After professional experience in the beauty sector, Clémentine and Camille imagine eco-responsible products made in France. Since then, their "Les Petits Prödiges" range has been a hit!
Camille and I are very close friends. We met during our first year of study and we never left each other! From that time, we dreamed of creating a company together, but it seemed an unattainable dream to us. Once we got our diploma, we each worked on our own in the beauty sector, which was of particular interest to us. Camille cut her teeth in a big American company of skincare, make-up and perfumes, and I for a famous website selling products.
When we met, we did the same observation: there were too many products on the market! To look beautiful and take care of themselves, women had to have, in their bathroom, a day cream, an eye treatment, masks, creams for the hands, for the body, a make-up remover, an oil for damaged hair ... But were they all really essential? During a one-to-one dinner, we realized that it would take a single product to meet all of these needs. This is where the idea of "Petits Prödiges" was born: why not design a multifunctional balm? To stick to our values, we wanted a product that respects all skin types, that is 100% natural and not tested on animals. Very concerned about the future of the planet, I also wanted our products to be natural and eco-responsible. We wanted to get back to basics, basic care. At the time, ranges of this type did not appeal, did not always smell good or had unpleasant textures. This is why ours had to be attractive, in a nice packaging, with smells worthy of classic cosmetics. Above all, made in France was essential for both of us: we wanted to support the economy and local know-how and avoid long polluting transportations. It was important to participate, at our level, in the development of made in France!
When we met, we did the same observation: there were too many products on the market! To look beautiful and take care of themselves, women had to have, in their bathroom, a day cream, an eye treatment, masks, creams for the hands, for the body, a make-up remover, an oil for damaged hair ... But were they all really essential? During a one-to-one dinner, we realized that it would take a single product to meet all of these needs. This is where the idea of "Petits Prödiges" was born: why not design a multifunctional balm? To stick to our values, we wanted a product that respects all skin types, that is 100% natural and not tested on animals. Very concerned about the future of the planet, I also wanted our products to be natural and eco-responsible. We wanted to get back to basics, basic care. At the time, ranges of this type did not appeal, did not always smell good or had unpleasant textures. This is why ours had to be attractive, in a nice packaging, with smells worthy of classic cosmetics. Above all, made in France was essential for both of us: we wanted to support the economy and local know-how and avoid long polluting transportations. It was important to participate, at our level, in the development of made in France!
While each continuing our respective jobs full time, we began to work on this project. We would meet in the evenings and weekends, at one or the other, to move forward. Suffice to say that during this period, we did not go out much, or go on vacation with our friends and our family! With Camille, I had to work to refine our idea, to design the name, logo and packaging for our brand. Mainly, I looked for a chemist to compose the recipe for our product. Luckily, we met a formidable one in an independent laboratory in the south of France. For her, I had a personal and professional crush! She helped us immensely in refining our recipe and came up with the idea of adding vitamin E as a natural preservative.
On October 1, 2017, we launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Internet: on the Ulule.com site, we introduced our project and offered to Internet users to give us a financial boost in exchange the shipment of products. A real success: while our goal was to raise 5,000 euros, we received more than 21,000 euros in less than a month! The comments were very enthusiastic. It touched us and encouraged us to continue. From the initial idea to its completion, our project will have taken us a year.On November 1, 2017, we launched with emotion our multifunction balm serving at the same time as facial care, make-up remover, cream for the hands, the body, the ends of the hair .. Available on our website, it was then on sale in various stores, in Monoprix and at Nature & Découverte. To meet the demand, we assembled the packaging ourselves, affixed the labels, sent our products by post ... Shortly after, we quit our jobs to devote ourselves 100% to our brand. Building on our momentum, we then created a deodorant in February 2019. Our pride? It was the first 100% natural deodorant, made in France, vegan and in a biodegradable tube, that is to say with zero plastic! Once again, on Ulule, our product was very popular: we received 4000 pre-sales. A way to raise funds, without having to advance them, to launch a large production. For a year now, we can finally pay ourselves a salary. For young business creators under the age of three, this is a good sign. Our next challenge? Start with a solid soap and shampoo. Then, maybe later, toothpaste and washable cotton ... I am very proud of our success and that our "Little Prödiges" do not contain parabens, preservatives, sulphates or alcohol.
I am also happy to share this success with Camille: our friendship has been an advantage in this adventure. We knew how to communicate with each other, there was never any tension. A sign that our ten-year relationship is in good shape, I witnessed her 4 marriage last month!
Clémentine
