Vegan awareness and choice
Bertille stopped eating meat 5 or 6 years ago. This decision was taken instinctively, as no-one around her was vegan, and it had a major influence on her lifestyle and, of course, her choice of cosmetics.
"The starting point was to protect animal welfare. First I stopped eating meat, then fish. In recent years, I've become almost 100% vegan.
In our diet, it can be challenging to switch to a totally vegan diet, as we are often dining with family or friends who don't always share our values. That's why Bertille has also decided to extend this awareness to her lifestyle (she doesn't wear leather, fur or silk... ) and above all to her beauty products. For her, it's much easier to be vegan in fashion or beauty: "I don't understand why animal ingredients are used in beauty. It's so easy to do without."
The idea for Soyae was born out of an observation:
"What I realized was that, for my own personal reasons, I wanted to use Vegan beauty products, but the brands and websites didn't necessarily offer the advice that went with them. But what I like in skincare is having effective active ingredients with proven efficacy. You often find natural product websites, but they don't necessarily have really effective or specific products. Nor was there necessarily a platform on the market where you could find truly vegan brands with real advice. I was tricked several times into buying products with beeswax in them, without thinking to look at the composition in detail, for example. I had to do a lot of research before buying my shampoo or moisturizer. So my aim was to find products that were vegan but also effective and suitable for all budgets. So I decided to create a Vegan Beauty Site. For all those who don't necessarily look at and understand INCI lists, I decided to do this research for them. What I like about SOYAE is that it's not just Vegans who buy from my site. Consumers like the fact that the research work has been done and that the products I put on my site have already been analyzed and are products that contain effective active ingredients ."
Bertille's routines
"I'm a redhead, I have fair, sensitive skin and since I was a little girl I've been aware of the need to protect my skin. I have very thick hair and a very sensitive scalp, so I'm careful about what I use. 10 years ago, I couldn't really find make-up products adapted to my very fair skin. It was the same for black skin. So I had to do a lot of research on my own to find suitable products.
In the evening: I use a cleansing oil, followed by YODI cleansing powder Vitamin C and hibiscus flowers.
Then, as my skin is dehydrated, I use a hyaluronic acid lotion. I also use a light moisturizing cream that regulates my combination skin.
I immediately incorporated the Vitamin C cleanser into my routine, which I love. It suits me very well and doesn't irritate my skin at all. I highly recommend it.
For my hair, I regularly take vegetable oil baths (about once a month). As for my shampoo, I'm a big fan of YODI Gentle Almond Milk Powder Shampoo. It's gentle, suited to my hair and doesn't at all grease or irritate my scalp, which is also hyper-sensitive.
Finally, my all-purpose product: shea butter. I always have some with me and I use it for everything. It's a fabulous active ingredient.
Consumer demands
"What consumers are asking for are: complete routines, from make-up remover to eye cream, but also lots of cleansers, specific serums and a basic day cream. I'm selecting more and more hair products, as I also get requests.
Today, my customers are mostly women of all ages. But in the long term, I want both men and women to be able to find a routine that suits them on Soaye, regardless of gender. In my opinion, skincare shouldn't be gender-neutral (except in the case of pregnant women, for example...).
I really like the fact that Yodi also makes products for curly hair. It shows that the brand is listening to trends and consumer demands."
Find Soyae on :
Instagram: @soaye_
The eshop: https://soaye.fr/