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Eat healthy, do not neglect your mental health and play sports, to radiate inside and out. This is the principle on which holistic beauty is based, a concept that has been booming since the health crisis, which Janine Knizia is working to democratize with Muse & Heroine. With an e-shop articulated around clean and natural beauty, the brand is now setting up its first Healing House in Paris, a hotspot combining beauty, health, science and spirituality. On the occasion of the inauguration of this new kind of concept, meeting with its instigator, health coach passionate about beauty.
How was the Muse & Heroine brand born?
During my adolescence, I already spent all my time in pharmacies looking for new beauty products, while trying to analyze the list of ingredients. I bought my first eye cream at the age of 11, that is to say… Many years later, while working in the fashion industry and traveling between Los Angeles, New York and home in Europe, I always came back with a suitcase full of skincare and supplements that I couldn’t find in Europe. Then I got caught up in the clean beauty movement and its community in Los Angeles. So I decided to start training to become an internationally certified health coach.
Did the health crisis play a role in the creation of this new kind of brand?
In a way, yes. I had a first experience in the sale and development of clean beauty brands for B2B, with in particular a first European showroom in Paris. It was quickly a huge success, and then the Covid-19 pandemic arrived. I was able to take the time to breathe and reflect; which led me to make a decision: to realize my dream with the launch of Muse & Heroine for B2C. It was about creating my own online store and magazine, focusing on content and sharing my knowledge, experiences, and advice. The online store was launched in July 2020, and from day one, my heart project turned out to be a serious business, which grew very quickly, much more than I had expected.
On what criteria are the brands offered online chosen?
I’m completely obsessed with the idea of trying and testing each brand and each product myself, and I always want to meet all the creators personally, because it’s about sharing the same values of authenticity. When I started, it was all about clean, natural beauty, but now I appreciate the term ‘clean-ical’, which means that science plays a key role in this sector. I make sure to select the most powerful, effective and efficient products, because I want to reap immediate benefits, as well as in the long term. I say ‘no’ to 95% of the brands that approach us, which means customers can be sure that all the brands in our portfolio are the best on the market.
Why did you choose Paris for the brand’s very first showcase?
Muse & Heroine is not a store in the traditional sense. Rather, it is an innovative holistic community articulated around beauty, health, longevity, science and spirituality. We have our biggest sales in Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and Scandinavia. But our biggest community is based in Paris, probably due to the success of the pop-up stores we launched during Paris Fashion Week in September 2021 and 2022. Muse & Heroine is very well known in the beauty industry and of Parisian well-being, and this for many years, first through our beauty products sales agency and our showroom, then our online store and our unique pop-up stores.
Can you tell us a bit more about this new concept?
I wanted to create the most extraordinary, cutting-edge, open-minded space I could imagine for holistic beauty and wellness, something that had never existed before. My mantra is: ‘live better, longer, while becoming younger, more beautiful, inside and out’. I want to share my knowledge and my passion for this subject. People need and want to be educated and inspired to take care of themselves every day. We emphasize prevention, which is the key to a long, healthy and happy life. It is essential to realize the importance of investing in our own body and our health. The last two or three years have been particularly difficult, and have changed the face of humanity. Learning to heal mentally, physically and spiritually is one of the fundamental concepts of Muse & Heroine.
What types of treatments will be offered in this space?
We currently offer three types of fully personalized treatments: two for the face and one for the body. Personally, I love the treatments but most of the time I leave very disappointed and I wanted to change that. I wanted treatments with breathtaking results, which is why I sought out the best brands, ancestral know-how, and scientific and clinically proven results. You should know that most of the brands present in the cabins and in our sales area are available exclusively at Muse & Heroine in Europe, otherwise you have to take a flight to Los Angeles.
World-renowned facialists will follow one another with the seasons to offer these different treatments. Who will have the honor of inaugurating this space?
Most of our facialists will come from Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York, and they will have an exclusive European residency of one to two weeks within our Healing House of Muse & Heroine. Usually it’s impossible to get appointments with these pros in the US, but they’re eager to come to Paris and offer their expert hands and vibes to the public. For the opening weekend, around twenty brand founders will come from all over the world, such as Julie Elliott from In Fiore, Annee de Mamiel from De Mamiel, Neada Deters from Lesse, Ida-Maia from Nottnuit, Katja Kokko from Yin Your Skin, and many more.
In addition to the sale of products and treatments, there will also be spaces dedicated to conferences and masterclasses. Will the public be able to access it?
Yes, absolutely, because it is our biggest goal in terms of care, and healing. Giving access to everything related to beauty, health and well-being is our top priority and we want to be able to share it with as many people as possible. However, you will need to book in advance to be sure of getting a place.
There is also talk of an ‘alchemical apothecary’… What is it?
As a holistic health coach, I am passionate about listening to our body’s needs and adding supplements to our daily regimen. Today, our needs for complementary nutrients are much higher than in the past, and I am always on the lookout for new herbal energy cocktails, in the form of powders, capsules, flower essences, tinctures- mothers, etc. The curation of our alchemical apothecary is so special and I am free to say that there is no other beauty shop in Europe with our knowledge and supply of supplements.
Holistic beauty is a concept that has been selling since the Covid-19 pandemic, to the point that all the stars are getting into it… Is it a fad or a real change in the cosmetics sector?
It’s true ! All of a sudden, everyone has created wellness platforms, green beauty brands or an application for doing sports. I was one of the pioneers in Europe to start a serious beauty business early on, and I think that’s the great thing about Muse & Heroine. It’s very hard to copy the brand because it’s about my personal lifestyle, health journey, vision and mission, and deep knowledge.
*Muse & Heroine Healing House: 10, Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris.