SELF skincare celebrates 3rd birthday

Isabelle Ulenaers shares her highs, lows and personal tips

Belgian skincare brand SELF celebrates its third birthday this month. Their 100% authentic and natural product philosophy started out as little player in a big world and has now become a bathroom regular, and not only for women with dry, sensitive and problematic skin. The brand also encouraged us to enjoy ourselves and to look after our skin the right way.

SELF’s journey the last 3 years has definitely been a true success story. But how can they continue to grow as a skin care brand? Isabelle Ulenaers, the founder of SELF, talks us through her highs and lows and the new challenges that she is confronted with to realize new dreams in this new Q&A.

How can SELF continue to grow as a skincare brand?

If you start small, you still have many opportunities for growth, so growth is certainly on the agenda. For me, the biggest challenge lies in trying to reach each and every woman. We definitely also target people with very problematic skin: very dry, highly sensitive, after chemotherapy or burns, i.e. a target group that is limited in its choice of products.

Our philosophy that SELF is ideal for people with an allergic reaction to most common products, further implies that SELF is ideal for just every woman. I assume that our ‘growth’ is mainly about this aspect.

I would like every woman to know that the SELF products are very nourishing and contain everything our skin needs. I want them to know that with SELF, they can take care of themselves.

Obviously, we’re also a brand for women with a normal skin type. We want them all to know that SELF is simply the best. You don’t have to experience eczema or chemo before using SELF. It is a very special product with everything that the skin needs, and in that sense there’s certainly room for growth. There are a lot of products now focusing on Q10 or similar, but in reality our skin needs much more. And SELF offers that complete package; a variety of vitamins, acids and antioxidants.

What are the biggest challenges?

Our cashflow, i.e. we need to generate sufficient income to be able to buy and produce new stock. Our team is growing, and staff costs are very high, so the biggest challenges are situated in the financial field.

The lab remains a challenge as well. We‘ve already had to change labs a few times to ensure top quality, but there are always circumstances beyond our control. For example, the boilers may be broken, or at some time they may not have been perfectly cleaned.

It is very important to me that every product on the shelf is really adequate and as good as can be.

Unfortunately, we do not have complete control over matters outsourced to external partners, so these always remain challenges. I remember that once, we were still waiting for pots to be delivered while production should have started already. Those are problems you are bound to face as a start-up. Facing such problems is part of entrepreneurship, just like dealing with this kind of challenges every day.

Sometimes it’s about small things. Like staff dropping out for different reasons. In a small company, each person is indispensable, so having to cope with one person less really is a challenge.

I suppose that, with a start-up, there are new challenges every day.

What are you most proud of?

Of the fact that we have already received various awards, both from the international beauty press and from people within the international beauty industry, in Italy, the UK, the US, for best new natural product, best vegan product. Which, of course, is great. We have also been in Vogue magazine a lot, in Cosmopolitan, and in the UK and US press.

I’m very proud that, as a small Belgian brand, we’ve managed to reach the international press during the first few years of our existence and that we’ve received confirmation of our skincare being very good.

I’m really pleased that we succeeded in actually redeveloping such good skincare.

I’m very proud of SELF. Of the fact that it has come about, that it is productive and that it is constantly being improved. I’m also very proud of the team of people assisting me, how they all work together.

I further take great pride in having received the award for best female entrepreneur or starter. It made me realize that we’ve come a long way. Most of the time, I’m looking ahead at what we want to reach, but at such an occasion, I suddenly realize what progress we have made, and that’s something to be proud of.

Receiving such an award from professionals has really made me realize this.

And last but not least, I find the daily contact with our customers very rewarding. A nice review, an interesting question, honest feedback, a kind e-mail. I love how they are all so involved!

Where do you picture SELF within 5 years?

I can still see SELF with the same great team, or perhaps with some extra people. More products as well. We are currently in the course of developing various new products, so we’ll definitely see an expansion of the product line.

I would like to see the majority of Belgian women use SELF products, or at least one of the products.

And, of course, an international breakthrough. We have just returned from Dubai, from the Middle East trade fair, so it’s our wish to reach the Middle East.

We really want to expand beyond Belgian borders into Europe. We have many plans internationally. Currently, we are already present in the UK, in Poland, the US, but we are craving for bigger and for more. This is not greed or greediness speaking, but rather the adventurous side of me and the sense of ‘wow!’ should we succeed. Rather from a youthful enthusiasm, wondering whether we will succeed in realizing such growth and expand even more outside Flanders.