PARIS — Dua, the skin care brand created by Dua Lipa and Augustinus Bader, is establishing a first permanent physical retail presence in its own boutique.
On Saturday the brand, formally called Dua Powered by Augustinus Bader Science, will open a dedicated 215-square-foot store, which abuts Augustinus Bader’s Palais-Royal boutique in Paris.
Dua by AB hosted a pop-up takeover of that boutique between May 27 and June 14. Prior, the brand had a pop-up corner at London’s Selfridges, from May 14 to 27, which was followed by a permanent corner in the department store.
“Both the pop-up and the permanent place have been very successful,” said Charles Rosier, Augustinus Bader’s cofounder and chief executive officer. “For the Parisian pop-up, the numbers were also slightly above our expectations — it was a huge success, with many people coming. We saw that there was a genuine interest to make it a destination.”
He said significant lines formed of people from many nations wanting to visit the pop-up during the first days of its opening. So the idea was to then give Dua a full-time, separate retail presence. The Dua boutique is behind Augustinus Bader’s, with its own entryway, on the Rue de Beaujolais, and own staff. It is filling the space of what had been an Augustinus Bader treatment room.
Dua by AB’s lineup is composed of the Balancing Cream Cleanser, the Supercharged Glow Complex and the Renewal Cream, making for an efficient, edited routine echoing Lipa’s own. She serves as the brand’s chief creative officer, giving input on everything, including formula to artistic direction.
Dua products feature the hero ingredient from Augustinus Bader called TFC5, which is meant for skin not needing the same renewal intensity as more mature skin — so as to attract a younger demographic than Augustinus Bader’s core clientele. The suite is billed to support the skin’s natural health by strengthening its barrier and bolstering long-term elasticity.
Product prices range from $40 to $80. The trio of products bundled together is the bestseller of Dua, which has its own e-commerce at duabyab.com.
“With this brand, we really target the 18-to-35-year-old segment,” Rosier said.
Looking ahead, there could be more Dua stores.
“We’re contemplating to increase the retail footprint of the initiative because we feel the success of the line has increased thanks to the support of the pop-ups and the physical presence,” Rosier said, adding that would be in relevant markets. “It would be logical for us to pursue a presence in the U.S. at some point. It’s a key market for Augustinus Bader and a key market in general in terms of size.”
But first, the Paris boutique.
“It’s a great and natural evolution for us for this brand,” Rosier said. “We think it’s going to contribute to the acceleration of its growth.”
