Sectors & markets

Nailmatic : a young, innovative cosmetics company 100% made in France

21 August 2019

Company overview

Nailmatic is a young, innovative cosmetics company 100% made in France, founded in Paris in November 2012. This Paris based company quickly stood out from its competitors thanks to the unprecedented creation of a vending machine used to sell its nail polishes. But that is not all. Beyond this original distribution concept, the company also offers ethical and eco responsible products.

Shortly after the launch of its first vending machine at the Citadium Paris store in 2012, Nailmatic’s “color vending machine” began to find its place in major Parisian department stores such as Printemps Haussmann, BHV Le Marais, and Galeries Lafayette. In 2014, Nailmatic was awarded by the Paris Dauphine Commercial Innovation Observatory, receiving the prize for best customer strategy. That same year, the company decided to launch a new product range specifically designed for children, featuring responsible and bio sourced formulas.

What about Japan?

“We began to take an interest in exporting in 2015. As Japan is the reference country when it comes to vending machines, exporting our products there seemed like an obvious choice,” explains Stéphane Philip, Export Manager at Nailmatic.

Aware of the complexity of the Japanese market, Nailmatic turned directly to CCI France Japan in its search for a new partner to distribute its women’s product range in Japan. Following its request, CCI France Japan proposed an individual mission in February 2016, which led to several meetings with three different prospects, including National Vending Co LTD. Since that initial meeting, Nailmatic has built strong ties and maintained a solid relationship of trust with this partner, notably through multiple meetings in France and in Japan. “We would not have been able to build these relationships so easily without the help of our on site translator and interpreter,” Stéphane Philip emphasizes.

At the beginning of the partnership, only 20 vending machines were sold, but everything accelerated in 2019. That year, National Vending Co LTD decided to purchase 60,000 euros worth of vending machines and 50,000 euros worth of products from the women’s range, for a total turnover of 110,000 euros. At the same time, the Japanese partner decided to hire two people to manage this business segment. “It is a real pleasure to work with the Japanese, and we are very happy with our partnership with National Vending Co LTD,” says Nailmatic’s Export Manager, adding that “orders are becoming increasingly regular, and we estimate the value of upcoming orders at 100,000 euros excluding vending machines.”

Nailmatic returned to Japan for nine days, from June 22 to 30, 2019, for the exceptional opening of a pop up shop in one of Tokyo’s trendiest districts, Omotesando. The event welcomed many visitors, journalists, and influencers, providing yet another opportunity to shine a spotlight on Nailmatic’s well known products and vending machines in the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun.