Skin care products that promise organic and natural are “brewed” by start up, Fresh+You
We first encountered “the soap ladies” at Cafe Zoe and were surprised to learn they were making soap just a few doors down at Studio Cake. That seemed strange to us, but we discovered it’s only so on the surface.
“Well, you’ve heard of soap cakes!” quipped Fiona Plows, founder of the just-launched skincare products company, Fresh+You. And it turns out that soap is just one of the nine products they’re offering out of the gate.
Fioni (right in photo, top), who has a Ph.D in physical chemistry, is joined in the new venture by Bobbie Lyn Smith, who oversees sales and marketing
“The whole concept is very left brain, right brain,” explained Fiona. “It’s a combination of deep technical knowledge and a love of fresh, organic, natural ingredients.”
All Fresh+You products are chemical-free, preservative-free, and sodium laurel/laureth sulfate-free.
“We’re making products under food safe conditions, not just in a lab,” said Fiona. “Beth Ann [Goldberg – owner of Studio Cake] is our incubator. She provides the space, storage and even some testing.”
Bobbie commented that building brand is a challenge, particularly getting noticed among a sea of skin care products. “Ironically, people care about what they put in their body, but are less careful about what they put on their body,” she said.
Crucial to the company’s brand promise: “Products should be useful, and take advantage of both well-established herbal knowledge as well as keep up with the scientific literature on known efficacy.”
Fiona and Bobbie have gathered consumer input at various farmers markets over the past few months and hope to continue to do so as they refine their product line. Their website just went live, so you can take a look at what they offer. And you just might find out some things you hadn’t thought of before like getting your morning cup of coffee by shampooing!
Photos by Linda Hubbard (c) 2016
