“Beauty is not futile, it helps people live better with illness”… such is the motto of CEW France. The association was the first to support the idea that the benefits of cosmetics chosen and applied by professionals could help improve the daily lives of sick and hospitalized people. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the CEW France Beauty Centers, we take a look back at the origins of the project.
In the history of the Beauty Centers, it’s all a question of conviction. From the outset, some of the network’s female members were convinced that beauty treatments had the power to restore dignity to sick people. At the time, the skeptical medical profession is not necessarily of the same opinion…
But giving up isn’t CEW. Members campaign to bring beauty into hospitals.
They obtained the right to assign a beautician to provide treatments to patients at Gustave Roussy Hospital, Europe’s leading cancer hospital.
The effect on patient morale was such that, a year later, the management allowed the CEW to open its first Beauty Center on the hospital grounds.
Since then, the centers have been set up in 42 establishments in France. By 2022, nearly 40,000 treatments had been offered.
CEW members also believe in the power of fragrance. “In 2001, they created the first Atelier Olfactif at the Raymond Poincaré hospital in Garches, with the help of an olfactotherapist and in partnership with the IFF composition house,” explains Françoise Montenay, President of CEW France and the Beauty Centers. “The initiative began in a department dedicated to the rehabilitation of cerebro-injured patients following accidents or strokes. It all started with …
