Lise Watier

Lise Watier was born in Montreal in 1942. Her father worked his way up to become manager of a car dealership and her mother had a sense of fashion.[4]

She told the Toronto Star that the heavy makeup she wore for her job as a researcher and host for a women's interest television program from 1963 to 1968 inspired her to create a self-improvement and makeup course company, Charme et Beauté Lise Watier Inc., in 1965, and to launch her own line of cosmetics in 1972.[5]

The Montreal-based company first attempted to expand in the 1980s, but a fire in the company's factory and offices was a major setback. Watier later told the National Post, "It took until 1995 to get back to the point we were at in 1990."[6] By the turn of the century, the company's cosmetics were distributed in France and across Canada.[6]

Watier was a family-owned company; Watier's husband, Serge Rocheleau was chairman and general manager, and daughters Nathalie and Marie-Lise worked in marketing.[6]

The brand is distributed in Canada and the United States.

In 1986, the company's founder was honoured as Canadian business woman of the year.[7]

In 2007, Imperial Capital Corporation of Toronto, an investment firm, purchased a majority stake in the company, with Watier and Rocheleau retaining seats on the board and a minority share in the company.[8]

In 2009, the company signed Mitsou Gélinas, a Canadian singer, actor and television personality, as ambassador.[9]

In 2013, Watier stepped down as CEO, appointing Pierre Plasard, previously of L'Oréal, to take her place.[8] As of that time, the company had 175 employees and did approximately $90 million in sales annually.[8]

The company was acquired by Groupe Marcelle Inc. in 2016.[10][11]

• Canadian website
• U.S. website