For more than a century, Académie Groupe has put its experience at the service of beauty. A family business, heir to a long tradition of excellence and very attached to 100% French production, the soul of the brand has been passed down from generation to generation.
Since the beginning of the adventure, the group has remained in the family, which makes our group the oldest independent family group in France. Today, at our head is Laurence Therme, granddaughter of Georges Gay. She is supported by Christophe Therme, Managing Director and International Sales Director. A few years ago, their children, Cyrille Therme and Jennifer Weinfeld joined the adventure with respective functions in export and marketing. The family spirit is, day after day, seen as a quality used to improve and guarantee the transmission of such a heritage.
We have always attached enormous importance to our independence, having always owned our research and development laboratories, in order to control all of our production, from the idea to the marketing of our products. Since 2013, we have expanded by inaugurating a brand-new factory, 15 km from Paris, with an area of more than 9,000m² allowing us to ensure and guarantee the application of the highest cosmetic production standards.
Our story begins in 1890 with the founding of the first French cosmetic care brand: L'Académie Scientifique de Beauté. In his laboratory, Dr. Alexandre Lamotte creates a complete range of treatments for the maintenance of feminine beauty, ranging from face creams to hair products, and including products for the lips, tint and nails. We will note a few names of emblematic products such as the famous "Princesse des Crèmes" or the "Poudre de Riz Premier Empire" via the "Rubis Pompadour", real little cosmetic gems. In 1895, Dr. Lamotte established the first French beauty institute, at an emblematic address in the golden triangle, at the intersection of rue Cambon and rue St-Honoré.
It was in 1926 that Dr. Lamotte transmitted his know-how and expertise to his spiritual son, Georges Gay, and entrusted him with the management of Académie Scientifique de Beauté.. Georges Gay then breathed a wind of renewal, creativity and dynamism, going so far as to create in 1928 the very first school of aesthetics in France on the floors overlooking the beauty institute at 376 rue St Honoré. The idea was to train beauticians to carry out a skin diagnosis and to prescribe the appropriate products. The School of Aesthetics will become one of the best in France and students holding a diploma from the “Académie” will be among the most sought after.
Georges Gay
Director of Maison Académie Scientifique de Beauté 1926 — 1953
Such a long history is remarkable, although difficult to trace exactly. Thus, we found traces of a presence in Moscow (Russia) from 1912, no later than February 2020, when we celebrated our 130th anniversary with our local partner who had found an exceptional document in the National Library of St. Petersburg. In 1934, we had already established depots and branches in most of the major European cities of the time, and our influence went as far as Tokyo, Santiago de Chile or Rio de Janeiro.
Today, we can be proud to be considered as an international group represented in more than sixty countries around the world.
