Marionnaud works to help refugee women and children smile again

French perfume giant Marionnaud has joined hands with the UN refugee agency in France with renewed scents of purpose - to restore the dignity of refugee women and help their children smile again.

To achieve this aim, Marionnaud Perfumeries has enlisted the help of seven major beauty brands in a fundraising campaign titled, "For the dignity of a woman and the smile of her child".

The brands - Clarins, Clinique, Dior, Estée Lauder, Kenzo, Thierry Mugler and Yves Saint Laurent - have each chosen one or two of their best products for the campaign. For every product sold between April 5 and May 2, UNHCR will receive one euro in donation while each customer will receive a little booklet with illustrations of refugee women and children that are supported by famous French women like journalist Isabelle Giordano, actresses Nathalie Baye and Charlotte Rampling, singer Jenifer and TV hostess Sophie Favier.

The campaign was launched on International Women's Day on March 8. The charity dinner, held at the Ritz Club in Paris, saw Marionnaud President Marcel Frydman presenting UNHCR with a 60,000-euros cheque for the emergency in Chad. Also at the event was French singer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Julien Clerc, who sang five of his hit songs.

In the booklet to be distributed to supporting customers, Frydman said, "Dans notre société, les femmes peuvent exprimer leur féminité en toute liberté. Mais, partout sur la planète, des femmes, parce qu'elles sont femmes, sont menacées, contraintes à l'exil, vulnérables à double titre."

He added, "Si je vous demande d'être aujourd'hui à nos côtés, c'est pour que l'univers de la beauté et du bien-être soit l'univers de toutes les femmes où qu'elles soient, quel que soit leur mode de vie, leurs souffrances et leurs espérances. A travers elles, ce sont aussi des millions d'enfants auxquels nous rendrons le sourire si nous savons tendre la main à leurs mères et aider l'UNHCR à leur rendre leur dignité. Mobilisons-nous ensemble."

This is not the first time Marionnaud is supporting UNHCR through the national association in France. The partnership started in May 2003 with a campaign titled, "One hour over here, hope over there", which encouraged Marionnaud employees in 600 perfumeries to donate the equivalent of one hour of their wages towards refugee programmes.