Ambitious cosmetic maker targets U.S.
WITH 30,000 SPECIES OF PLANTS TO CHOOSE FROM, IT IS HARDLY SURPRISING THAT INDONESIAN COSMETIC COMPANY MARTHA TILAAR HAS ENJOYED CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD

MARTHA TILAAR President and Founder of Martha Tilaar

Private sector companies in Indonesia such as retail conglomerate Matahari and leading cosmetic maker Martha Tilaar are becoming progressively more export-oriented. Matahari is Indonesia’s largest retail company with 85 department stores and 60 supermarkets, employing over 30,000 people. The company’s founder and honorary chairman, Mr. Hari Darmawan, is now directing several new ventures intended to capture regional markets. Martha Tilaar operates seven spas and 80 beauty salons in Indonesia, produces over 600 types of herbal cosmetic products and commands 40% of the domestic cosmetic market. The company has begun to export its traditional Indonesian holistic beauty concepts through spas and distribution centers worldwide.

This is certainly an emerging market to watch as Indonesia has a natural potential to excel in herbal medicines–the country has over 30,000 species of plants of which at least 940 are known to have medicinal qualities.

MARTHA THILAR Rejuvenating the Body, Mind and Spirit.

President of Martha Tilaar and the company’s founder, Dr. Martha Tilaar, who began studying jamu (Indonesian herbal medicine) as an adolescent with her grandmother, emphasizes the safety of Indonesian herbal use and the benefits of the traditional Indonesian holistic concept of health and beauty, which has different applications depending on the phase of the human lifecycle. She says, “Jamu is the natural ingredient found in the herbs, plants and trees that grow in our Indonesian rainforests. Many of these plants are only found in Indonesia and their efficacy has been tried, tested and proven over seven centuries by the royal courts. It can be used safely in all our lifecycles. We offer jamu products for babies, for teenagers facing hormonal disturbances, as well as pre- and postnatal products for women to help with breastfeeding problems and slimming down again. I can assure you that there are no side effects, even for babies. In fact, my daughter, who is my personal proof of the efficacy of jamu, just graduated summa cum laude from Boston University.” Dr. Tilaar’s business approach also advocates the old Java health and beauty concepts of Rumpasampat Wahya Bhiantara, or inner and outer beauty. She states, “material wealth can only be enjoyed if we have physical, mental and spiritual health. These should be harmonized.”

Focusing on its upscale spa concept, Martha Tilaar is now mapping out its international expansion. New openings are now underway in Brunei, Singapore, and the Middle East, and a proposed opening in Colorado is under consideration. Local partners will manage the overseas spas under a franchising contract. “Our objective is to have at least 100 spas worldwide,” states Dr. Tilaar. “Presently Martha Tilaar is operating 12 spas and we have six more opening soon. In the U.S., we will hopefully have one spa in Aspen, Colorado, by mid-2002 but we are not fully decided yet. We have an American working with us now, studying our systems and treatments, and she will lead our spa expansion into the U.S. together with our Indonesian experts. Our spa treatments will be luxurious and pampering and will combine skin exfoliating scrubs, body reenergizing massage, exotic flower baths and soaks, personal herbal body steams and natural health drinks made from ginger, turmeric and other exotic eastern potions. We will only offer manual treatments, using healing hands and emotional touch, as they are based on rituals that stretch back over seven centuries and that have been perfected over time to revive the mind, rejuvenate the body and lift the spirit.”

With regards to the future distribution of Martha Tilaar beauty products in the U.S., Dr. Tilaar states, “we do not really have a major distribution network as yet in the U.S. We would like to specialize in outlets, but initially we will start with chain stores specialized in natural products. We eventually want to have stores entirely dedicated to Martha Tilaar products, but we are flexible and, at the moment, we are targeting one flagship on each coast. We are also confident that our products will pass the stringent requirements of western countries. We employ scientific approaches, good manufacturing practices, and maintain world class manufacturing standards.” Martha Tilaar has achieved international standard accreditation in research and development, good environmental practices and good manufacturing practices from both U.K. and U.S. accreditation bodies.