Innovative natural cosmetics concepts in Vienna

The Austrian capital, with its 1.7 million inhabitants, is not only a bastion of art and culture but also very popular as a place to shop. The variety is huge: in Vienna you find elegant luxury boutiques and temples of consumption for the ordinary consumer plus alternative eco-standard shops. We present two exemplary marketing models for natural cosmetics – the natural perfumery Staudigl and the multi-facetted concept of Saint Charles. (Picture: Natural perfumery Staudigl in the centre of Vienna offers an international natural cosmetics product range)
For over 33 years the name Staudigl has stood for cosmetics, drugstore and personal care products and health foods in downtown Vienna. The two stores – health foods and natural perfumery – occupy a central location at Wollzeile 4 and 25, not far from the Cathedral of St Stephen. The founders, Christa und Heinz Staudigl, have been assisted by their daughter Christina Wolff-Staudigl since 1994. In 2003, nine years after she entered the business, they opened their natural perfumery – a completely new concept – at the former location of the health food shop (Wollzeile 4) The health food shop was shifted to the renovated premises of the former perfumery about 100 m away on the opposite side of the road. “We recalled our roots", is how Christina Wolff-Staudigl describes the decision to open the natural perfumery. “We had a long tradition in natural plant-based cosmetics and herbal remedies. Venturing into the first natural perfumery in Austria was certainly very idealistic, but it is in line with our convictions, and we’ve already been pioneers in many things.” They returned to their roots in a consistent manner: eleven valuable suppliers (with exclusivity contracts) like Clinique, Estée Lauder and Lancome were discontinued, after which step they concentrated on international natural cosmetics. (Picture: Christina Wolff-Staudigl pampers her customers with a select product range and a lot of service)

The highest possible quality and expertise are top priorities for this family of entrepreneurs. Christina Wolff-Staudigl emphasizes the fact that all 20 employees in their business have completed a comprehensive classical chemist training and have undergone further training at the Reformhaus-Akademie – the Academy for Healthy Living - in Oberursel (Hessen). “Our customers are very well informed. We invest in training so that we can stay ahead and give them genuinely expert advice. Moreover, our customers always want to see us offering something new, which means we have to stay on the ball all the time and know about the latest trends.” Staudigl sends regular mail with information about products and campaigns to the addresses stored in their well managed customer database. A customer magazine appears twice a year. Other methods used to retain customers are an attractive up-to-date homepage, a blog by the senior manager and a presence on Facebook, plus a loyalty card. They also gain new customers and convince them of the virtues of their products with promotions, little gifts, samples and cosmetic treatments. (Picture: Screenshot of their homepage)

“Our regular customers are just as quality-minded as we are,” the junior boss explains. She adds that it’s mainly women over 30 who regard nature, ecology and values as important issues but who also look for especially good advice. Because they don’t counsel customers, organic supermarkets are in her estimation not competitors. Also there’s hardly any comparison between Staudigl’s range of around 25 brands and the offer of a specialist wholefood store. On the shelves at Staudigl you find, for example, Annemarie Börlind, Dr. Hauschka, Weleda, Caudalie, Origins, Intelligent Nutrients, Susanne Kaufmann and Sisley. Wolff-Staudigl also likes to give new brands a chance, like the young Viennese label Max & me. After nine years of experience in the natural perfumery, she concludes: “Natural cosmetics have potential. The important factors are a varied offer, expert advice and outstanding service.” (Picture: Handmade natural soaps are produced in-house)

In the nearby Staudigl health food store some of the popular cosmetics brands are found in secondary placement, so that the customers don’t have to go to both shops for everyday items. "That makes sense because we can offer holistic counselling to customers with, for example, a skin problem of an allergy,” Wolff-Staudigl explains. The three mainstays of the health food store are, however, food, a wide range of food supplements and snacks and a juice bar. The food product range offers a good mix of basic and fine foods, classic health foods and organic manufacturers’ brands produced in Austria and Germany. Fresh foods are somewhat less important, restricted as they currently are to a small chilled counter with vegetarian convenience items and dairy products. The snacks and juice bar are well established. Workmen are in the process of building an extension to the health food store that will increase the retail area from 140 m² to 200 m², and from August this will create space for a bigger food offer. (Picture: Reformhaus Staudigl is one of about150 health food stores in Austria)

Another innovative sales concept for natural cosmetics in Vienna is Saint Charles. Alexander Ehrmann (picture) is a sixth- generation pharmacist in a family of pharmacists in Salzburg. Being a pharmacist is, however, not enough to satisfy him - he is also interested in natural cosmetics, herbal remedies, traditional European medicine and spagyrics. The chemist’s shop acquired by Ehrmann and two colleagues in 2002 (the Apotheke zur heiligen Dreifaltigkeit, founded in 1886) in the Mariahilf district, was redesigned throughout and opened in 2006 as Saint Charles Apotheke.

Their offer is exceptional: as well as classic conventional medicines on prescription, customers find here almost 300 herbal and natural cosmetics products that they produce themselves under the brand name Saint Charles. The brand is subdivided into “cosmetics for the outer self” - Saint Charles Cosmetics, with face and body care - and “cosmetics for the inner self” - Saint Naturals, with food supplements in capsule form. These are supplemented by Saint Charles Specials (wine, olive oil, Eau de Cologne, etc.) and Saint Charles Love Divine (shower and bath essences, massage gel, etc.)

But that’s not all: Saint Charles now consists of four premises in Gumpendorfer Straße. Immediately opposite the pharmacy (picture below on right) is the natural cosmetics shop Saint Charles Cosmothecary (100 m²), with its spacious treatment floor called Hideaway (picture on left). This shop offers an unusual range of international natural cosmetics brands like Ren, The Organic Pharmacy, Sapofactur, Korres, Lederhaas Seifen, Santa Verde, Dr. Hauschka and their own brand Saint Charles Cosmetics.

In April 2011, Saint Charles Complementary was launched, a centre with an interdisciplinary offer for health, traditional Chinese medicine and yoga, also in Gumpendorfer Straße. In the autumn Alimentary (“a restaurant and shop of a special kind”), that is currently being converted, will open again. Before the construction work now taking place, the restaurant Saint Charles Alimentary was very limited in size, but by leasing more space it will be able to seat far more customers and, by integrating a shop, they will sell food as well.

The food in the restaurant and on sale in the shop will come mainly from the organic farm Adamah and the bakery Joseph Brot. The thinking behind this venture is healthy eating and also enhancing the appreciation of food. "Saint Charles Alimentary aims to bring together premium quality and simplicity and to make available an appropriate organic offer for each part of the day," Ehrmann explains. The food and drinks will also be suitable for take-away. A team of architects from the USA came up with some very special ideas for the design of Alimentary.

That’s Saint Charles in the city. An hour from Vienna a retreat – the Refugium - is another project being implemented by the Saint Charles Group. On an old farm in a mountain village in Lower Austria called Prigglitz, they have created guest rooms and seminar facilities. Some of the herbs that Ehrmann processes in his phytocosmetics and the herbal products come from the meadows surrounding Prigglitz. Seminars on herbs and cosmetics are at the planning stage. A social project with the cult drinks brand Almdudler will take place there this summer.
(Picture: The pharmacy invites you to linger and discover)