L’Oréal-owned skincare brand Vichy is due to launch into the Egyptian skincare market.

The launch of the brand into Egypt is set to take advantage of the 5,000 active dermatologists located there, which make the country a strong dermocosmetic market.

Benoit Julia, Managing Director of L’Oréal in Egypt, spoke to Daily News Egypt about the brand’s decision to launch into the market, “L’Oréal’s subsidiary in Egypt is quite young since it was only established in 2009. The active cosmetics department, which includes Vichy, La Roche-Posay, and a few others started in 2013. So we decided to start the division with La Roche-Posay because it is the one that is prescribed by dermatologists to give us the opportunity to network with the doctors.
“Only two years later, we are here to introduce Vichy, the perfect timing to gain from our experience and current network to launch Vichy. Our timing is not really linked to the events taking place locally it is about the way we have been building brands since the inception of this subsidiary.”

In a bid to boost awareness of the brand, General Manager of Active Cosmetics at L’Oreal Egypt Ahmed Wagih suggested the company’s business model was to promote the brand depended on pharmacists and dermatologists. He said, “We believe that medical prescriptions supported by the advice of pharmacists and our representatives inside the pharmacies are the best way to deliver information about our brand to patients and consumers.”

The company is said to be focussing on digital platforms to promote the brand in the country and get closer to consumers, as this is a portal pitted for further growth in the future.

While attention is currently focussed on the Vichy brand, there is only 15 out of L’Oréal’s 32 brands currently sold in Egypt, however those that are relevant to the Egyptian market will apparently enter the market ‘at the right time’, according to Julia.