The beauty industry in Portugal is very different from the one I found in the UK. More focused on knowledge and science-based. Many of the people in the beauty industry I meet in Lisbon are or have been linked to medicine or pharmacy in one way or another, and Inouïe Beauty is no different.
An online cosmetic store based in northern Portugal, Inouïe Beauty is a project born out of friendship and the love for cosmetics. The founders, Ann and Mariana have known each other for 18 years, where they met at Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto.
“Beyond our friendship and lots of memories, we have always shared our love for cosmetics and beauty routines, new products and industry trends.”
Join me in this interview with Ann and Mariana to get to know their project, sustainability philosophy and their grit in building a business in a country known for its financial instability.
For any followers that don’t know you yet, can you tell us about your project, Inouïe Beauty?
We have known each other for 18 years, since the first days of university where we studied, at Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto. Beyond our friendship and lots of memories, we have always shared our love for cosmetics, and beauty routines, new products and industry trends.
We went to a friends’ weekend vacation in August 2017, and joked about creating a business where we could share our pharmaceutical knowledge and love for world renowned brands that, until then, weren’t known in our country.
With the help of our loved ones, we started from scratch and fought hard for 2 years to make this dream come true. In April 2019, our project Inouïe Beauty emerged, born out of our dream and a desire to share transparent and quality brands.
Additionally, as we are pharmacists, we also have created “Beauty Coach”, a service where we advice on a personalised beauty routine suitable to each skin type, only with high quality products.
How do you select the brands with which you work with?
All products sold on our website are previously tested by us. Our focus was always to work with high quality brands. Many of the cosmetic brands you can find at Inouïe are new, therefore they invest in quality, progress and distinguish their products. We don’t want the products on our store to be just another product, we want our clients to experience good results from them.
What is the role that sustainability has in your company?
We try to do our very best as a company every day. Our packaging is plastic-free, from the packaging filler to the label. We also work with a National shipping and distribution companies very close to our warehouse.
“Being sustainable is also being more conscious of your day-to-day.”
Additionally, we carefully choose brands who are environmentally friendly, from production to packaging. And finally, all of our waste is sorted and our office’s energy is as efficient as possible.
Which trend has, in your opinion, come to revolutionise the beauty industry?
The cosmetics industry is in constant movement, and many things have changed recently. We still remember, when we started to work in pharmaceuticals, micellar water was trendy. Curiously, all the brands we work with don’t offer this product anymore, as cleansing balms and oils have come to stay.
The way cosmetics market products by ingredients is very common and nowadays, many people already buy products based on ingredients.
Serums are the most searched for and helped improving both AM and PM routines, which were mostly cleansing and moisturiser.
Facial SPFs have evolved greatly and, even though there’s much more work to do, we see our clients more informed and aware that sun protection is to be used all year round.
Glowing skin is trending at the moment, everyone if searching for luminous and healthy skin. Shiny skin is no longer associated with oily skin.
Which brands are, in your opinion, leading the way to a sustainable beauty industry?
Brands with the motto “less is more” and stripped down routines, but at the same time with efficient ingredients that can be personalised according to different skin types and worries.
We also feel like a concern with packing and sustainable production is important. At Inouïe, all our brands have this philosophy.
What do you recommend for our readers who want to live a more sustainable life?
We always recommend a skincare routine adequately suited to each skin type and personal needs. We don’t recommend buying a product just because a friend or influencer uses it, but being conscious of our skin and its needs.
It’s also important consistency in our beauty routine and avoid buying products who stay in the shelf waiting to be used only to pass its expiration date. Being sustainable is also being more conscious of your day-to-day.
A huge thank you to Ann and Mariana for kindly answering to my questions and for consistently working to a more sustainable beauty industry and giving us, people living in Portugal, the chance to use worldwide beauty brands.
At Inouïe Beauty you can buy products from brands like Oskia London, Alpha H, Maison Matine, Pestle & Mortar, among many others. You can check their website here:
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