Beauty Distribution has won the hearts of the West Indians and the French thanks to its quality products and its ability to adapt to each skin type. An obstacle course resembling a success story that Andy Williams Boulai and Carine Paulin–Boulai are happy to be able to tell fifteen years after their debut.
Nothing predestined Carine Paulin–Boulai and Andy Williams Boulai to target the international market when they launched Beauty Distribution 15 years ago in the West Indies. And yet, this is their reality today.
Following their joint dismissal, with no money in hand, Carine decides to use her passion and her know-how in the world of makeup and cosmetics to offer her services. She started going door to door and quickly made three observations: in Martinique, access to quality products (acrylic-free, not tested on animals, vegan, etc.) is long and difficult, it is done via Saint-Martin or the United States. There are only a few quality institutes and especially none that offer products for all skin types. “Black or mixed skin does not require the same gel or varnish as whiter skin,” assures Carine. It is then impossible to achieve a French or a nude with the products used on site.
Becoming a reference in the Antilles
Accustomed to obtaining supplies for herself in Europe and the United States for the makeup brand Mehron, she invested the 1000 euros that her family lent her, placed a first order for nail and makeup products, and began using them with its first customers and to sell to them. She quickly tripled her stake and felt a real thrill in her activity.
Faced with growing demand, the couple invested in a fixed structure and benefited from the help of an association for young entrepreneurs. A springboard which allows them to build up working capital and to be gradually followed by the banks. Andy and Carine offer a wide range of products, from gels to varnishes and small equipment. And the enthusiasm does not weaken, to the point that customers from Guadeloupe are calling them. In 2016, they decided to set up a store on site. The couple surrounds themselves with true beauty “aficionados”, who quickly understand the specificities of Beauty Distribution products and the techniques that can be used for all brands.
Adapting to the market in mainland France…and internationally
Via their social networks and orders placed on their site from mainland France, the couple realizes that in mainland France too, adapting products to skin types constitutes a challenge. Their desire for expansion pushes them to take on a new challenge: giving their brand a more international scope. Carine and Andy left with their children and opened a Parisian boutique in 2019. In total, they manage a dozen employees spread between the Antilles and Paris.
On site, they quickly noticed the need to adapt to the seasons and the particularities of the French market. “In the West Indies, neon trends are a real success all year round, while in mainland France, the seasons are more marked,” underlines the professional. In total, Carine and Andy offer more than 190 different varnish colors and around twenty references for gel, the texture of which can change depending on the less tropical climate of Paris. Competition is also greater in the capital, but the couple is making a place for themselves and establishing themselves in a “still undeveloped niche”, underlines Andy. To the point of securing quality partnerships with, for example, the singers Mokobé and Fally Ipupa who promote their products in some of their clips.
These opportunities allow Beauty Distribution to gain visibility in France, but also in Africa, a territory that Andy and Carine hope to conquer with their products. A new stage of development to soon make Beauty Distribution a renowned brand throughout the world.