FloralLa Prairie
La Prairie is a Swiss skincare house that emerged from a clinic. The physician Paul Niehans had founded an establishment in Montreux in the nineteen-thirties devoted to cellular therapy; the brand emerged from it in 1978 to carry the same promise in jars. It has belonged to the German group Beiersdorf since 1991, and its perfumery extends the skincare line.
La Prairie perfumes
FloralA clinic on the shores of Lake Geneva
Paul Niehans, a surgeon, opened a clinic devoted to cellular therapy in Montreux in the nineteen-thirties. His research focused on stimulating certain functions through placental extracts, and the reputation of his treatments drew an international clientele to the shores of Lake Geneva.
The house states that he treated more than five thousand patients at this establishment. The clinic and the skincare brand have since separated, but the name and the origin story remain shared between them.
The brand emerges from the clinic
La Prairie appeared in 1978 with a first skincare line built on cellular aging. The exclusive cellular complex, a patented formula, serves as the basis for nearly all the face and body products the house has launched since.
The caviar collection gives it its commercial signature and its most recognizable item, the Skin Caviar cream. The positioning aims at the top of the premium segment, price included, alongside La Mer or competing Swiss houses.
Beiersdorf, and the return to the cradle
The La Prairie laboratories have belonged to Beiersdorf since 1991, alongside Nivea and Eucerin, the group also owning Juvena. The two companies are financially linked, but their research teams remain distinct and geographically separate.
In 2024, Beiersdorf acquired the real estate assets of the Clinique La Prairie in Montreux, placing the brand back at its birthplace. The house's perfumery remains an extension of its skincare, never an autonomous program.