Cha Ling introduces tea-based beauty

By

Sarah Ahssen

Published
Jan 25, 2016

Cha Ling, 'tea forest' in Mandarin, is a new cosmetics label whose products are created using Pu'Er tea, a type of tea known for its anti-oxidant and anti-ageing properties, which is grown in China's Yunnan province, the cradle of all the world's teas. The brand is now taking its first steps at Parisian department store Le Bon Marché, and can count on powerful support, since its initiator is none other than Laurent Boillot, President of the Guerlain label (belonging to the LVMH group), who is acting as an incubator. 

Cha Ling's story took shape when Laurent Boillot met German biologist Josef Margraf and his Chinese wife Minguo Li. At the time the couple was active in relaunching forest tea production, as well as in safeguarding the local minorities in charge of the tea gardens, and also their cultural heritage. After Josef Margraf's death in 2010, and in order to continue his work, the notion of launching a brand based on Pu'Er tea took on a life of its own.
 
"Within Guerlain there already are many franchises, and the idea with the Cha Ling project was to gain a degree of freedom, like a forest," underlined Laurent Boillot. Thus Cha Ling operates like an independent label, bringing together about twenty people, though still fully benefiting from the strength of the LVMH group. The products have been developed using LVMH research and are manufactured at the Guerlain facility in Chartres.

Cha Ling skincare is positioned as a cosmetics label combining luxury and sustainable development, whose products originate from a terrain that is undergoing organic certification. The formulas are deliberately kept simple, the products are refillable, and the ceramics associated with the line are made in France. In terms of products, Cha Ling features 26 cosmetics items structured around three types of use: purification, detoxification and nourishment. Their retail prices range between €20 and €250. Cha Ling is also introducing new beauty routines, such as the steam tablets (€20 for 8) and the cleansing powder (€50).
 
Cha Ling is a life-style label too, featuring ceramic artefacts such as tea sets and small decorative objects, a range that will expand in the future.
 
On the distribution side, this new brand with a Chinese-French origin will be available online from 25th January, and will open a store on 27th January in Hong Kong, inside the Harbour City shopping mall. Cha Ling has great expectations for the Chinese market and its distribution will take on a more international dimension from 2017, though another store could also open in the second half of 2016.