Where did your interest in “skin care” come from or what inspired you to found “ Éméo”?
My interest came from our son Oliver who developed Eczema. I am a qualified Midwife and in our work we are always in between natural and medical. I researched various ingredients that could be effective against his skin condition and formulated a skin butter as I wanted to avoid cortisone creams. In three months his skin condition improved and completely healed in 5 months.
Where does the name come from?
Originally the company was called M&O Naturel, the M&O came from my children M (Molly) and O (Oliver). Due to intellectual property issues we needed to change name so our daughter came up with Éméo. Phonetically it sounds the same in French and gives some continuity to the brand.
How has “ Éméo” changed your life?
Éméo has been an amazing adventure and allowed me to help many others with skin issues. I can care for others and enjoy formulating various products to find solutions to skin problems. Having my own business gives me flexibility to also be there for me children and I get to learn new skills every day.
How do you stand out from the many competing products?
We create solutions to problems rather than a product that smells good and feels nice. We opted for a skincare range that is unisex, organic, waterless and Swiss Made. We also do our utmost to be as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible. We collaborate with social foundations to support people with disabilities as part of our business model. We believe that you can care for your skin and yourself as well as looking after the environment and the people around us.
What was your biggest challenge in founding “ Éméo”?
The biggest challenge was finding the suppliers for our ingredients and the most eco-friendly packaging for our products. I have also had to multi-task and learn digital marketing, accounting, financial planning and so many administration issues. Being compliant with the cosmetic regulations is also quite demanding.
What problem area do you see in the industry and how do you deal with it?
In Switzerland I see many skincare brands emerge that are not compliant with the regulations, and I worry for the consumers that have no way of knowing who is compliant and who isn’t. I also see a lot of greenwashing, where brands make believe they are natural and then when you dive deeper it is clear that there are many synthetic ingredients.
Which qualities or ingredients have priority in your beauty products?
I LOVE organic carrier oils, they have the most amazing properties and blending them to get the right formulation for the skin’s needs is so satisfying. They can help reinforce the skin’s natural barrier, reduce inflammation, anti-oxidant, stimulate collagen and so much more.
How do we best care for our skin?
It is very easy to care for your skin, less is more! We recommend a routine of three products. Our liniment-Cleanser, followed by a hydrosol or our toner blend and finally one of our oil-based serum according to your skin type. Our serums replace your usual day and night creams. You can always add, face scrubs, masks and eye contours, they are the little extra’s.
What is your personal favorite product from your series?
My personal favorite is our Bee Mine face mask as it took many months to formulate but I am really pleased with the result.
What was the nicest compliment you received for “ Éméo”?
“My skin has never looked and felt so good”
What are your plans for the future?
We are looking for new retailers that would like to stock our products in Switzerland and abroad.
