Game Changing Plant-Based Beauty with Freedge.

Fireside Chat with Laurence Caisey, Founder of Freedge Beauty.


Tune in to our weekly webinar, Blue Beauty, and hear from the industry’s leading brand founders, entrepreneurs and thought leaders about the future of beauty, and how they are building businesses that leave the planet better, and bluer, than they found it. From zero-waste packaging to regenerative practices, you’ll discover why materials matter, how to make philanthropy the foundation of a profitable business model, and which innovative brands are leading the blue beauty revolution.

Hosted by INNOCOS and facilitated by Jeannie Jarnot, Founder of Beauty Heroes and leader of the Blue Beauty movement.

In each episode, we’ll share what it takes to be considered for our annual Blue Beauty Award, in partnership with Beauty Heroes

For more content go to www.beautyinfluencenetwork.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello, hello everyone. Uh good morning, good day, and good afternoon. Today we have a special day. We are kicking off a new webinar series, which is actually um facilitated, will be facilitated by Gianni Giannot, the founder of uh Beauty Heroes, and the um also um she is also a leader of Blue Beauty movement, which we are will be promoting here. Uh, every Thursday at the same time we uh invite a new interesting speaker, and most of the time it's the founder of an expert like Lauren Kaisi today. And uh we today we will be talking about the game-changing plant-based beauty with the Freech, is a new brand founded by Lawrence. Uh so uh please help me to welcome Gianni and Lawrence.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Hi, good morning from Northern California. Hi Lawrence.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Hi, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Hi to everyone tuning in from um around the world. My name is Jeannie Gerno, and I'm the founder of Beauty Heroes. We are a natural and organic beauty retailer. We have a discovery service and we serve a global customer all around the world. And um, I want to just take a moment to thank Irina for really getting behind the Blue Beauty movement, wanting to have these conversations and inviting me to host this webinar series where each week we will talk to different people on the topic of Blue Beauty. And when we're talking about Blue Beauty, we're talking about looking one step beyond green. And it's looking at the beauty personal care wellness space and how we can make an actual positive impact on the environment through our businesses and the decisions that we make every day to bring beautiful products and brands to life. Um, so thank you, um Irina, for really opening uh this conversation and championing it. And I have the great pleasure to speak with you this morning, Laurence. Laurence and I met um just a few weeks ago, and uh she introduced the groundbreaking concept of freege beauty uh to me. And you're coming to us from Paris today.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Laurence, coming from Paris? Yes, it's a pleasure, and yes. Do you have me? Yes. Yes, okay. Uh so yes, it's a pleasure to be here today and especially invited by Irina and having the chance to meet you, Jenny, and to to prepare this chat and uh and to have this uh uh very uh great opportunity of uh speaking about rich beauty. Uh it's true that my background is uh is really a lot about beauty because uh I am scientist and I spend more than uh 23 years in L'Oreal research with an international career and having like a 360 approach of the beauty about uh product development. And uh we created with uh my two uh uh co-founders uh Fresh Beauty and on 2016, and then we launched the brand uh and uh last year, and uh and that is a new uh uh yeah, a new opportunity, new story that uh we are uh so we are going to speak together and uh and explain to you uh so what is fresh beauty and what we bring into the the blue beauty uh market.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Yeah, absolutely. Um I'm so glad that Irina introduced us. Um I think what's so interesting about your background, like you said, you've but you were with L'Oreal for 23 years and you headed up sort of their uh innovation department division, looking for new ways to um bring products to market that were truly innovative. And I think it's just fascinating that you kind of encountered Friege and the concept of Friege and decided to leave this, you know, this place of looking at lots of different brands and just focus on one. This must I I feel like this was a really compelling concept for you, and it's one of the more innovative things that I've seen in the beauty space, and I'm excited to share a little bit more about it. So let's dive right in. So, what is Freege? Obviously, it's named. Why don't you start with the name? Because I think the name will tell a little bit about the exactly.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

