Dix Hectares, Wine-Terroir Skin Care Brand, Targets U.S. Expansion

By Daniel Okafor

Dix Hectares' sales rose 30 percent in October month-on-month, and the seasonal French luxury skin care brand's U.S. performance already runs two times better than in France, according to founder Charlotte Bouygues. Now the label wants a retail partner to anchor its American launch. "We definitely want to find a strong retail partner to accompany this launch," Bouygues said.

Where does the brand come from?

Bouygues spent three years working in beauty at a strategic group, but she could not trace the origins of product ingredients. At the time she lived in New York, where extreme seasons changed her skin. "I could feel my skin not at all being the same from one day to the next," she said. She found no skin care adapted to the seasons.

In 2016, back in her native France, her mother fell ill. A garden- and nature-lover, her mother chose to spend time at the family estate, Château Montrose, a wine property near Bordeaux. Bouygues became attached to the place and its respect for the land. Her ideas coalesced around one question: "Is there a way to do this differently, maybe better?"

The answer gave the brand its founding logic. "It's a story of terroir," Bouygues said, referring to the soil and climate that shape wine grapes. She applied the same terroir to medicinal, aromatic and cosmetic plants.

How are the products made?

Dix Hectares built a 10-hectare farm on the estate, which gives the brand its name. Robust soil analysis was carried out there and about a dozen plant species were chosen. A lab stands in front of the farm, where three people formulate with 100 percent natural-origin ingredients. Actives from the farm are concentrated at about 20 percent in the finished products.

"It was kind of like a patience game, as well," Bouygues said of the farming process. "There are no shortcuts. There's that beauty of time in every product."

Each active is custom-extracted at low temperatures through a biotech partner. Experts in proteomic science (the study of proteins) help map which proteins different plants activate.

The concept rests on seasonal skin needs. "Seasons have a reason for existing — they bring an entire balance to our terroir and to our biosphere," Bouygues said. Spring-summer skin faces oxidative stress, while fall-winter calls for deep nourishment, cellular regeneration and a stronger skin barrier.

What does the brand sell?

Dix Hectares launched in June 2025 on dixhectares.com with two products: The Seasonal Serum and Cream for spring-summer. Fall brought the fall-winter serum and cream plus the "fertile" balm, enriched with fermented plants. The range now counts eight products, including a new lip balm. "We designed it as a little jewel box," Bouygues said. She expects roughly one launch every six months.

In France, prices run from about 90 euros to 340 euros. Distribution includes:

• A pop-up at Le Bristol Paris hotel
• Le Bon Marché department store
• Spa boutiques, including at the Molitor Hotel
• Niche-beauty.com

The bestseller at Le Bon Marché is The Spring Skin Exfoliant. "It's superefficient on skin renewal, but as well has some hydration," said Chloé Lecocq, marketing and sales director. "So it's really soft and tolerant for every skin [type]." Luxembourg follows next week.

Why the U.S.?

Bouygues frames the expansion as personal. "Being half American, for me it really makes sense. Also, because my mom was an inspiration for this project, and she's fully American," she said. Her mother is well now.

She sees a commercial opening, too. "There's a place for naturality in the premium segment that's really science-backed, as well, that brings forward this craftsmanship, this savoir-faire and [virtuousness]," she said.

Part of October's growth came from digital investment in the U.S., where the repeat purchase rate sits at approximately 30 percent. Bouygues sums up the philosophy as "crafting exceptional actives, and then giving them to your skin at the right time." The next test is whether a U.S. retail partner will sign on to carry that proposition beyond the brand's own site.