Nikos Sakellaropoulos, Chemical Engineer, M.Sc., Production Manager of Esthique Natural Cosmetics, talks to epixeiro.gr about the cosmetics industry in Greece, the competition and the innovations that this company uses in the production and composition of its products.
Tell us about Esthique Natural Cosmetics. How did its creation come about, what is the philosophy "behind" this particular brand?
The brand was created based on the need to turn to nature for the care, treatment and protection of the face and body, with natural cosmetics that provide purity, efficiency and safety.
What we were sure of from the beginning was that we wanted to create something innovative and fresh, a coherent proposition to reconsider traditional cosmetics, setting the bar very high in quality. This was a big challenge for us, but at the same time a clear goal. Our passion and quality production, enabled us to create 100% Greek natural cosmetics of very high quality, with organic olive oil from Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms in combination with natural St. John's wort oil.
Thus, the Greek natural cosmetics with cold extracted organic olive oil Esthique Natural Cosmetics, which have all the European certificates of legal circulation and have undergone complete dermatological tests.
What is the "relationship" between Esthique Natural Cosmetics and Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms? How do the two specific efforts "interact"?
Our story begins in 1992 with Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms. It is directly connected with the tradition and production of extra virgin olive oil, at the foot of Taygetos and Parnonas, in Sparta, Laconia, in a completely organic way.
Our enthusiasm for our family production organic olive oil, combined with the constant demand for new natural care and beauty products offered by the Greek land, officially contributed to the creation of a new business venture in 2009.
The original idea, the inspiration and the final implementation of the recipes for natural cosmetics come from and have the signature of the cosmetologist Athanasia Kanara - Sakellaropoulou. After several years of research and testing, the connection between Sakellaropoulos olive oil products and the absolute natural care and beauty was completed.
We could say that these pure cosmetics are the natural sequent of the long course of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms. Combining the award-winning olive oils that we produce, together with pure, natural and fully tested raw materials, but also complete scientific monitoring and know-how at all stages, we managed to create truly natural cosmetics with specialties, innovations in our history and of our land.
What are the products offered today by Esthique Natural Cosmetics? Are there any plans for further expansion of the range?
Always based on absolutely natural beauty and care, we have created 3 categories of natural cosmetics. They result from the study of the beneficial properties and beneficial effects of olive and all natural oils and extracts (such as lavender, jasmine, rose, ylang ylang, aloe, orange, honey, milk, lemon, cinnamon, propolis, rose, chamomile, etc.) that led our company to a full range of face and body care products.
St. John's wort oil wax creams with vitamin E, natural beeswax as well as precious oils - extracts are a modern version of the classic wax ointments or balms. They have fully tested natural ingredients, are based on the St. John's wort oil we produce, follow specific quality standards, are dermatologically tested, are not tested on animals and do not contain parabens, sls but also many other chemical ingredients.
The handmade natural soaps with organic olive oil, precious oils and extracts of Esthique Natural Cosmetics are produced with the award-winning organic olive oil of Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, have all the legal European circulation notices, are dermatologically tested and do not contain parabens. They are an evolution of olive oil soaps, mainly qualitatively, with innovative ingredients and production methods.
Finally, in exclusive collaboration with Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, at Esthique Natural Cosmetics we have included in our proposals the 100% natural, St. John's Wort Oil, one of the best natural oils offered by the Greek land.
The natural cosmetics Esthique Natural Cosmetics are 100% Made in Greece. They are produced with natural ingredients and organic olive oil exclusively in Greece, mainly by Greek certified raw materials and all production processes taking place in our country.
Our goal is in the coming years to further expand the range of our natural cosmetics in different areas of beauty, creating new products with innovations in their production.
What are the difficulties you faced in creating a series of 100% Greek natural cosmetics and how did you overcome them?
The production of natural cosmetics is governed by great difficulty. There are many ingredients that are not allowed or that we did not want to use in our cosmetics and we excluded them. At the same time, they need a large initial investment and know-how, especially in the creation of cosmetics, in order to produce quality and specialised cosmetics.
Also, unlike classic cosmetics, there are no ready-made "formulas" and ready-made production recipes. So, we had to rely on completely natural ways of preservation, action and composition our products, but also to create all our cosmetics from scratch, based on the raw materials we have but also to turn to our organic farms.
What is the competition in Greece today in this product category? What are the axes on which you base your branding in order to reach the consumers in a targeted and efficient way?
Doing extensive research before the establishment of the company, we found that there is quite a lot of competition in the field of cosmetics in Greece, but also that many products on the market follow the same standards of quality and composition.
We sought to differentiate ourselves completely from the existing trend, even from the beginning. We aim to create specialized cosmetics, natural cosmetics, aimed at those who pay special attention to their personal care, the cosmetic products that they use but are also interested in nature and the environment.
Using pure ingredients and based on our production in the best possible quality of cosmetics we can produce, we make it clear to the consumer public that our natural cosmetics are special, innovative and aimed at a niche market.
We have known you more extensively due to the award-winning organic olive oils you produce. How is this process evolving today? What are the latest developments?
Sakellaropoulos Organic Farms, for 28 years now, have a unique innovative range of olive products, which are now awarded for the quality, taste and health ingredients they contain. So far, our organic olive oils and gourmet table olives have been awarded 164 top awards in internationally recognized competitions. Most recent is our double distinction at the Aristoleo High Phenolic Awards 2020, where two types of our table olives have been awarded the SUPER HEALTH GOLD AWARD for their health and protective ingredients.
What are the next goals for your organic farmsand the Esthique brand? How will your strategy evolve in 2020, taking into account the current pandemic?
Although the current pandemic has affected all of us, we remain positive in our thoughts. We continue with the best perspective and maintain our goal: to produce and export innovative Greek olive products and natural cosmetics, transporting a part of Greece throughout the world.
Source: epixeiro.gr