So uh the the product and the concept.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Um, talk about what's so innovative about it because it it really is, there's a lot to talk about today, so let's dive in.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Yes. Uh yeah, so uh first perhaps we can say that freeze behind freeze, we are three uh uh uh with more than 50 years in background or in beauty, uh with marketing, with sales, and and research. And uh so with Arnaud and Fabrice with this such a background in the in beauty, we wanted with fridge to create a new space for beauty. And and based on our background with uh Johnson and Johnson for Tiger Gamble L'Oreal, we wanted to say, okay, let's create something which is uh different, safe, good for the people, and good for the planet, and and how to be uh sustainable and to create the the future of beauty. And that was really the ambition. And and for that, in fact, we had some uh uh I would say uh ideas that we wanted to have uh uh very uh very safe product, but in at the stage we created because we spent two years by developing the product, you know, uh we wanted to uh to have sensoriality, efficacy, uh, and and when we uh work about that creating this product, at one time we say, okay, and for active ingredients, what we are going to put inside, and we have seen that even if it's organic active ingredients, it's not necessary, uh it's it's transformed, you see, and we wanted to have something like a pure beauty or and and and and and the the idea of using as active ingredients, the juice of fruit and vegetables, was uh I would say the beginning of uh it spent one year at least to have this idea, but uh soon we got it. We had many technical challenges, but that makes the story of fridge, you know. And why fridge? It's because it's a mix of uh is not it's free like uh fresh, like uh uh the the device to keep uh fresh the product, but it's free uh because it's uh F R E not I but E because it's free and we we give freedom to people by thinking something differently. You know, we we go uh outside of uh the actual beauty to in terms of product, and we we come with the freshness and the and a new cycle for beauty.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Yeah, so I think it's interesting. I what's so you know, this is really uh paradigm shifting. Um, because if you really love these products and you are starting to use free each products, there's a different, there's a whole different way of purchasing products, it's a different mentality, a different process. And also storing your products, you store them in the refrigerator.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yeah, you can uh also without put it necessary in the fridge. It's exactly like vegetable fruit and vegetable. Some people put it in the fridge, the other one not. And we develop the product in order to stay two weeks uh outside, uh, you know, in the bathroom as usual, or uh one month if you put it in the fridge, you see. So because behind the product we have, it's all the nutrients we have in the product that makes the difference and the efficacy. Because having a such uh short uh time life, in fact, it was important to be efficient because normally for skincare products, in fact, it's normally uh let's say at least one month or even two months to see uh performance efficacy. In fact, we only have two weeks for the consumer to say, wow, it works, you know. So so that so let's talk about the process.

SPEAKER_02 9:28

Just I want people to get an idea of how it works. So it's really a subscription where you are receiving products regularly on you know on a cycle, basically, um, based on what you determine, you know, your you know, what you need, what you want, and the frequency. But products are delivered directly to your home fresh every three weeks.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Yeah, exactly. So, in the fact, even that uh our production is done every week, you know, small batches uh with uh fresh food, fruit and vegetables that we internally uh cold press. In fact, and directly soon we have the juice, in fact, we make the formulation, and then we put in the box the and and then we send to the consumer. Two days after they they got in your in their mailbox directly because it's going it's thin and it's going directly through uh through the mailbox, and they use for two weeks. And then when these two products, in fact, uh we all the content the packaging was uh uh aluminum and and glass, and in fact, they put back in the box and it's prepaid to for return, and then we have a process of reusing the packaging and and uh having like uh short uh upcycling and uh and uh and and short uh circular economy about uh especially the packaging.

SPEAKER_02 11:01

Yeah, so that's I thought that was super interesting. So one of the things that's so groundbreaking about Freege is that you are getting products that were made within a week in most cases, they were made within a week. Uh they're fresh, they arrive to your mailbox, and then you return the containers and they're completely reused. So it's a completely circular process.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Exactly. Yeah. I mean, that that is one of the many things, yeah. Important good.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Yeah, I think that's um that I think that's groundbreaking. I think that's also really complicated, and I can see why it is taking, you know, with the formulas themselves, getting the formulas, you know, really in a place where they're um, you know, where you want them and where they're stable and where they're you know effective and where they really deliver, you know, a good result to the customer is one aspect. But the whole logistics of this and creating a circular company, I think that's fascinating. And I think that is, you know, what we're gonna obviously be seeing a lot more of that with Loop coming to market, which will be uh bringing on to the Blue Beauty webinar um in the coming weeks. Um, but it's very, very innovative, and I can see why you as a beauty innovator were really drawn to this company.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

I think it's it's true that uh I would say uh it's something all the the full business uh model behind Food Beauty is something changing the code of the because normally it's three years uh uh life and and and in fact we really wanted to inspirate it by the food, we really wanted to think, okay, so in the food we had the metal box, and then you have the fridge, and then you have the fresh. And and for the cosmetic, we are still in the metal box uh product approach, you know, for in one way. So we really wanted to move to shift to something fresh. So it means logistics, it means uh creativity, it means also having products uh without standardization because when you buy a product for uh for uh and one day, uh if it's in uh uh at this time also uh October, um it's it's uh popkin and and and carrots, but uh when it's going to be uh February, it's going to be oranges or moving to uh uh to melon in uh in summer. So it means that we we really want to follow the season, to follow the freshness, to be close to the farmer, and and and having like a uh a local ecosystem of uh what is uh what is the planet gives to us, or something like that, do you think?

