Mildred Dandelot - Natural Cosmetics Brand Founder
Meet Mildred Dandelot, founder and brains behind the Swiss natural remedies brand, Belle Luce.
A love for nature and a passion for herbal cosmetics. This is the recipe for the rising cosmetics brand made in the Swiss Alps. Discover Mildred’s story, and how she built her rising business, Belle Luce.
How did you come to do what you do?
I started making natural herbal remedies for my friends and family. I mainly prepared treatments to counter atopic skin issues and the results were impressive! I always found the right formulas and managed to prepare well-balanced mixes. With the demand for my products rising, and out of passion, I decided to train in natural cosmetology in Paris, with a chemist from a prestigious cosmetics brand. Alongside this, I decided to enroll in other courses in the field of medicinal plants, with herbalists, distillers, aromatherapists and other renowned creators.
Back then, I was already growing medicinal plants for my personal use, to help prevent and relieve small ailments.
When I converted to natural cosmetology, I met many people on my journey (horticulturists, distillers, aromatherapists, etc.) who taught me a lot. And so it made sense to grow my own plants to create Belle Luce cosmetics.
The website was launched in January 2020 and this is how the brand, inspired by herbalism and Swiss know-how, was born!
What's the most exciting part of your job?
I really enjoy working on the creation of new products, from the research phase through to their development. But I also really enjoy developing all aspects of the brand.
Today, the cosmetics revolution is underway and I am happy to offer my customers authentic skincare products made with very high quality ingredients, and without chemical substances nor using misleading marketing. At Belle Luce, our products contain numerous active and botanical ingredients from organic farming, which increases their effectiveness.
Our skin must be nourished and cared for, so might we might as well use only the very best!
What challenges do you usually encounter?
The development of some of the products can be quite tricky, especially to get them approved on the market. For example, when developing a face cream and a body milk with edelweiss plants that we cultivate in our gardens, in the Swiss mountains,
the approval process was very complicated and expensive, but we succeeded!
What's your typical day like?
Every day is different, and that's what I love about my life as an entrepreneur, there is absolutely no routine!
We cultivate the fields from May to September, so a big chunk of our efforts goes into the production of our goods. The other big part of my work is directly related to my customers: processing orders and responding to requests.
There are some days where we focus on developing our product range, and others dedicated to R&D, marketing and design as well as partner meetings.
Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from lots of different places: nature, art, and design. I also feel inspired by things that I see in everyday life and in the people that I encounter.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
I am lucky to be surrounded by nature, so when I’m not working, I enjoy going for walks in the forest, hikes in the mountains, or swims in the lake (only in the summer, of course!). I also like to relax indoors, and go for self care sessions at the spa.
What’s your go to track or album at the moment?
At the moment, I'm really enjoying "Early Bird" by B-complex.
Any exciting news you’d like to share with our LIDO fam?
Excitingly, our products are now available at Chandolin Boutique Hotel SPA, a 4-star hotel in the Val d'Anniviers mountains, in Switzerland. Further new products will arrive this year, so stay tuned!
Follow Belle Luce’s adventures via their instagram account, and if you find yourself in Switzerland, you can order directly via Belle Luce’s website.
Photos courtesy of Belle Luce
