

Niche French fragrance brand Matière Première has now closed a second round of funding, with Kering Beauté scooping up a minority stake.

Matière Première was founded in October 2019 by Caius Von Knorring with Perfumer Aurélien Guichard and General Manager Cédric Meiffret. The trio remains majority shareholders.

"We are entering a new phase of our development", Caius von Knorring, Chief Executive Officer of Matière Première told WWD.

"Matière Première has been growing extremely fast", he added.

Matière Première will use the newly raised funds to expand its physical retail presence, with plans to open its very own stores starting in its hometown of Paris. Von Knorring also noted, "We are looking already for a space also in London".

Its goal? To have 20 freestanding boutiques including the UK, France, Germany, the US, the Middle East and China. In the UK, the brand offers its portfolio of 12 fragrances at Harrods, including one exclusive to the retailer.

It will use the new cash injection to strengthen its team in the Paris headquarters and accelerate e-commerce expansion worldwide. A new version of matiere-premiere.com is due out this year.

This is the first time Kering Beauté'has taken a stake in a beauty brand since its beauty division was reignited in February 2023. Back in June 2023, the conglomerate acquired Creed, recognising the growing strength of fragrance in the beauty market.