Care for the skin, care for the planet

Can you introduce yourselves?

Yes. We are Miquel Antolín (26), Mireia Trepat (27) and Joan Miralles (26). Three young chemical engineers trained at the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

Freshly Cosmetics was born only two years ago, in 2016. You had just left university…

We finished our degree at 23 and started working in the chemical sector. Our jobs didn't quite fulfill us, and our dream was to set up our own business. We started thinking about it. Many ideas came to us, and we even discarded ten initiatives. But in the end, we found one that motivated us: to revolutionize the cosmetics sector!

Just like that. Without any prior knowledge of the natural cosmetics sector?

Miquel's mother made homemade soaps…

Ah…

We realized that the market is full of cosmetic products with numerous toxic components that affect the health of our skin and environmental sustainability. So we decided to modernize this practice and revolutionize cosmetics by innovating in the business model, not only towards natural but also towards healthy.

Dream and idea. But without money, it doesn't work. Where did you get funding to start?

The funding sources have been through own resources (the capital contributed as share capital €20,000), with a bank credit policy, and a crowdfunding campaign on the Kickstarter platform with which we raised more than €7,000. This mainly helped us finance the initial production. In addition, we also received two awards: for the best entrepreneurial idea from the Social Council of the Rovira i Virgili University and the Tarragona Smart City Company award.

Only two years have passed. Did you imagine such sudden success?

When you undertake, you must evaluate all possibilities; it's a game of probabilities, and you never know what can happen. Honestly, we thought the brand would be well received, but we couldn't imagine such accelerated growth. The good thing is that success demands you improve and bring out the best in yourself permanently. Every day we face numerous challenges to continue living up to what Freshly Cosmetics represents.

What do Freshly Cosmetics products have that no other cosmetic brand has?

What really sets us apart is that we always put health first. Freshly Cosmetics is 100% natural, toxic-free, cruelty-free, sustainable cosmetics that show respect for the environment and are also vegan-friendly. The key to the products lies in the benefits they provide to the skin, which the customer perceives in comparison to conventional cosmetic brands. In addition, each order is delivered packaged with attention to the smallest detail.

Packaging care is also important.

We are aware that beyond the product, Freshly is a shopping and consumption experience. In addition to natural cosmetics, we define ourselves as a digital brand. Attractive product images and constant communication through social networks. We like to provide a lot of information to the consumer and show our transparency: that generates a Freshly community!

Their prices are not excessively high. How do they manage to balance quality and price?

We highly value and focus on customer retention, and if a consumer repeats, it means they liked the product. We achieve this quality-price relationship by completely eliminating intermediaries. We control the entire process: formulation, manufacturing, and distribution of the product to the final customer.

They have shown that you can succeed in the world of international cosmetics without having to leave Reus. Will they continue with online sales or do they plan to set up their own physical store?

Freshly Cosmetics has an online business model. This past Christmas, we set foot on the street and opened our first Pop Up store in Barcelona. After the experience, we are considering trying in Madrid, as together with Barcelona, they represent between 30 and 40% of our turnover. One of the proposals we have in mind is to open a permanent physical establishment in 2019 in the Catalan capital, although for now, we cannot give you many more details.

They also have a presence in the international market…

At the beginning of last year, we made the leap to the European market, where we already have a presence in Portugal, Italy, and France. This year, our challenge is to establish the brand more strongly in markets where we believe this type of product is truly sought after, and there is not yet an offer aimed at it. We are currently working on a strategy to establish the brand in the United Kingdom. We believe it is a country that will open a door for us to make Freshly Cosmetics known at a European level.

What is the star product?

Hair and facial treatment products are highly demanded, for example, the Detox Refreshing Shampoo and the Hyper-Concentrate Eye Contour Serum are among the brand's best sellers. The first is characterized by being toxic-free, sulfate-free, silicone-free, and paraben-free, acting on the hair with a detox effect that frees us from the dependence on these substances that so much damage the hair, and is complemented with natural extracts of horse chestnut, rooibos tea, natural menthol, aloe vera, grapefruit, and argan oil to provide softness, volume, and strength to the hair. Regarding the eye contour, it concentrates in a single treatment 9 natural clinical technologies that treat all signs of aging around the eyes.

Was Paula Echevarría's promotion disinterested, or how did you get the actress and influencer to mention your brand? Did you notice the effect of her magic wand?

We often work with influencers as part of the marketing strategy for a specific campaign or product launch. With the impact they generate on social media today, influencers have become a loudspeaker to reach our target. We have worked with Paula Echevarría on several occasions and we are very comfortable, the impact she generates is amazing and she has a very high engagement and conversion; as soon as a promotion comes out, the sale of that product automatically skyrockets. The return is immediate and very positive for the brand.

You have just launched a specific line for children. Is focusing on men's cosmetics still complicated?

Our target is female, and although we do not rule out expanding our product line to reach other audiences, for the moment we are focusing on WMW (Working Millennial Women), our main target. There is a growing concern for daily skin care with cosmetics that are as natural as possible.

Although you and most of your clientele belong to the millennial generation, is youth still a disadvantage when starting a business?

Regarding disadvantages, we would mention the lack of knowledge in managing a company and contact with suppliers. But this has helped us learn on the fly and do things our way; and the truth is that we face everything with the same passion and enthusiasm as on the first day.