SPEAKER_02 14:17

Yeah, so I want to dive into the blue beauty aspects of freege because that's really what we're here to talk about. I mean, I think we could get I we could talk a lot, you know. What I love about Inacos is that is um it's really about innovation. You know, Inecos is a platform for innovation in the beauty space. So I think we can talk about the innovation um a lot, but I want to talk about the blue beauty aspects because I think um that's what I'm passionate about. That's why I'm hosting this webinar. And I think um this is, you know, blue beauty is innovative. I mean, I think that's that's kind of the crossroads is to really make a positive impact on the environment and give us products that we can really feel good about and that are sustainable. We need to be innovative. So I love this uh so much. So let's talk about the blue beauty aspects. The ingredients are all organic. Yes, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 15:20

So the ingredients are uh let's say so the ingredients are all uh natural origin and uh more than uh 70% organic. Yeah, all the fruit and vegetables are organic.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

And the uh the delivery is the delivery in the package.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

I know that in US uh go ahead. Yeah, the packaging is uh is a small packaging as we are uh uh working uh so the the consumer uses it for two weeks, two or three weeks. So it's uh 15 uh milliliter. So it's really dedicated for uh for this uh the usage, you know. It's really uh exactly the quantity you need for uh for the time you use it.

SPEAKER_02 16:11

Yeah, so really zero waste in many ways. I mean, how many beauty products are we throwing away um you know that are going unused in the in, you know, they're not being used in time, and we're wasting it that way. So it's sort of you know, by uh by engaging with you know in purchasing the freege um products, it's you think we are committing to a more zero-waste lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

It's really uh like uh like um on demand. Yeah, uh it's really an approach of uh using cosmetic and beauty on demand. It depends, you know, it's short time, but it's uh it's really focused on what your skin needs, what you are looking for, and and what are the the seasonal uh approach of of that, you know, because your your skin is changing and and and the benefits you are looking for are different, and and you can play by using uh uh only the cream or the serum and the cream. You can mix like a detox and the glow and uh and and and the hydration at the same time because everything is compatible. You play with your cosmetics at the time you need a heat.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Yeah, so the intern, I want to dive into the seasonality and the local aspect of it because I think that's a whole next level. I mean, it's one thing to like create products that are free from a lot of ingredients that are harmful to the environment, processes that are harmful to the environment. Um, and here you have a zero waste and circular product and company. So people who really are in engaged in that and wanting to um be zero waste in their lifestyle and uh and still have you know really fresh products and beautiful products. But what really blew me away about when I was talking to you is the way that you're sourcing um the ingredients. The uh free is not static. You don't get the same products every month, you are getting what is seasonally available from local farmers. So in France, where freege is only available in France right now, right? For today, and then I heard you said next year coming over here to California, exactly California, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Yeah, because and and and the concept and the concept of fridge is really that is the fact that when soon we are going uh outside of France and and we still have the concept of uh working directly with the farmer to have uh a short cycle and uh and and to be local and season. So we will we will go in California, we will select the the farmer, we will uh define for the different needs. For example, if you go to the globe, you need to have beta-carotene inside the the fruit and vegetable. So we are going to select by season what are the beta-carotene, fruit and vegetables available in California, and we will produce locally in California, thanks to uh to that, and and having uh products which are completely different, by the way, buying uh in California comparing to France at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

Yeah. So I think like so many people are going to want, like my first thing that I'm thinking is like I I would love to see this lab. I think it's like a kitchen lab, you know. And I really think that in the coming years everybody's gonna be talking about free and it's gonna really be groundbreaking. Um, and I love this um idea of sourcing locally from local farmers um and supporting them and obviously paying a fair wage to farmers, to local farmers. Exactly. Sourcing organically uh as much as you can and uh creating a circular product.

