Founded in 2019 by Solène Lebon-Couturier and Jeremy Emsellem, Ciment soap factory raises 300,000 euros to expand its concept and accelerate growth. Following the opening of its second 120m2 soap factory in the heart of Bordeaux in September 2021, Ciment is setting out to conquer France.
The fruit of a meeting between Solène Lebon-Couturier and Jeremy Emsellem, who share a vision of consuming better, more locally and more responsibly, Ciment offers handmade cold-saponified soaps made from organic ingredients, without allergens or essential oils. All soaps are handmade, "for a simple product that respects the skin and the environment, with particular care given to the design of each soap."
"Instead of building one big factory, we want to develop micro-savonneries throughout the country, make them semi-independent, and offer a hybrid model to franchising. It's time to revisit the great divide between ultra-capitalist franchises and aging cooperatives," say the founders. We're not just an artisan soap factory, we're the future of cosmetics.say the company's founders.
Solène Lebon-Couturier and Jeremy Emsellem are also proud, in this digital age, to be at the helm of physical spaces and living places that welcome the public to discover this craft.
Their goal: to become the benchmark for solid cosmetics, with high-quality products. Above all, we want to develop the quality of our products, rather than sales," say Solène Lebon-Couturier and Jeremy Emsellem. In an increasingly competitive market, it's no longer enough to say you make an eco-friendly product to sell. Consumers have become more demanding, so you need a high-quality, easy-to-use product that does the job. This is a very positive development, as greenwashing used to be found around every corner. Each product is tested by a demanding community. What's more, we meet our customers on a daily basis, in our own boutiques or during our soap-making initiation workshops.
This first round of financing will also enable the soap-maker to hire R&D staff. "This is currently done in-house, in our laboratories, says a delighted Solène Lebon-Couturier, in charge of production and R&D. At the start of this year, we're launching a hair care range, body soaps, a brilliant but currently undisclosed collaboration and a household soap."
The high-end challenge
Present in department stores such as Printemps and La Samaritaine, the brand aims to expand its network of 250 retailers and open up other high-end markets: "We're doing tests in pharmacies, hotels and hairdressing salons".say Solène Lebon-Couturier and Jeremy Emsellem.
The Ciment soap factory has a high-end image which, according to the brand, differentiates it from its DNVB (Digital Native Vertical Brand) competitors. For their part, the new DNVB brands are evangelizing on social networks and via crowdfunding campaigns, and pushing the solid into bathrooms. "We're not competitors, we have the same goal".says Jeremy Emsellem.
Doing the best we can while creating regional jobs
Ciment also means "made in" for each city. In Paris, customers buy made in Paris. In Bordeaux, they buy made in Bordeaux! Ciment trains soap-makers and creates jobs. For the Bordeaux opening last September, two soap-makers were trained to take charge of the Bordeaux laboratory.
Ciment is the fruit of a meeting between Solène and Jérémy, who share a vision of consuming better, more locally and more responsibly. It was around this commitment that they developed Ciment, handcrafted cold-saponified soaps made from organic ingredients, without allergens or essential oils. They are all handmade, for a simple product that respects the skin and the environment, with particular care given to the design of each soap.
