Meet Lucile from Laboté — the woman revolutionizing how we make cosmetics
Passionate about beauty and plants from an early age, Lucile started creating her first rose waters when she was just a kid. She has now made it her life mission to create custom cosmetics as an alternative to standardized ‘one-size-fits-all’ cosmetics through her business Laboté, a botanical beauty brand.
Tell us about your journey: how did you get to where you are today?
I’m now 29 and have always loved plants and mixtures: when I was younger, I used to make ‘magic potions’ from plants I found in my garden.
I then completed my Doctorate in Pharmacy and a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris, which I thought would be useful for a potential entrepreneur!
The idea of Laboté was sparked during my time working as a pharmacist. I became frustrated while attempting to find the one product that could meet customer needs. I eventually channeled my dissatisfaction into what finally became Laboté’s concept: a botanical laboratory that could produce custom-made creams on demand. After hundreds of attempts and one and a half years later, I was excited to feel like I had cracked the formula. At this point, with just €10,000 in my pocket — from winning an entrepreneurs competition at HEC — I knew I needed more financial support if Laboté was ever going to see the light of day. That’s when I met Antoine Fine and Camille Kriebitzsch from Eutopia. The fit was immediate.
What’s the philosophy behind Laboté?
In the same way that there is now an alternative food industry offering healthy, fresh and organic products, I believe that today it is possible to design sustainable and responsible cosmetics that are clean and effective from beginning to end; better for the skin and better for the planet.
Describe a typical day for you at Laboté.
I like to arrive very early at work. I usually start my day checking website traffic, the performance of our latest campaigns, sales performances and overall finances. Then, I might catch up with Laboté’s pharmacists, who share with me the latest feedback they’ve received from customers, which is priceless information. I try to schedule all my calls and interviews at the end of the day. We also do a lot of workshops, which I find the best way to benchmark existing products, do preliminary research for product development, create and test new products. As an example, it was actually during a workshop that Laura, our Innovation Manager, and I developed our new range of face masks.
What’s the best piece of advice you could give aspiring entrepreneurs?
In my experience, being an entrepreneur is a state of mind. If you are patient, daring and work hard, then nothing is impossible. There are always tough moments: I remember some business angels telling me that if I wanted to be taken seriously, I needed to partner with a man, or industry leaders repeatedly saying it wasn’t possible to create custom-made cosmetics on demand… and yet, two and a half years later, here I am, doing exactly that in compliance with all regulations.
How about behind the scenes: what is it like to work with you?
I’m an analytical person so when I am told something doesn’t work, I ask lots of questions so I can understand why. I care a lot, but I’m also very demanding. Laura was an intern when she first joined us and once told me that her work at Laboté was very fulfilling. I would love to hear everyone who worked for us say that.
Is there a brand you dream of partnering with?
Sézane! I’m a huge admirer of Morgane Sézalory and feel that the values of her community are very close to Laboté’s, so I’d love to partner with them.
What’s your vision for the cosmetics industry, where do you see it 10 years from now?
I expect all of us to become more conscious about the benefits of cosmetics on demand: cleaner formulas made from plants with superior customer experience. More widely, it is my hope that in the future we stop mass production in general so that products are only manufactured as needed. That would be better for everyone.
__
About Laboté
Laboté is a Paris-based botanical beauty brand designing custom cosmetics as an alternative to standardized ‘one-size-fits-all’ cosmetics. Founded by Lucile Battail in 2016, Laboté has raised one million euros in a seed round with Eutopia and BPI France.
Find out more about Laboté by visiting labote.com
