Read the exclusive interview with Savéria Coste in ELLE Magazine about organic cosmetics!
Does a truly organic cream exist ?
"In the beauty sector, brands are making real efforts to become more virtuous. When I launched Garancia eighteen years ago, I didn't want to choose between effectiveness and the healthy side of our formulations. At the beginning, pharmacies were concerned about the colour of our creams: they weren't white but rather beige because we don't use titanium dioxide to whiten them! When we launched our eco-refills, I heard "it's not pretty, it doesn't fit on the shelf". We had to educate everyone, buyers and consumers. I have a doctorate in pharmacy and a master's degree in marketing from HEC. As I am the one who creates the formulas and "sources" the ingredients, it helps me to explain the processes.
How easy is it to decipher the contents of beauty products ?
"Reading labels, understanding what's really in your jar of cream is not always easy. Fortunately, serious and efficient tools exist, such as the Yuka application, initially dedicated to food and which has developed a rating system by scanning the components of cosmetics: according to the ingredients used, a score is given to your tube of cream. We collect 100% green tablets, which is a real reward."
Does the product composition have a negative impact on the environment ?
"From the development of a serum to its manufacture, to packaging and shipping, everything counts in the carbon footprint. At Garancia, we pay a lot of attention to the ingredients we choose. For example, we don't use parabens, phenoxyethanol or mineral oils, preferring instead to use vegetable oils. Although our first products required silicone for a natural feel, I quickly realised that we could formulate very well without it. The ingredients are 98% natural for Pschitt Magique, our best-selling micropeeling.
But the packaging and the packaging itself are also very important. We were the first to launch washable and reusable make-up remover pads, and our eco-refills save 60 tonnes of plastic a year. 100% of our plastic packs will be recyclable by 2025. Our new À la Belle Étoile night cream, for example, comes in a recyclable refill that fits into a recyclable glass jar. Every day we try to do better. It makes you very proud."
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