AU REVOIR! ADIEU! TCHAO TABOOS!
All the way from Paris, friends and business partners, Bethsabée and Cécilia, stir up the skincare industry by bringing us organic and gentle balms and lotions for the most delicate parts of our bodies!This exciting venture by former journalist Bethsabée and business graduate Cécilia has only just begun and today, we are lucky to have them on our journal.Ready to leave your taboos behind?
ORGANIC SKINCARE
BAUBO PARIS
ORGANIC SKINCARE
BAUBO PARIS
HI BETHSABEE, WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALISE THAT YOU WANTED TO PURSUE A CAREER IN SKINCARE ?
It was me who originally had the idea of the organic vulva balm, but I couldn't imagine materialising this idea all by myself! It was when I told Cécilia about it and she told me 'we should do it!'. After that, everything else happened naturally, the name of the brand, what we wanted to offer... To be honest, I have always been into skincare and cosmetics... I remember making my own make up when I was younger using pigment that I used to "take" from my father's studio!
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING TODAY IF YOU HADN'T CREATED BAUBO ?
I would certainly continue writing, as I'm currently doing, at the same time as daydreaming with different projects and ideas that would have probably never been materialised. And Cécilia would have continued doing business strategy or actually have started a business of her own!
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED IN THE FUTURE INDUSTRY NOWADAYS ?
There are already plenty of skincare brands and we had to ask ourselves: Why should we create our own brand? What can we offer that doesn't exist? And how can we produce clean beauty in the way that we believe it should be? This, I think, was our main challenge. We also did not want to contribute to the wasteful plastic packaging that it is everywhere within this industry, and found extremely hard to find clean and truly ecological alternatives to glass or plastic that were actually affordable for a new small business like ours.
WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY AS SKINCARE MAKERS LOOK LIKE ?
We still work from our homes and our days and routines are very different. I guess you have longer days than others. Some days we have a lot of work and crazy deadlines, and sometimes you get a very chilled day... So really, it depends! But we love the freedom that we have far from a classic office schedule!
ORGANIC SKINCARE
BAUBO PARIS
ORGANIC SKINCARE
BAUBO PARIS
COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A NEW PRODUCTS ?
So normally I would propose the idea of a new product, and Cécilia would decide if it fits our global vision and philosophy. For example, we are preparing two new products to launch in September. We have agreed which ones fit better Baûbo's development and now I'm working with our lab to perfect the formulas.I love being involved in the production process, testing what plants and oils will work perfectly in our skin! After that, I will create a colour scheme for the packaging and discuss it with Cécilia before making any final decisions.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS TO WORK WITH ?
We love all type of natural and organic oils because they don't need any conservatives and they are kind to the skin as well as extremely effective. We also like working with some essential oils that, if well used, can be brilliant for the skin.
WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO THE PERSON WHO PURCHASES ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS ?
We would like for them to feel that they have a truly organic quality product, made with care and love for women, by women. Since our best seller is the Vulva Balm, we would like every women out there to understand that they deserve smooth and happy vaginas!
WHAT DOES MAKE BAUBO DIFFERENT COMPARING TO OTHER MORE TRADITIONAL SKINCARE MAKERS ?
We arrived to the cosmetic world as outsiders, young women, almost idealists.We are very proud to have made it happen the way it is: ecological, ethical, feminist, made in France... As we are!
A MORE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO US AND OUR CUSTOMERS. COUD YOU TELL US WHAT YOU DO TO APPROACH YOUR BUSINESS IN A MORE SUSTAINABLE WAY ?
It took Cécilia almost a year to find the most sustainable jar for our balm, made from 100% recycled glass and the cap from recycled plastic! We took the same approach for our products.Ecocert, for example, demands a minimum of 20% organic products in the formula, and all our products have more than 75%, or 100% in the case of our vulva balm! And that's a true commitment, because you have to consider making less money on every product, since the cost is superior than a non-organic product, delivered in a very basic plastic jar. And with the label B-Corp, we are engaged to a true work ethic; we give 2% of our sales revenue to Gynecology Without Borders.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE TO INCREASE YOUR SUSTAINABILITY EVEN FURTHER ?
As I said, we are looking forward to greener technology in the cosmetic world. For now, the alternatives are so few that they are almost not affordable.
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONLY ONE OF THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU MADE TO TAKE WITH YOU FOREVER, WHAT WOULD IT BE ?
The Balm, our after-sex and everyday vulva balm. It's our best-seller and we enjoy having such positive feedback from our customers. We wanted to free the vulva, without any taboos, and we made it!
