Five Minutes With… Dr. Pauline Burgener
Founder and CEO, Laboratoire Dr. Burgener Switzerland
We spend five minutes with Dr. Pauline Burgener at Dubai’s Palazzo Versace to find out more about maintaining service standards, sustainability and new launches.
Did you always have an interest in skin care?
Skincare and wellness have always been a personal passion of mine. I spent years working in high-tech skin advancements and remedies; understanding specific needs is extremely important to us. As a family business with strong Swiss values and ethics since 1955, we care for the skin in the most personalised way.
How do you ensure you strike a balance between nature and science with your products?
I hand select all of our natural ingredients from the source. We use the most ethical and environmentally friendly methods of production to formulate our ingredients combined with the latest technologies in anti-aging. Our cosmetic products are 100 % Swiss-made.
Has the brand’s presence in luxury hotel spas been important for the brand’s growth?
Our products are appreciated by luxury hotels because we not only offer personnalisation but are true to our values in both development and way of treating and we offer a holistic approach. The exception lies today in excellent follow-up and personalised service.
How do you ensure that service standards are maintained?
We have teams that form the therapists in every location all around the world. We work closely with each spa to set up trainings and maintain a close collaboration with them in order to develop the support they request. I also pay frequent visits.
You’re known for customising your products to each spa. Can you give an example of this?
We create signature lines of Dr. Burgener Switzerland for each hotel by using an element of the heritage of the country in which they are located. We created the Black Caviar for the Four Seasons St Petersburg which received the World’s Best Signature Spa Awards 2018. Amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals are to be found in very high concentrations in the tiny black caviar beads.
Is sustainability and the reduction of packaging a concern for you?
Yes, very much. Our primary goal and mission are to protect the earth and its resources. We use no unnecessary packaging and resources that are wasteful and harmful to our environment. We support and create projects that promote quality over quantity, traceability and fair-trade globalisation. We replace paper cardboard packaging with a microfiber multi use bag. To help reduce the number of trees harmed globally, collaterals are printed on 100% recycled sugar cane paper.
Do you have any new launches coming up or news that you can share?
After creating the FitnessMen Pat Burgener line for my son, a professional snowboarder, we will introduce our first official male cosmetics line in the coming months. Never before have men shown so much interest in achieving the right balance between skin health and busy lifestyle.