SPEAKER_01 20:38

I just the plan the plan we have for so the company is so with fridge and the benefits we are going to to get is is in fact to uh to help farmers to go to organic. Because we know in France is a challenge because the question of uh uh quality of the of the field. And uh, you know, so we we know that they need support and and they need also they they could also have the opportunity of uh uh of uh with this product to boost their business also. So you know, so there are a lot of things to do and to work with the farmer, and that is really the ambition we have, you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

I think that's an incredible, that's incredible beauty company with that's in partnership with the farmers. So um let's just talk about the products themselves for a moment so we can understand what if people have an allergy, say, to strawberries or to mango or like I don't know, cucumber or whatever you know is seasonally being um mixed into the formula.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

In fact, we we worked uh this aspect uh with uh uh dermatologist. In fact, Alex Algologist, dermatologist, and it appears that when people are allergic for fruit and vegetables, is mainly the skin of the fruit and vegetable and the pesticides inside the fruit and vegetables. So it means that in the process we have by uh by cleansing and using organic cleansing and having the juice, we we avoid that because it was not necessarily the fruit and the vegetable, but it's more the pesticide. Then there is so internal uh allergens inside, for example, the mean essential oils or the thing like that. But it's a process of through the uh the and the vegetable to get uh essential oils. The way we are making like a raw juice, fresh juice from our uh product. In fact, we we tested and we have we have seen that there is no allergen inside our juice, so it means that it's natural, uh plant-based, but without any uh allergen inside, because it's juice, you know. And uh and and that was really a surprise for us because we were afraid of having to uh to label uh allergens inside because it's uh mainly connected with natural and organic uh uh products, but uh based on the fact that we are using juice, fresh juice, in fact, we don't have any allergens to label on your product.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

That's so interesting. I I would totally want to learn more about that. Um so that's uh but that's very interesting. So let's talk about a little bit of distribution. So the um the products come, do they only come on subscription or can you purchase them as a one-time um product?

SPEAKER_01 24:02

And how much how much yeah, you can you can so in fact today you can mainly we be we initiate uh with one-time uh uh buying, you know, so and we are developing subscription because it was a the uh demand from consumers, and uh and in fact, uh what we we have different types of usage. Some consumers are every three weeks buying our products and using the same. Uh, some others are buying also regularly, but changing depending on the season or what they need. One uh one time they want the time, the other one was hydration, and you know, and others are working like by season, having like a cure of our product, and they make it each three months, or you see. So it's it's really a different uh type of usage, and uh and and and it's great because it's also uh good to have the consumer adapting the usage by uh by their need, you know.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

And what's the price point approximately um for the products or for the subscription?

SPEAKER_01 25:22

So the the product uh the product itself, each product we we decided to to make easy and and to have the same price for for all the products, you know, and and the unit is uh 1290 euro. And uh and in fact, uh so the you can buy by two, by three, or you know, and uh and and and the box, the queue, which uh three products uh with the serum, the cream, and the and the mask, and it's uh 38 euro, you know, and and for subscription, so we are on the developing, it's it's around uh, I would say a discount of 10%, 10 or 15%, depending on on what you are buying, if it's one product or three product.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

Can you say again how many euros it is for the um for the individual product and for the set? It was cutting out a little bit for me.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

In fact, the the I I would say the the buying, the average by uh the medium of buying, average buying is uh is more like a set, you know, it's between two and three products, you know, is rarely only one.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

How many euros was that again?

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Sorry, uh, it was bad quality. I mean, yeah, in average the consumer buy between two and three products, more than one only one.

SPEAKER_02 26:47

Right, and the price point, sorry, I couldn't understand the price in Euros.

SPEAKER_01 26:52

Do you hear well? Ah, was one one uh the the price was uh 1290 euro, uh one product, and three products it's 38 uh I don't know 90 or 80 million.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

Yeah, okay, great.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

Yeah, I think that's easy. We wanted to make the price, I would say we wanted to make the price uh accessible. It's not we know it's more like a premium positioning, but we doesn't want to have these products uh uh very uh responsible and uh you know uh not accessible for the the maximum of people.

