Awash in possibility

This will mark the first time that L'Oreal will launch a new brand in France and China at almost the same time, Agon says.

"We want this brand to be more popular, so that more women can enjoy its benefit for skin."

Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc's thermal water originates from Europe's highest mountain and travels under the Alps for 6,500 years, passing through crystalline and magmatic rock that enrich it with 30 times the volume of minerals of mineral water, before it surfaces.

It contains sulfur, which is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, and calcium, manganese and boron, which are also said to have healing properties.

L'Oreal China's vice-president and consumer products division general manager, Samuel du RETAIL, believes the brand will succeed globally if it does in China because Chinese clients are discerning. "An interesting thing is that our researchers will usually judge new products, but when they engage with the thermal water from Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, they fall in love with it and are researching it actively," RETAIL says.