Hyléria: redefining luxury skincare with craftsmanship and sustainability
We spoke with Johanna Minvielle-Sebastia, Founder and CEO of Hyléria, about her vision for a new era of dermocosmetics—one that seamlessly blends high-performance skincare with French craftsmanship and eco-conscious design. She shares the story behind the brand, the challenges of creating refillable artisanal glass packaging, and how Hyléria is redefining luxury skincare with a commitment to sustainability and excellence.
Tell us a little about the brand, its history, and its markets.
Hyléria was born from a desire to bring beauty into our daily skincare rituals by transforming cosmetic bottles into precious objects that highlight and support French craftsmanship.
This vision led us to create the first brand of 100% natural, certified organic (Cosmos Organic) dermocosmetic skincare products in refillable packaging, developed in collaboration with artisans recognized as part of France’s Living Heritage.
Our goal is to merge the best of both worlds—offering high-tolerance skincare with powerful formulas and a refined sensory experience, thanks to rich textures and a distinctive olfactory signature.
This commitment to excellence extends to our partnership with the master glassmakers at Waltersperger, who crafted a bespoke bottle exclusively for Hyléria. Waltersperger is a Living Heritage Company, preserving rare craftsmanship through France’s last semi-artisanal glass production line. Each piece is individually worked, allowing for an unparalleled level of clarity and intricate detail.
With Hyléria, we aim to redefine premium skincare by offering high-quality products that reflect exceptional craftsmanship, using sustainable materials and resources with care and respect.
Our brand launched in November 2024 through our online boutique (www.hyleriaparis.com), and our products will be available in select hotels and partner spas in 2025. Our distribution and export strategy reflect our ambition to share the essence of French expertise with an international audience.
What is innovative or unique about your packaging?
We have created the first dermocosmetic packaging that combines a refillable system with artisanal glass. Hyléria is the only brand to achieve this, thanks to our unique collaboration with French Living Heritage artisans.
Each piece is also unique and individually numbered. The serial number is laser-engraved into the glass to ensure traceability. Every bottle comes with a certificate of authenticity—its “identity card”—which allows us to restore or replace it in case of damage.
What technical challenges did you face in manufacturing the packaging?
One of our biggest challenges was combining a semi-artisanal production process with the precision required for a refillable system. This required advanced design and assembly studies using CAD modeling and 3D printing before developing custom glass molds.
Since each glass jar is handmade, every piece is unique, with slight variations—what we call tolerances—within the same production batch.
Thanks to rigorous design work and the expertise of our artisans, we achieved the level of precision needed to ensure that the refills fit perfectly and that each jar closes securely.
How does the design reflect the brand’s values?
At Hyléria, our creative philosophy is rooted in preserving the beauty of the world around us.
Eco-design is essential to ensure that beauty and luxury remain a pleasure, while respecting resources, honoring heritage, and protecting it for future generations.
This fusion of luxury and sustainability demands the highest level of quality, down to the smallest details. We’ve designed smart solutions to elevate simple, recycled materials: for example, our lid is made of beechwood, a common European FSC-certified wood, enhanced with a dark stain reminiscent of exotic woods. Our packaging uses custom-folded recycled paper to securely hold the jar in place without foam padding—keeping it both lightweight and sturdy. A selective transparent varnish highlights the natural texture of the paper.
Through this approach, we create skincare products that are both beautiful and responsible—good for us, good for the environment, and good for the artisans who bring them to life.
What inspired the design?
For our first creation, Écrin No.1, I drew inspiration from my mother’s vintage powder compacts, a childhood glass jewelry box, and the facets of a diamond.
The design was conceived to enhance the clarity of the glass, a material that has always fascinated me.