SPEAKER_02 27:36

Yeah, absolutely. That's I think the interesting thing. If you're gonna be purchasing it monthly every three to four weeks, it needs to be at an accessible price point where you feel like, okay, I can afford to buy this every month. Um kind of you know, like you buy your groceries. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

And for yes, uh exactly. You know why? In fact, we have we have in France like uh so be beside the the e-commerce, the e-shop we have, uh we have what we call in France the La Ruche Kidiwi. So it's like a grocery, uh so direct to uh farmers, and in fact, we we have this main distribution all the all over the France. In fact, with this uh system which is grocery, yes, it makes sense. It's even more uh grocery the connected than cosmetic connected, you know.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

Yeah, absolutely. So you're going to also be distributed not only if you order it by mail, but in these locations where you can buy it right out of the refrigerator. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 28:44

Yes, yes. So that that is the plan, but uh but in fact we are uh we we need to manage this uh short uh of uh uh you know production, you know. So it's it means we need to have rotation, we need to have enough demands, and and it's true that uh uh as it is today, is much practical having on demand and receiving directly. So the e-commerce uh or e uh e-platform is uh the most adapted for now, but we are still working hard to find uh other uh way of distribution for sure. And we are, for example, as I told you, uh working with um with cosmetologists and spa to develop a very specific uh line for them.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

For great, for spas, that's interesting. So, Irina just posted this question, and I think it's a good question for right now. Of all of the aspects of free, what was your biggest challenge?

SPEAKER_01 29:56

I guess the biggest challenge was really to develop the product, you know. We we we we really spent two years, and that was not at all uh obvious. You know, we had uh so each time we uh uh get up to a gate, in fact, we had other problems, and then and then so in order to make uh this uh juice uh other cosmetic products uh that the consumer play uh so applied it, use it with pleasure and with efficacy, was really a big challenge. Now we're managing it, and and in fact, we initiate the first launch with with skincare, but we are working for uh uh for cleanser launching in October, and then we are working with uh body care and and then also air care, you know. So the the ambition we have is really to develop and and to to go through uh uh all the categories and to bring the freshness with all the categories.

SPEAKER_02 31:03

Yeah, I think it's fascinating. I always say you can, you know, you can have the um best packaging, the best marketing, the best, you know, everything. But if the juice in the bottle is not really good, it's not gonna go anywhere. Um I think you know, we have so many brands at beauty heroes, and you know, of course, you want everything to have, you know, all the different aspects of a brand to make it successful, but what's inside the bottle is so important. So I'm glad to be, I'm so happy to hear that that was your biggest challenge because that's the most important thing is what you're delivering to to the customer and all the rest. I mean, there's so many challenges in bringing uh brand market. Yeah, and I think this must have been like the biggest challenge of your career.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

We have a daily challenge.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Yeah, yeah. I think that people are going to be talking about free uh in the coming years. I can't wait to see the impact that this concept makes on the beauty space. Um, you know, really thinking, you know, I am sort of imagining us going to the market and picking up our fresh juices and also our fresh skincare at the same time. Um and exactly, yeah, and really changing um this and uh really looking forward to seeing how uh freeze makes a positive impact on farmers and um and uh you know the environment and creating a circular product. So thank you so much, Laurence, for sharing it here first. I feel like this is a very new concept and it was a pleasure for me to explore it with you and learn about it.

SPEAKER_00 33:00

Thank you guys. I just want to say I hope yes, thank you, Laurence. Um I hope uh your story was very inspiring. Uh it is a very inspiring for me. I think many of us, you know, experienced at home with some of the food products and masks and and kind of get these ideas that it's possible as a business, but uh uh nobody could make it really like but but to make it work as a business, this is where the innovation is, I think. And uh I think it's uh you know, bravo for uh making it happen and uh also uh uh big respect for making it uh for thinking of uh environment uh and things like that. And this is the reason of our webinars here to get inspired other brands to also uh innovate in a direction of sustainability and uh and uh preserving and giving back to the environment. And this is all the movements behind which the challenge are not staying right now. Uh so thank you very much, and uh um just want to remind there will be a big uh uh next Thursday. There is a no webinar. Uh we're giving a little bit of break for school, and uh also uh, but we will uh rejoin again on the 10th of September and 17th of September with the presentations from uh um a small indie brand uh Josh Rosenbook and um uh Loop uh of course Anthony Royce, TVP of business development at Josh Rosebrook's coming up on September 10th and September 17th, Anthony Rossi with Luke.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Laurence, I can't wait till the breach is available in California.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

Hurry up, yes, and for sure, very soon. Thank you very much, guys. Thank you, it was a pleasure. Yes, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

And if you want to connect with Laurence, please get in touch with us and we will make and facilitate the connection. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

Yes, we will.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Thank you very much.