Amanda, how did you come up with the idea of creating natural skincare, which led you to starting your company?
Many years ago, when I resolved to carefully study the composition of my skincare products, I came to a disappointing conclusion that the vast majority of them contained aggressive toxins, preservatives and parabens.
Since I use lip balm regularly, I tried to come up with my own recipe using only three natural ingredients: coconut oil, honey and beeswax. And you know, the product I developed actually worked better than non-organic alternatives. Its texture was softer, its aroma was subtle and stable. And when I got a very positive response from my family and friends, I realized that I wanted to start my own company to produce and sell such products.
To do this, I took a course in online business. In 2014, I founded CoCaBee, which is inspired by nature, sounds, smells and beauty.
Later, I started researching packaging and discovered bamboo tubes that are environmentally friendly and safe. So emerged a new line of skincare which got quality and cruelty-free certification.
What is your target audience?
I would like to focus on people over 20. I think it is important to teach and encourage both young and older people to buy and use healthy natural products.
Our business partners are large ecommerce platforms, Amazon, Walmart, stores that sell natural cosmetics, SPA-salons. We are actively conquering markets in the UAE, India and other countries.
What advice would you give to start-up entrepreneurs?
I strongly believe that success is not accidental. It takes hard work, perseverance, learning, research, self-sacrifice and, above all, love for what you do or are learn to do.
If you have a dream and a vision – act, use your chance, it’s interesting and it makes you grow. There are always ups and downs, but it is best to learn and level up, adapt to changes in the business environment, market conditions and define your own development strategy.
On the website of your company, one of the reviews reads as follows: ‘Amazing product by an amazing person’. How would you phrase the concept of CoCaBee?
We have created luxurious lip balms, body creams and other products using natural foundations to get a lasting effect with wonderful natural aromas of mint, lime, coconut and eucalyptus. We regularly expand and restock our lines.
Each CoCaBee product is handmade in Canada from plant ingredients, making it the perfect addition to your beauty bag. To find out more and order CoCaBee skincare, you can simply visit our website www.cocabee.com or find us on Instagram (@cocabeeinc) or Facebook (CoCaBee).