Beauty Speaks Italian

The book came about due to a passion and the need to share that passion and, along the way, it became something different, something more. It’s called Italian Beauty – The Italian market of beauty between dream and innovation (Rizzoli Etas), written by Gabriella Lojacono, Program Director of the Master of Science in Management at Università Bocconi, and Anna Airoldi, Liaison Office Manager in the Markets and External Affairs Division at also Bocconi. The two women are friends first and colleagues second and are, like many other women, “attentive consumers.” “The world of beauty is very different from when we were girls,” says Gabriella Lojacono.

“New actors are participating who have changed the landscape, especially regarding retailers. There is no longer just the classic perfume shop, but there are also pharmacies, herbalist’s shops and large retailers The internet is also present, and with e-commerce it has introduced a big change.” The book does not have an academic style, but at the outset “we wanted to talk from women consumers to other women consumers,” adds Anna Airoldi. “As we progressed with the work, in particular with interviews of the various players in the entire production chain, we realized that the work could also be of interest to the world of management. There is a lot of information and a lot of data in this industry, but structured knowledge was missing. We therefore changed the style of the book.”

The two authors present a truly exclusive trip into the secret world of beauty, full of interesting information and hints, with several case-histories of famous companies who have been long-time industry leaders, and revealing a few secrets. “Italian Beauty, for example, is much more important than what we are commonly led to believe, from a point of view of exports,” explains Lojacono. “60% of make-up at a global level is produced in Italy and, in terms of exports, it’s even ahead of an industry such as eyewear.” Despite this, the authors explain, “the medium size of the companies represents a limiting factor regarding growth choices.”