David Pouilloux came to interview our founder Chloe in April 2022 during the Ullule campaign.
With its solid cosmetics, On Behalf is aiming for the international market
Faced with the supremacy of liquid cosmetics, the Nantes brand On Behalf is betting on solid products. Its soaps, sticks and soon shampoos and creams are organic and aim for zero waste. Its ambition: to aim internationally, where French cosmetics are a hit.
Chloé Le Clerc de la Herverie, founder of the solid and organic cosmetics brand On Behalf. — Photo: David Pouilloux
We can have golden proposals from a global group, and say no because something more important is itching. "I always told myself that if I didn't create my own business before I retired, I would have regrets all my life, says Chloé Le Clerc de la Herverie. I had been thinking about it for ten years and , as I approached my forties, I took the plunge."
After 14 years spent with the cosmetics giant L'Oréal, the world leader in beauty, the 38-year-old entrepreneur with a creative temperament chose to leave Paris and settled in Nantes to create her own brand of cosmetics, On Behalf. "I wanted to create an impactful and committed brand, she explains. Cosmetics that are good for the planet and for people." The Anglo-Saxon sounding name means "in the name of". In the name of the planet and in the name of those who want to preserve it.
Solid, organic, zero plastic cosmetics
Organic and solid cosmetics from the Nantes brand On Behalf: soaps, sticks for the whole family, and soon shampoos and creams. - Photo: David Pouilloux
Thus, Chloé Le Clerc de la Herverie first thinks of zero plastic. “Nearly 95% of cosmetics have non-reusable plastic packaging, she argues. This is particularly the case for shower gels. I offer solid cosmetics, soaps, with zero plastic and recyclable packaging made of paper or cardboard-based." Another advantage of these solid products: "In a shower gel, 80% of the weight is water. It's the opposite in a soap: 80% of the weight is the active product." Advantage ? "My products last longer, assures the leader. A shower gel is used in two weeks, my soaps, for the same use, last two months." A saving for the planet and for the wallet.
"The offer is tiny today," said Chloé Le Clerc de la Herverie. On the commitment side, precisely, the business manager defends the made in France, not only with the blue-white-red cord that is used to carry her soaps. "The soap factory with which I work is in Normandy, she specifies. I had demanding specifications on the formula, the active products and the form of my soaps. They appreciated having to innovate." The soap pouch (for travel) and the soap saver (to store small pieces of soap) are designed by an Esat, in Legé (Loire-Atlantique). The accessories: the soap holders, in recycled plastic, come from Brittany, while the ceramic ones are made in Nantes. Finally 1% of the turnover will be donated to an association dedicated to "the self-esteem and self-confidence of children", notes the entrepreneur with also social concerns.
Go international quickly
She successfully launched a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Ulule. "I wanted to see if there was an appetite for this type of product, she said. I was counting on 100 pre-orders, I had more than 1,000."Winner of Réseau Entreprendre and the French Tech grant (Bpifrance) for R&D, supported by the Pays de la Loire Region (PL2i innovation award and grant aid), On Behalf, created in 2021, will have the means to develop. “I am aiming for 200,000 euros in turnover for the year 2023 and quickly 500,000 euros, then 1 million euros by 2025, specifies Chloé Le Clerc de la Herverie, who plans to recruit in 2023. ambition is to quickly expand my range with a solid shampoo and a cream. In less than a year, our online sales site will be translated into English. I am targeting Great Britain, the United States and Asia to my international development, where French beauty products are particularly appreciated." Distribution will take place in France in pharmacies, parapharmacies, in the signs of organic and natural products, before being in signs for the general public. "I want my products to be accessible to everyone." And all over the world...