'Animal testing is banned, but makeup is far from sustainable'

Like most girls her age, Sophie became interested in makeup during her teenage years. But her interest went beyond a daily layer of blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow. "For me, makeup is a form of art, a way to be the best version of yourself," says the young student who, before arriving at Tilburg University, had to take a long detour. She started at VMBO, then did HAVO, and began studying Commercial Economics at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle. It was during the pandemic. "I had a lot of free time because I couldn't go anywhere and started experimenting with making makeup at home," she looks back. Then came the idea to turn it into a business. At Windesheim, she received extra credits if she did something entrepreneurial, so that worked out well.

Shortly thereafter, she read an article about the Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation program in Tilburg. At Windesheim, she came into contact with the Academic Business Club, which organizes events to inspire young people to start a business. In Sophie's head, a wild plan emerged: to study at Tilburg University. "At the same time, I was hesitant. Wasn't that too ambitious with my VMBO background? I had to do mathematics A at VWO level, never my strongest subject," she laughs. That hurdle turned out not to be a problem. Since the 2021-2022 academic year, she has been sitting in Tilburg's lecture halls.

Earth and climate

Although many of her classmates are entrepreneurial and have their own businesses, Sophie is different. She started her business in 2020, before she went to Tilburg University. The name of the company is Cosm.Ethics Bar, which indicates that she is interested in more than just putting products on the market. "Correct," she agrees. "I care about the earth and the climate. I was always extremely annoyed by all the unnecessary packaging materials in makeup products. Everything is made of plastic and ends up in the trash. And although makeup can no longer be tested on animals in Europe, I want my products to be as animal-friendly as possible. Vegan, therefore.  For example, I don't use beeswax." And no, she doesn't eat vegan. Sophie: "I just want sustainable products, and that's why I choose vegan.”

Alchemist

Having an idea for a business was just the beginning. Sophie had to do a lot of research into both making makeup and sustainable packaging materials. To start with the former: like a medieval alchemist, she spent hours behind the counter to find the right formulas for eyeshadow, lipstick, concealer, and foundation. "The basic ingredients aren't that difficult," Sophie explains. "It's the proportions that matter. Sometimes the makeup was too dry, other times too wet. It took more than a year before I was satisfied." Like top chefs, she doesn't want to give away the secrets of her recipes. But she does want to say that eyeshadow contains mica and that lipstick gets its sticky qualities from wax.

Bamboo

And sustainable Packaging? After some Googling, Sophie quickly discovered bamboo: a plant that grows very fast, requires little water, and is therefore very environmentally friendly. Bamboo is strong and waterproof. "I want to move towards bottles that you can refill in the store, like at a bar," she explains. This explains the last part of her company name. "I'm not there yet," Sophie continues. "I've been selling my products through my webshop for a year now. It's going pretty well. I have a reasonable amount of orders per month, but I can't yet make a living from it." The fact that some of her ingredients and packaging come from China is not sitting well with the student. "I had to choose that country for cost reasons," she says. "But everything comes to the Netherlands on polluting cargo ships. As soon as I can, I will switch to European suppliers.”

Likeability factor

And when will that happen? It requires scale. Only with substantial revenue is it financially responsible to no longer import packaging from China. Sophie hopes this moment will come soon. "Recently, I was at a fair and approached by various beauty salons and perfumeries. They want to sell my products, which means that my makeup will be much more visible and available in stores. Customers can also try the makeup there, which is not possible with online sales." The student now expects rapid growth. "The reactions to my products at fairs are very good. But I also notice that I have the 'likeability factor'. People like that I am young and still a student. They hope I succeed.”

Topsport

Speaking of studying: is entrepreneurship compatible with taking exams for Sophie? "That's the advantage of Tilburg," she says. "As an entrepreneurial student, you can get a kind of top athlete status, which means you can skip certain classes and have more room to meet the requirements." But there is more. For example, Sophie has been given office space through IQONIC, the program that supports entrepreneurial students, from which she can grow her business. And then there is, of course, the content of her studies. "Especially in the first year, I learned a lot about marketing, accounting, and entrepreneurship. I could apply those directly."

Thinking and doing

Sophie comes from an entrepreneurial family. Her father has a publishing company for business magazines. Her grandfather was an entrepreneur, and almost all of his brothers were, too. Sophie's mother also has her own business. "My family encourages me enormously, and they don't find it strange that I have had to take considerable financial risks at my age, for example by investing in inventory and testing products. They know it's part of the game." A stimulating environment is nice, but it should mainly come from within, Sophie has found. "Entrepreneurship is taking action, wanting to go after everything yourself. But that's also what I like about it. Starting a business requires a lot of creativity from you. You feel like you're working on something you want to invest a lot of hours in quickly."

Cosm.Ethics Bar