Portrait
Interview with Alex Kummerow, founder of Herbivore
Because reducing Herbivore's success to the simple aesthetics of its colorful bottles would be frankly reductive, we gave the floor to Alex Kummerow, one of Herbivore's founders. So, if you'd like to hear about homemade soap recipes, love stories... but also social justice and sustainability, we suggest you read on :-)
Hello Alex! Tell us how the idea of launching your own brand came about?
In 2011, Julia and I had been together for 2 years. And one of the things that has always united us is the joy of creating. Creativity has always been the core of our relationship, so we were looking for something we could work on together. Our favorite local handmade soap store on Capitol Hill (in Seattle), had just closed its doors. It was really sad: it was run by a person who sold her soaps right in front of her store and made them in the back... That inspired us and we thought, "Hey, that could be us!Hey, that could be us!". We'd seen him behind his counter and had a vague idea of how to make soap. So we started looking in books for do-it-yourself soap recipes, and we were hooked! When we started experimenting with new recipes using different ingredients, I fell in love with a clay soap I'd just made. It was so incredible that I was thinking to myself: "Oh my God, this soap has changed my life!Oh my God, this soap has changed my life!". Well, looking back, I think it was mostly a premonition that something incredible was about to happen... Then Julia had the same experience. That was the birth of soaps to which we added clay, that natural ingredient that makes skin so soft!
I learned that in the very beginning, Julia sold her soaps only on Etsy and was quickly overtaken by success. How do you explain the fact that so many people have taken to it so quickly?
It was a question of timing. Ten years ago, soaps on Etsy were incredibly successful. There was a lot of creativity, and lots of cool and interesting new ingredients. So we made sure that our creativity wouldn't just be in our products, but also in our photos, in an overall aesthetic that would really make us stand out. For us, a skincare product shouldn't "just" be effective (although that's obviously important). How it makes you feel when you use it is just as important. Basically, all we've ever wanted to do is offer a holistic experience to boost people's moods and brighten up their routines, not just their skin. Herbivore's simple, airy aesthetic is what set us apart from other brands on Etsy. We also wanted to prove that natural products could be beautiful and luxurious. And indeed, that they should become a standard, a normality: after all, they have the same benefits as their synthetic counterparts, but without the drawbacks. And then some!
"If you have a voice, use it. If you have a brand, use it. If you have celebrity status, use it. We can all initiate change, but it only really works when we all unite."
Behind the colorful, ultra-instagrammable Herbivore packaging lies a real social and environmental battle. Was it obvious from the outset?
When we started the Herbivore adventure, I remember going to a bottle wholesaler in Seattle and realizing "What?! It's that easy to get glass bottles instead of plastic ones?". They were a little more expensive, yes, but the difference wasn't that huge and, more importantly, they were much more recyclable. Plastic waste is a big problem in the beauty industry, and we've always done our best to avoid it. Now that our brand has grown a lot, we can leverage our packaging suppliers and ask them to innovate for a greener future. We are now aiming for the complete elimination of virgin plastic closures by 2022. Finally, we've always been very careful about ingredients: we make sure that every supplier follows our guidelines around environmental and ethical sustainability. And we've always used our brand as a means, a platform to fight social injustice. When we first started doing this, many people told us to stick to beauty and that they didn't really care about our point of view on equality, on the planet... But frankly, this is no time to be silent. If you have a voice, use it. If you have a brand, use it. If you have celebrity status, use it. We can all start the change, but it only really works when we all unite.
Okay, we know it's a complicated question, but... what's your favorite product?
It's hard, but my favorite is the Lapis Facial Oil. Julia and I personally formulate 95% of Herbivore products and this is the one I'm most proud of. It's also the one I like using the most. This oil has a very deep blue-ink colour thanks to a high concentration of blue chamomile, a plant from Morocco known for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. Extracted from olive oil, squalane is the main vegetable oil in the formula and has an incredible, silky texture... it's the most luxurious. Finally, its fragrance is a subtle alliance of blue chamomile and Hawaiian jasmine sambac flower. And I love its generous glass bottle - it's a real eye-catcher in the bathroom!
And finally, the best beauty tip you've ever been given?
Stand up straight and wash your face! No... more seriously, as a boy, I didn't get much beauty advice (although I would have loved to!). And I know it's not what you'd want to hear or read, so let's be serious: skin needs regularity and consistency, so try to make a real routine for yourself and keep it as minimal as possible. Avoid products that do double duty, such as those with exfoliating properties. And if you're in the process of changing your routine, try to incorporate your new products as you go along, to avoid sensitivities. And of course... natural products work!
Did you like this post? Then you should love "We tested for you... the cult Herbivore products".
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Prism Exfoliating Glow Facial Masque Eclat Exfoliant AHA & BHA
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Coco Rose Exfoliating Body Scrub Exfoliant Corps
