Caudalie brand ready to tap into clean beauty demand in China

The term "clean beauty" is gaining popularity in the skin care and beauty industry in China in response to consumers' demands for efficacy, transparency and sustainability. Caudalie, a skin care brand originating in France, has pursued efficacy and clean beauty since its inception in 1995 and is ready to embrace the new era.

"China is ready (for the trend)," said Mathilde Thomas, co-founder of Caudalie, who returned to China in mid-March after a three-year absence due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. "When I see there is no more pollution in big cities like Shanghai and young generations want to breathe clean air, (I believe) they do not want any substance on their skin that could be a hormonal destructor and cause any irritation."

According to Mathilde, who required her first name be used, there is no standard for clean beauty products in the market so far, although the concept has become a buzzword among consumers around the world. As a pioneer clean beauty brand with aspirations of "efficacy, cleanness and sustainability", Caudalie's definition of clean beauty is "clean for the skin" and "clean for the planet".

"I created Caudalie so consumers would no longer have to choose among effective products, clean and natural formulas and an eco-friendly brand," said Mathilde.

Efficacy is key

According to Mathilde, the idea of "clean for the skin" means two things: one is eliminating 73 ingredients which are suspected of interfering with the hormonal system, and the other is no irritation.

To fulfill its mission, Caudalie has been strengthening partnerships with top scientists to seek the effectiveness of natural ingredients, such as grapevines, in the last 28 years.

In 1995, after Mathilde learned about the fact that grape seeds contain powerful antioxidants from professor Joseph Vercauteren, laboratory director of the Pharmacy University of Bordeaux, the brand began its journey toward a balance of efficacy, safety and sensorial experience while maintaining its natural origins.

In 2013, the brand created a partnership with David Sinclair, professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, who is known for research on anti-aging mechanisms.

"My collaboration since 2013 with Sinclair has focused on various lines of research carried out into anti-aging mechanisms. My natural raw materials and biology departments take inspiration from the mechanisms and look for natural active ingredients with similar properties. The work is covered by intellectual property shared with Harvard," she said.

The "No List" created by Caudalie in 2006 is another great effort of the brand to promote the concept of "clean for the skin". It began with five substances 17 years ago, and since then, the list has expanded to ban 73 ingredients including parabens, mineral oils, sodium laureth sulfate and animal ingredients.

"I do not make any compromises. I have been intransigent about my product formula for 25 years. In applying the precautionary principle, as soon as I was able to substitute parabens, phenoxyethanol, mineral oils, phthalates, animal ingredients and sodium laureth sulfate in my formulas, I did," said Mathilde.

Positive for the planet

Over the last 28 years, Caudalie has been committed to creating partnerships and launching new sustainable programs to serve the mission of "clean for the planet".

It has been a member of 1% For The Planet since 2012 and is one of the largest world skin care contributors to the organization. It is cooperating with nonprofit organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Pur Project to plant more than 10 million trees across 10 countries.

In 2022, Caudalie planted 110,000 trees in the Zhaoyang Project in Yunnan province in China with the aim to help small-scale farmers fight against land degradation. Since Caudalie joined the project in 2018, more than 620,000 trees have been planted in Yunnan, according to Mathilde.

In 2020, Caudalie took the lead to launch its plastic collecting and recycling program in Thailand. All the plastic used by the brand is recycled to create things locally needed, such as pavement and bricks. About 1,710 metric tons of plastics have been collected since 2020, according to the company. It is looking for partnerships to carry out this program in China.

Caudalie, long on the frontier in addressing environmental issues, is exploring sustainable packaging and plans to have all its packaging made from recycled materials and designed to be recyclable and refillable.

"We want Caudalie to be an eco-friendly brand, as much in manufacturing its formulas and its eco-designed packaging, as the commitments it makes to minimize its impact on the environment," said Mathilde.

Expanding across nation

Debuting in China in 2011, the brand has been expanding its awareness and channels in China and is set to be a benchmark in clean beauty sector development.

"We have always attached great importance to the strategic position of the Chinese market with the intention to bring effective, natural, clean and sustainable skin care products to Chinese consumers. In the past decade, Caudalie has developed well by benefiting from the fast-growing environment in China, and we are so grateful," said Mathilde.

In 2022, Caudalie revealed new images to the Chinese market and launched its updated products.

On March 16, Caudalie released a book in Shanghai to share its practices in clean skin care and its commitment to sustainability so consumers have better understanding of its development.

As China withdraws travel restrictions and promotes economic recovery, Caudalie looks forward to a brighter future. It plans to broaden retail channels and develop offline retail, e-commerce, travel retail and cross-border business.

"We are always fascinated by the dynamism and the capacity of resilience of China's market. Consumers have a lot of choices and they are mature with their selection. In this unique and competitive market, Caudalie will keep investing," said Mathilde.

tangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn