Dermalogica is a luxury American brand specialising in skincare and facial products. Renowned globally for its quality and expertise, the brand has become a must-have not only for skincare professionals but also for customers in over 100 countries worldwide. It's a true success story!

It all began in 1983 when Jane Wurwand, the founder of Dermalogica, established the International Dermal Institute (IDI) in Los Angeles. IDI provided comprehensive training for aestheticians on various aspects of the profession. The success was immediate. However, the available products at that time didn't meet the needs of students or align with Jane Wurwand's vision. Her idea was to create skincare products that were gentle on the skin, free from harmful or controversial ingredients. This led to the birth of Dermalogica in 1986.

Thanks to its globally recognized expertise, the brand has since become the number one choice for skincare professionals, offering its products to institutes for their treatment offerings. Operating in Europe, North America, and Asia, Dermalogica sells its products online worldwide. Since its launch in France in 2017, Dermalogica has accelerated its digital development and selected Mollie to support its efforts. To shed light on this, we spoke with Léna Croizard, Digital Project Manager at Dermalogica and responsible for the improvement, integration, and development of the brand's ecommerce.

Mollie, a strategic choice

Léna Croizard, Digital Project Manager, will celebrate her two-year anniversary with the company in June 2023. She explains that before opting for Mollie, Dermalogica France relied on Stripe. In the search for a platform enabling subscription sales, the company wanted to integrate Recharge. The issue was that the integration was no longer available in France with Stripe. This prompted them to explore the French market and consider alternatives.

Managing subscriptions and recurring payments, as well as integrating a solution offering "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL), were priorities for Dermalogica France. They explored two of the most used options in the French online market: Shopify Payments and Mollie. The European payment solution proved to be one of the simplest to implement and cost-effective. Therefore, it was a natural choice for Dermalogica France at the end of 2022.

The implementation of the payment system in 2022 quickly proved successful. The results were not long in coming, and the collaboration between Mollie and Dermalogica bore fruit: after using the payment solution for 12 months, the online store's conversion rate increased by 3%. These are more than encouraging figures for the cosmetics brand, relying on Mollie to sustain this momentum in the years to come.

Dermalogica and Mollie: a winning duo

Behind these excellent results is the implementation of BNPL, which had a direct and immediate impact on the average basket size. It's essential to note that Dermalogica's skincare products are top-notch, proven to be effective, and adhere to high standards while being gentle on all skin types. This recognised quality comes with a cost. The average basket size ranges from €100 to €115 (roughly £85 to £100) when customers pay by credit card, Apple Pay, or PayPal. When they use Klarna (payment in three instalments at no extra cost), the average basket size doubles to €220 (about £190).

The use of this payment method (constituting 10% of all transactions) proves to be strategic. It allows customers to follow the five fundamental steps of the ideal skincare routine established by Dermalogica. As Léna points out, "the idea is not just to sell a face cleanser and serum; it's about offering all five steps of skincare, from makeup removal to hydration, which corresponds to five products." The implementation of BNPL had an impact on order amounts (ranging from €250 to €400 or more, that's £215 to £345) and significantly increased the conversion rate of purchase baskets. These more substantial purchase baskets correspond to customers who follow the entire routine. For the Digital Project Manager, there's no doubt: it's a direct result of the integration with Mollie and the option for customers to buy now and pay later.

Simple and fast integration

"Simple, fast, and seamless." Those are the words of the Digital Project Manager regarding the integration with Mollie. She explains that everything was settled in three minutes and a few clicks. And you can trust her judgment; Léna is responsible for the technical aspects of integration. She continues by praising the quality of Mollie's Dashboard, which she finds "super practical and straightforward." According to her, all the information one might need is available and presented smoothly. This is a significant difference from the previous payment solution used by Dermalogica France. Another advantage, and not the least: everything is centralised on the same back office, streamlining tasks such as report creation or even refund management. This saves considerable time. She also confirms that the available documentation is clear and relevant, and the onboarding process is easy.

Dermalogica France is also supported by a Mollie partner. The ecommerce expert agency Studio Zerance, part of the Axome group, was responsible for the redesign of the Dermalogica France website in 2022. This work can be delicate, especially when modifying functional elements that need to be seamlessly integrated to avoid disrupting the customer's purchasing process. On this front, Léna highlights the excellent work of the agency: "they support us on all topics, whether it's website redesign or other integrations, and they are truly part of our daily life."

Another component of a successful integration is a good working relationship. Here, there is no hesitation from Léna: "excellent!" She wholeheartedly recommends Mollie.

Average basket size, number of orders, revenue: everything has increased since Dermalogica chose Mollie as its payment solution. Perfect support and seamless collaboration have simplified the implementation of the system. The numerous integrations offered by Mollie, along with various payment methods, especially the implementation of Buy Now, Pay Later, allow Dermalogica to continue growing without losing time on the technical aspect of its payment solution. An undeniable advantage! By adapting to its needs, Mollie has met Dermalogica's expectations and provided a tailored solution with visible results, allowing the online store to progress effortlessly on all fronts.