Freshly Cosmetics: a young and natural bet in cosmetics

The Freshly Cosmetics company is a rare bird within the Catalan entrepreneurial ecosystem. Without the backing of venture capital funds and far from the digital hub of Barcelona, ​​this company born in Reus has managed to position itself in the natural cosmetics sector and has become an example of young and local entrepreneurship.

The determination and self-sufficiency with which the founders work explain the momentum that the business has taken in five years of life. Freshly is on its way to billing 25 million euros without having recorded a year in losses. The formula? Own design, subcontracted production, marketing on social networks and a lot of online sales, how could it be otherwise in a company created by young people and for young people. This is how chemical engineers Mireia Trepat (La Ràpita, 1991) and Miquel Antolín (Batea, 1991) tell it, who claim to have renounced the entry of investment funds and the interest of large cosmetics groups.

turnover

The Reus company expects to go from 12 to 25 million turnover this year

"We believe that alone we can achieve our initial purpose: to popularize natural cosmetics and reduce the environmental footprint on the planet." The business idea was born in the classrooms of the Universitat Rovira y Virgili (URV). Mireia Trepat, Miquel Antolín and Joan Miralles, –the third founder, who only works as a capital partner– met while studying Chemical Engineering at the URV. Upon graduation, they briefly went through big industry but decided to go back to school to pursue an MBA and gain business knowledge. It was then, within the framework of the final master's project, when the business idea arose.

The founders remember that they had the concern to undertake and that they approached the natural cosmetics market for reasons of proximity. “My mother produced natural soaps and I realized that this sector was still very much rooted in tradition despite having enormous potential among the new consumer trends, which prioritize the organic and the local. So we completely turned the business around by devising a product that we ourselves would like to consume,” says Antolín.

Draft

The idea arose in 2015 from a master's final project at the URV

The three entrepreneurs founded the company in 2015 with an investment of 20,000 euros, in which Miquel's mother, called Mercè, who is now in charge of the company's logistics warehouse in the town of Gandesa, also participated. From then until now, the company has grown at an exponential rate, even during the pandemic. “In 2019, we invoiced 12.9 million euros and this year we hope to reach 25 million. We are positioning ourselves in social networks with influencer campaigns. We see that the product convinces the young consumer but since the pandemic it also arouses the interest of the not so young public. The natural is making its way”.

The company assures that it already has half a million clients between Spain and other European countries. In fact, 10% of the activity is generated between France, Italy and Portugal (in the latter country the company has just reinforced its online strategy with an independent channel). The vast majority of sales are carried out online, but the company also values ​​its physical presence to build customer loyalty. Last year, it opened a store in the center of Barcelona and this summer it has opened in the center of Madrid. The firm feels supported by the growth in clients it has had despite the crisis. With this opening, the company's workforce stands at 170 workers: 112, at the headquarters in Reus, 45, in the Gandesa logistics warehouse and a dozen between the two physical stores.

Business model

The company focuses on design and marketing and subcontracts production to laboratories in Barcelona

At the supply level, the company is constantly evolving. Currently, it offers 40 references between soaps, creams, fragrances and makeup (this last division operates under the Identy Beauty brand). Recently, Freshly has also launched a line for pets.

The founders say that the entire product is manufactured in third-party laboratories whose identity they prefer to keep secret. “We work with three or four centers in Barcelona, ​​where there is a cosmetics hub. At first it was difficult for us to convince them, they treated us like crazy”, they remember. Now, with the product validated on the market, the company does not consider assuming production because it prefers to focus investment on product development and marketing on social networks. This is the formula that has allowed it to be sustainable and grow year after year.

In 2021, Freshly wants to bet on increasing its presence in the European market. The company dreams big and also alone. With her strategy focused on natural and ecological products, she plans to change the foundations of the cosmetics industry by herself.