Making personal care products sustainable: why we invested in 900.care
By Matthieu Lattes, General Partner, and Berenice Moustial, Associate
Each year, almost half of the world’s plastic waste comes from consumer product packaging. In Europe, Germany and France are the largest generators of plastic waste, contributing 3.2m and 2.3m metric tons of plastic respectively each year.
Former BCG consultant Aymeric and serial entrepreneur Thomas have set their sight on bringing these statistics down. On a mission to shift people’s habits away from single-use plastic products while providing best-in-class customer experience, they founded 900.care.
Headquartered in Paris, 900.care is a B-corp certified direct-to-consumer brand offering refillable personal care products on a subscription basis.
Creating a more circular economy
The company’s model is based on a clear problem — conventional hygiene and cleaning products contain 90% water and must be transported through the logistics chain, from factories to supermarkets.
So, why not offer consumers the 10% active ingredients of these products, and let them mix them with tap water at home in a reusable bottle?
Since launching, 900.care has developed a next-generation production facility based in Paris to develop and sell compressed sticks of active ingredients, which when dissolved in water allows customers to create over 15 different products, from shower gel to shampoo and deodorants. All of 900.care’s products are made in France, with natural formulas, no animal testing, and at comparable or lower prices than large producers.
Water and plastic-free products considerably simplify the supply and production chain. The absence of plastic reduces costs by nearly 50%, providing 900.care with a strong competitive advantage. Additionally, the absence of water further reduces shipping costs by 2 to 3x, as the brand only has to transport 10% of the weight of traditional products.
As of January 2024, 900.care has already saved the transportation of over 1 million litres of water, prevented the production of 3.5 million pieces of plastic, and cut carbon emissions by 6x, avoiding nearly 1,000 tons of CO2.
Robust economics and positive impact
The lower cost structure allows 900.care to offer its products at an accessible price for consumers, especially in the current context of macroeconomic inflation, which in turn is accelerating its growth.
Since January 2023, active subscribers have risen by 16x, reaching 235,000 subscriptions in France alone, and doubled traditional subscribers’ 12-month retention rate.
Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, 900.care will build on its competitiveness and mission to reconcile purchasing power and sustainability. Thanks to optimised production processes and an inherently lighter cost structure, the company recently announced a significant price drop, ensuring that consumers can buy a more sustainable product at the same price point as mass-produced alternatives.
The financial results speak for themselves. With an impressive growth journey since 2022, increasing revenue by more than 2x, 900.care is performing well and on track to reach profitability soon, while at the same time having a strong positive impact on the environment.
Thomas and Aymeric have demonstrated that building a sustainable company can be combined with profitability and growth. By overcoming the challenge of reimagining the production process of personal care products, they have succeeded in gaining a competitive edge.
A virtuous cycle of sustainable transformation is at play, not only in terms of impact and profitability but also in building a strong community to empower change. Over 2,500 customers have invested in the company to date, making 900.care’s crowdfunding last year a French record. Unsurprisingly, employee NPS hits 100/100, with thanks in part due to the meaningfulness of their mission.
Going global
With a clear mission to disrupt the market with its sustainable model, while maintaining the highest financial standards, we are proud to share that 900.care has closed a €21m Series A with White Star Capital, Lombard Odier Plastic Circularity, Founders Future and Swen Blue Ocean.
This new round of funding will accelerate 900.care’s product development, make refillable products accessible to even more consumers, and accelerate further market launches across the European market valued at €60bn, 6x bigger than the French market.
Investing in 900.care presents an incredible opportunity to make a sustainable impact while addressing the growing market of e-commerce personal care. With our previous investments in DTC brands such as Dollar Shave Club, Freshly, and Butternut Box, we look forward to bringing our expertise to the table and working in partnership with 900.care’s leadership team as they look to grow in becoming the next green giant.
