Cam Pauly has not had an easy life, even for a dog. A mix of five different breeds, with the countenance of an oversized Chihuahua, he is debilitatingly anxious, which his caretaker Alexandra Pauly attributes to the fact that he’s a double rescue. “That means he was abandoned twice,” Pauly noted, heartbreakingly.
When Pauly adopted Cam seven years ago, the pair built trust through regular grooming sessions; brushing teeth daily, bathing fur weekly, clipping nails monthly. The result produced a bond between them that is stronger than platinum. It also inspired Biche, Pauly’s forthcoming luxury pet care line.
“When you’re grooming your pet, it’s preventative care, but these rituals are really key to building that emotional bond,” Pauly said. A former beauty editor, Pauly helped launch Highsnobiety’s beauty section with then-editor Willa Bennett but left in January 2025 to develop Biche. After initial friends and family funding, she secured a pre-seed investment round led by Europerfumes’ founder Vicken Arslanian and senior vice-president Marisa Auciello. While financial terms were not disclosed, a person close to the brand valued the round in the mid six figures.
“Today, there’s a balance to be struck between marketing-led and product-led brands,” said Arslanian. “This is not just marketing driven with a team of great people. The product itself is vetted.”
Biche will launch direct-to-consumer in early next year with a duo of products, a dog shampoo called Cloud Cleanser and fur conditioner called Aprés Oil — each dosed not only with facial-grade skincare ingredients but a gentle fine fragrance created in partnership with Swiss firm Givaudan and Arquiste founder (and dog owner) Carlos Huber.
Biche’s signature scent is nostalgic and powdery, Pauly said, inspired by vintage cosmetic formulas. The fragrance concentration is up to 1 percent, which is less than is found in a body mist; all the more important for gentle dog skin. Dr. Joya Griffin, a veterinarian, advises the brand on pet-safe formulation.
“You want to approach it similarly to the way that you’d approach formulating a product for a baby,” Pauly said.
Self-Care For Your Fur Baby
The baby comparison is apt for more than just ingredient safety.
“Today, we increasingly regard pets as equal members of our families,” wrote Shelly Volsche, associate faculty at Boise State University in Idaho, in a 2025 report for marketing firm Ipsos. “For many, that means having a fur baby in place of human children.” In 2024, when a US organisation called the Human Animal Bond Research Institute commissioned a survey of nearly 20,000 dog or cat owners from 10 countries, about 43 percent of respondents said they think of their pet like a child.
“There is an empathy and a love and a connection that happens with an animal that is actually really unique, that it doesn’t even have to compare with human love,” said perfumer Huber, whose dachshund, Chorizo, is “the most important thing” in his life.
That doesn’t guarantee owners will trade up their pet care — parents love their human children, but aren’t lining up to stock their kids’ bathrooms with Skinceuticals. Biche’s set will cost between $50 and $70; though an official price is yet to be determined. Arslanian thinks that the luxurious positioning will help the brand.
“What I like about Alex’s approach is that it’s pet-based in terms of how it works, how it feels, how it treats the pet, but the aesthetics and the positioning appeal to the owner,” Arslanian said. He points out that other brands have expanded into luxury pet care — like Dolce and Gabbana, which released a fragrance for dogs called Fefé in 2024 for $108 — but aren’t pet-focussed brands.
Pauly hopes to scale Biche to produce formulas for cats and horses in the future, much like Mane and Tail, the horse shampoo developed in 1970 that is now marketed to animals and humans alike. (Pauly notes that she’s tested Biche on herself, and the products “work great” for her coarse, straight hair.)
“I really want Biche to …[encourage] people to take the time and really savor that time that you have with your pet,” Pauly said, “Because pets don’t live forever, unfortunately.”
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