The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 1977–1980s
O Boticário was a pharmacy that bought perfume by mistake — it became a cosmetics giant
Miguel Krigsner opened a pharmacy in Curitiba, 1977. A supplier sent perfume essences by mistake. Customers loved the fragrances, and he switched to cosmetics.
Grupo Boticário · O Boticário · 1977
What happened
In 1977, Miguel Krigsner, a Bolivian immigrant, opened a small pharmacy in Curitiba, Brazil. He ordered pharmaceutical ingredients from a supplier. The supplier mistakenly sent perfume essences instead. Krigsner was stuck with a shipment he could not use for medicine.
Instead of discarding the essences, Krigsner experimented with them. He created fragrances and sold them in the pharmacy. The perfumes were an unexpected hit. Customers who came in for prescriptions started buying the fragrances instead. The pharmacy's side business was soon outselling its main business.
Krigsner pivoted the business. He converted the pharmacy into a cosmetics store and opened the first O Boticário franchise in 1980. By 1982, he had opened a manufacturing plant. The company grew rapidly across Brazil, becoming the country's second-largest cosmetics brand.
O Boticário expanded internationally, reaching over 40 countries with 4,000 stores. By 2026, Miguel Krigsner owned 80% of the company, with a net worth of $6.8 billion. A pharmacy became a cosmetics empire — all because of a wrong shipment.
Why it happened
- Krigsner opened a pharmacy in 1977 — a supplier accidentally sent perfume essences instead of pharmaceutical ingredients, forcing him to pivot to fragrances
- The perfumes were an unexpected hit with customers — the wrong shipment became the product that defined the business
- O Boticário grew from a single pharmacy to 4,000 stores in 40+ countries — the accidental purchase launched a cosmetics empire
The lesson
Miguel Krigsner opened a pharmacy. A supplier sent perfume essences by mistake. The wrong shipment became a cosmetics empire with 4,000 stores.
Sources
- Forbes — Miguel Krigsner profile (accidental purchase of perfume essences, founding story, net worth)
- O Boticário — Wikipedia (founding, store count, revenue, international expansion)
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Natura&Co, Brazil's beauty giant, went from global #4 to retreating after buying Avon
Ypê's cleaning products were contaminated — and a competitor proved it
Bacteria hit 13 Ypê laundry lots — six months later inspectors found 76 factory failures
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.