Q&A with Decleor Paris founder, Solange Dessimoulie

Now in her 70s, Frenchwoman founder Solange Dessimoulie is just as passionate about natural, radiant beauty today as she was in 1974 when the brand’s first products hit the market. With more than 50 years’ industry experience, Dessimoulie tells beautydirectory about the success of the holistic brand.

 

How did come to be one of the first professional brands to combine aromatherapy and ingredients to harness natural plant energies?

"Decleor was born with the encounter of two women: Caroline Colliard, an aromatherapist, and I. We both had the same dream – to provide women with a natural beauty, glowing from the inside. Today, Decleor Paris has a unique holistic approach to beauty, inner beauty and outer beauty, thanks to powerful active ingredients, a strong identity, a real philosophy, an original method and concept.

The Decleor identity is to help women to keep life-long radiant skin, a balanced pH, and skin resistant to stress and pollution. For that, Decleor uses different 'sciences' of phytotherapy, aromatherapy, vegetal high technologies. Our expertise (and difference) is not in just mixing ingredients but assembling ingredients that will boost each other. Decleor is very stringent and strict about the quality control of the essential oils and that quality made the brand reputation."

 

How did the brand become involved in the Madagascar project?

"Some of the essential oils used by Decleor come from Madagascar, so the brand had to 'give back to nature' the energy it gave. Decleor is involved in Asmada NGO that cares for a village in the Masindray Valley. The mission is to re-forest this valley, to bring solar electricity to the schools and to build water facilities. It’s a humanitarian action that we support through all of our Decleor customers."

 

What is the latest trend in natural ingredients?

"Today the vegetal high technologies ally the best extracts from the plants (essential oils and various molecules) with the thorough knowledge about the skin of the scientists working in our laboratory, to integrate to the formulas that are the best of nature and science.

For example, the new vitamin C+ derivative in our Aroma White C+ has more affinity with the skin and brings better results on dark spots. And in Aroma pureté for combination skin, chrono-purity zinc spheres act with the lotus flower to provide a purifying and mattifying action on a long-term basis. Another example is the pre-biotic in Life Radiance which is made with a combination of natural sugars that provide glowing skin."

 

Is there a signature natural ingredient used in Decleor formulations?

"We don’t have a signature ingredient because we think that each customer’s skin is unique, and it is so difficult to find an ingredient that suits all skin types, but who knows? Maybe we will find it one day.

But every Aromessence has a 'conductor' essential oil that gathers all the molecules to create a perfect symphony. For example, the Aromessence Neroli suits stressed and tired skin and it treats all skin types. The essential oil of Neroli is from the orange tree flowers. It is the conductor that gathers the other essential oils (parsley, petitgrain, sage and sandalwood) and vegetal oil (hazelnut) and improve their actions.

The power and virtues of the essential oil of Neroli is that it helps to protect cells from the damage of dehydration."

 

Is there a skincare concern that Decleor treats particularly well?

"Before Decleor, I created Cleor (which means golden key” that open the Temple of Beauty) because each human has his own temple that has to glow. Cleor had been created to provide this glow, whatever the skin type, whatever the age.

So all the Decleor ranges (such as Hydra-floral, Excellence de l’age and Aroma White C+), will first provide you radiance, and then they will have a specific action for dehydrated skin, mature skin, pigmented skin and so on."

 

What’s the aromatherapy ingredient you find is most effective in skincare?

"Our expertise is to precisely blend” the essential oils together like a Swiss watchmaker! It is that blend that gives a precise and targeted action that has given us our reputation for almost 40 years now. All the essential oils are amazingly effective; your beauty therapist can help you select the one that best suits your skin type."