MBA Perfume & Cosmetics Management
Course Summary School: IFA Paris International Fashion Academy, Paris & Shangai
Location: COM_COURSEBOARD_DB_ANYWHERE_CNAME, Paris
Education: Diploma
“The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills up, imbues us totally. There is no remedy for it”
Patrick Suskind, Le Parfum
The inescapability of a scent’s inebriation is very much akin to the power of attraction of a beautifully designed dress. It is with this idea in mind that newest postgraduate course of IFA Paris was built: offering an innovative approach to Perfume and Cosmetics management through the integration of its 20 years expertise in fashion.
The overarching strategy behind the development of this course is to encourage participants to adopt a creative approach that does not belong the typical realm of the beauty industry framework in order to turn participants into esthete who will be able to think outside of the box.
The philosophy of the MBA in Perfume and Cosmetics Management revolves around 3 pillars:
Discovery:
Students are being immersed in a workshop environment allowing them to get an intensive and practical training fostering creativity while at the same time allowing them to discover each strategic components and stakeholders of the beauty industry
Experimentation:
While travelling between IFA’s campus locations in Paris and Shanghai our students are able to experience first-hand the intrinsic characteristics of emerging and mature markets thanks to IFA Paris learning by doing pedagogy.
Self-affirmation:
The overarching Capstone thesis reflects the students’ commitment to the development of a unique and individual project.
The MBA in Perfume and Cosmetics Management also takes advantage of the unique heritage and bi-cultural affiliation of IFA Paris as it “sits” perfectly at the confluence of a geographical dichotomy:
The West as the upholder of traditional luxury values:
Participants will spend 2 terms in Paris in order to have access to what the rest of the world considers as the birth place of luxury.
The East as the catalyst transforming the “Luxe DNA”:
Thanks to IFA Paris unique combination of campus rotation system and synergetic curriculum, participants will be able to explore the latest market and technological evolutions in the beauty industry in an area of the world (North Asia) considered as the most important source of growth.
The development of 7 special seminars provides participants with “windows” into unique activities or phenomenon of the beauty industry. They are organized across our campuses of Paris and Shanghai according to the market specificities of those 2 locations. While in France students will be exposed to the traditional art of perfume making through an immersive experience thanks to our Olfactory Lab and our seminar titled “Parfums a la Francaise”. During their rotation in Shanghai participants will discover the booming segment of skin care for men and explore the different invasive and non-invasive plastic surgery techniques. The ultimate goal is to offer participants the opportunity to improve their professional portfolio with experiences that will ultimately render their profile more sophisticated and attractive to potential employers.
Finally, from inception to graduation, and regardless of their location, Postgraduate students of IFA Paris will benefit from the support of a unique department called the “Career and Alumni Center”. The industry relation arm of IFA Paris’ academic courses is in charge of organizing bi-weekly guest lectures and field trips to attune our students with the latest trends in the beauty industry.
Capitalizing on strong collaborations with groups such as LVMH, Richemont or Kering, the Career and Alumni Center will give access to exclusive brand launch events, fashion shows, art exhibitions or professional trade-shows in order to build the students’ own professional network.
The Career and Alumni Center accompanies IFA Paris students even after graduation by linking them with its strong alumni network composed of individuals originating from 50 different countries. The key word here is synergy, whereby IFA Paris, its students and its graduates are all set to be major actors in the reshaping of the luxury industry panorama.
Our MBA Courses are structured with the ECTS framework in mind as set by the Bologna Convention. Upon completion of their studies participants will gather a total of 120 ECTS that they will be able to transfer if they wish to further their studies. The Course is also under certification by IDEL/IDEART and will certified as “International Master”.
Admission requirements:
- Preferably 2 years of professional experience (Internships are taken into account)
- Bachelor Graduate or significant professional experience in related fields
- IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL IBT 79 (or equivalence) or proof of study in English, for non-native English speakers
- Interview (on campus or Skype)
- Online test
Documents to provide:
- Fill in the online application form
- Latest transcript
- Copy of Bachelor diploma or equivalence
- Motivation letter
- Resume/CV
- Passport photo
- Copy of passport
All applications will be reviewed by the Program Director and Academic Director of the postgraduate department. Should applicants be deemed to not meet the minimum admission requirements in terms of academic background, they will be asked to enroll in a Foundation Workshop held prior to the starting date of their MBA Program.
Our Perfume and Cosmetics Management course covers a wide range of modules clustered into five main module groupings:
Marketing and Management:
This grouping encompasses a series of modules that will be sequentially planned based on the structure of a marketing plan. The overall body of knowledge acquired by the students will prepare them to:
Analyze complex marketing challenges based on practical case studies
Allocate resources strategically to achieve pre-determined objectives
Craft brand DNAs allowing for the achievement of a sustainable competitive advantage
Business Issues:
The capacity to listen and interpret markets’ signals is a key component of today’s managers. It needs to be continuously cultivated. Within this module grouping students will discover the idiosyncrasies of the fashion industry from an economic and financial view point.
Distribution and Retail:
New technologies are shaping the cosmetics and perfume offering of the 21st century in ways that do not always relate to product innovation. A large part of the most recent innovations concern the distribution and retail sector, with interesting cross-overs between the Fashion and the Cosmetics and Perfume industries. This module grouping is aimed at giving students a new perspective on traditional distribution and retail strategies.
Cosmetics and Perfume Environment:
Is perfume still a luxury? Are socially responsible brands more impactful? How is the impact of the fashion industry in the development of the cosmetics and perfume industry?... This module grouping will challenge students and develop their critical thinking approach in regards with the industry.
Cosmetics and Perfume Lifestyle:
While our MBA Program does not aim at creating technicians we believe it is important for our students to be totally immersed within the environment of cosmetics and perfumes. This is why we have devised a series of groundbreaking seminars and workshops: to allow our students to experience the specificities of the future industry they’ll be working for. From a week in an olfactory lab to test and create perfumes to a foray into the crafting of perfumes “A La Francaise”, everything has been devised to provide a groundbreaking experiential learning.
The Foundation workshop will be taught over 2 full weeks (75 Hours) and comprise the following modules:
- Principles of Marketing – 15 Hours
- Quantitative Research Approaches – 15 Hours
- Accounting Principles – 15 Hours
- Working Methodology – 15 Hours
- Project Management – 15 Hours
Student Workload:
- 522 Hours of Face-to-Face lectures
- 783 Hours of Self-Study
- 840 Hours of capstone project
- 200 Hours of industry contact and collaboration
