When two young French decide to start a brand of “DIY” cosmetic for the American market, it’s called Ardolé.
These two young men have just finished their master at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley after EDHEC and in confinement!
Our two entrepreneurs caught the eye of mercisf.com when they launched their crowdfunding campaign in April. Their project, their idea of ”giving transparency to cosmetics” simply made us curious to better understand the trend of organic DIY cosmetics.
Dorian Janvier is more focused on operations and Léo Fredon on the product. The latter even trained as a cosmetic formulator in parallel with his business school studies in order to develop their first moisturizer. He was made aware of the world of cosmetics while doing an internship at Chanel in France.
The first question that seemed obvious to us was … “why” organic DIY cosmetics? It’s not very Silicon Valley …
Dorian Janvier replied that “the American market is a huge market for organic cosmetics ; consumers are are widely aware of organic products and their benefits. There is also a great opportunity because DIY is a true trend in France, but is still very little developed in the United States “.
But then, why prepare your cosmetics yourself if the offer is already so rich?
Obviously the motivations are linked to the new aspirations of consumers; it’s a mix of “zero waste” trends by wanting to avoid packaging, a desire to better control the composition of the products and in the background, the perception that the quality / price ratio will be better if you do it yourself. If a 
cosmetics is assembled in DIY, one can assume that the marketing of the brand does not represent 50% of the price of the finished product!
But who is the target audience of these do-it-yourself products?
To refine their first studies, our two founders carried out a hundred interviews, stayed in touch with about forty volunteers during and after the workshops they organized. Dorian Janvier drew the conclusion that “our target is mainly composed of young women between 20 and 35 years old, most of the time already in professional life, sensitized by what they eat, by what they put on their skin, and who are interested in how the products are made… let’s call them eco-conscious consumers. ”
What does the Ardolé product look like?
Ardolé posts a recipe every day on Instagram based on ingredients that each of us already has in our kitchen cabinets in order to democratize the concept of DIY. But their kit allows the audience to go further through a simpler and more effective approach.
The kit includes 6 organic ingredients (all USDA certified) and is personalized according to the skin type … To determine what are the best ingredients for each skin type, the brand has developed an online questionnaire… Not only it’s an organic DIY product, but it is a personalized moisturizer.
How to get this kit?
By ordering on their e-commerce site which is currently the only distribution channel. If you have never prepared your cosmetics, Ardolé offers to add the tools for preparation (whisk and containers) to your first kit in addition to the ingredients that make your cream. The refill kits will only include the ingredients since all tools and containers are reusable.
The kit comes with detailed instructions and is perfectly shipped in a recyclable packaging.
So if like us you were curious to know more about the DIY cosmetics trend, we suggest you visit the Ardolé website, watch the videos on TikTok, follow them on Instagram and let yourself be tempted by ordering … Preparing your moisturizer is a satisfying experience!
Good luck to Ardolé who sets off in the midst of the Covid storm. Who says entrepreneurship and adventure is gone? !!!
