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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Looking For Sales Heat In Iceland

When you think of international fashion and beauty hotspots, cities like Milan and Paris come to mind. Not Rejkajvik. But it’s the capital of Iceland that is the next frontier for Valencia cosmetics company Mirabella Beauty. Mirabella makes mineral-based cosmetics, one of the hottest trends in cosmetics over the last several years, and is expanding after less than three years in business internationally. So why Iceland, a tiny island Nordic country with a population of just 319,000 in 2011 according to the World Bank? “We think Iceland will give us a 5 percent boost in total sales this year,” said John Maly, owner of Mirabella. He said consumers in Iceland, much like the rest of Europe, are more likely to purchase high-end, high-priced cosmetics, which at Mirabella range in price from a $10 mineral eye shadow to a makeup artist box that costs $425. Another international market interested in Mirabella is Denmark. Though Maly said expansion into the two European countries would not have a dramatic impact on the company’s bottom line, it shows a growing awareness for his brand. “The buzz has started to grow internationally,” he said. Mirabella is distributed to 1,400 salons and 600 professional supply stores in the U.S. and opened up distribution into Canada last year with 200 salons. Gross sales last year hit $6.2 million. The line is also available in small numbers in other parts of the world, but Maly said he can’t track those sales. One of the best-selling products for Mirabella is its Pure Press powder foundation, which is marketed as having anti-aging properties. An eight-gram container of the product, which contains bismuth, titanium and iron, sells for $36 on the company’s site. Lissette Rodriguez, manager of the Northridge SalonCentric, a professional supply store, said the foundation and the rest of the Mirabella line are top-sellers. “They sell really, really well here,” she said. Brad Masterson, spokesman for the Professional Beauty Association, said Mirabella has seized on a growing trend. “More and more consumers are looking to try mineral-based makeup,” he said. This weekend, Mirabella will travel to Bologna, Italy, to attend Cosmoprof Bologna, the largest trade show in the industry. Maly hopes to add large-scale distribution to England and Germany at the show. “That would be huge for us. It would give us a 20 percent increase,” he said. “You just put yourself out there to all the distributors. Whoever comes, comes.” – Elliot Golan

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