How did you come up with the idea of launching a beauty brand? Tell us more about your history and your background.
I moved to Budapest when I was posted to the Hungarian Embassy as an American Diplomat. Soon after moving there, I met Stephen, a Hungarian (and now husband and partner) who was very proud of his heritage. Specifically, he was proud that his family had built one of the most beautiful thermal baths in the country. It only took one visit to see the transformational effect these waters had on my troubled skin…soon after we started dreaming about we could bring the effects of these healing waters to those who could not visit Hungary personally.
However, it wasn’t until we met a prominent local laboratory of dermatology that we knew we had something truly unique. With their help, we developed and patented a method which makes minerals highly potent in topical skincare – more potent than simply taking the mineral rich waters alone…
How important is your Hungarian heritage?
Our Hungarian Heritage is very important – Budapest is the spiritual home of the brand and it is the Hungarian approach to beauty that we use as a starting point from which to innovate.
In such a competitive international market, what are the key competitive advantages of your brand?
Our heritage (the story of the brand) along with being leaders in a new category in skincare – namely clean formulations with immediate results.
How important is packaging?
It is the window into your brand…I would say, now more than ever due to social media, it is extremely important.
What are your most important export markets? What is your strategy of expansion?
The company is growing 50% annually and profitably- Asia is where we are seeing the biggest growth, N America is also strong – Germany and the UK as well. We are 60% digital so that clearly is a big focus for the company.
Do you plan any mono-brand boutiques and mono-brand Spas?
We are renovating our Institute in Budapest and also opening up our first standalone institute in London this year.
Do you have a dedicated Spa range of products? What is your current approach?
Yes – we do have a SPA range. Our approach to this segment is to work with the leading luxury players (Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Oberoi, St Regis, etc.) and create exclusive collaborations in each market.
What are the most effective marketing and promotional tools for your brand
We have found partnerships to work well – we are currently sponsors of the English National Ballet, New York City Ballet, Frieze as well as having started scholarships at Cambridge University, Central St Martins, among other places
What are your mid and long term development plans?
We are in the process of building a marketing team which is very exciting…in terms of growth – we feel we already have excellent partnerships in place with the leading global premium players.. We will aim to strengthen these partnerships and build like to for like sales.
About Omoroviza
Stephen, a descendant of the noble Omorovicza family, was in Budapest running his family firm when he first met US diplomat Margaret, Chief of Staff at the US Embassy, working for Ambassador Nancy Goodman Brinker.
After he took her to Budapest’s ancient spas, their love and skin blossomed, and marriage soon followed. Inspired by the profound effects of the waters on their skin, Margaret and Stephen were keen to bring Hungary’s enviable beauty heritage to the rest of the world and together embarked on an exciting new skincare business.
Today, Omorovicza is a global beauty brand located in the world’s most exclusive stores and spas, with legions of loyal fans. Stephen can often be found in the laboratory working on new product formulations, while Margaret has switched effortlessly from her role as a former diplomat to Omorovicza’s global beauty ambassador.
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