Next time I visit Paris, I’m making a beeline to this 1930s-inspired beauty store …
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Bienaimé, with a flagship store in the centre of Paris, off the Rue de Rivoli and not far from Pyramides metro station, is a revival of a brand originally founded in 1935 by perfumer Robert Bienaime. Cecilia Mergui came across the distinctive pink and red packaging in a flea market, and subsequently bought the brand, in 2019, and relaunched it.
It feels like a new Buly – another brand with both history and brilliant modern branding, with stores that are an experience to visit (Buly is the only boutique I’ve been to where you can sample fine fragrances, buy personalised lip balms, have an espresso at a zinc bar to an opera soundtrack and then submit to an incredible massage out in the back studio).
Bienaime is also a clever blend of heritage – it makes much of the original Art-Deco styling and fabulous candy pink and red packaging – and modernity, with its eye-catching Instagram vibe. If you’ve seen pictures of the Paris hotel Les Deux Gares, it has a similar aesthetic. The Paris store looks like something out of a Wes Anderson movie, its windows filled with its distinctive pink and red boxes.
Perfumes such as Fleurs d’Eté, a take on one of Robert Bienaime’s five originals, are joined by entirely new scents, and there are eco-designed refills available (€120). Order online and you’ll receive a 2ml sample, so you can try it without opening the full 75ml bottle (€150). Classically French: from Monsieur, a fresh and bright bergamot, verbena, geranium and spice blend, to Fleurs d’Eté, a fresh and zingy floral with jasmine, almond, sandalwood and white lilac. A sample kit of five is €30 and arrives in a neat striped cloth bag.
There are also body balms in glass pots, available in three of the core fragrances – the Dream Balm in La Vie En Fleurs (€68) is especially divine. Plus, there are hand creams, and solid and liquid soaps.
We love the way the packaging is “designed for a second use” – each object is beautifully presented, reusable and recyclable.
The good news is that we can explore the collection in London, too – it’s stocked in Fortnum & Mason, as well as in Galleries Lafayette Paris and other boutiques and pharmacies around Europe.
Need to know: Store Bienaimé Paris, 30 Rue Saint Roch 75001 Paris; www.bienaime1935.com
