We were lucky to catch up with Sami Artus recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sami, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
I began making natural cosmetics 15 years ago when I discovered three things about the beauty industry: 1) the amount of toxic chemicals present in cosmetics, unregulated by the FDA; 2) the millions of animals tortured in cosmetic experiments annually even though humane alternatives exist; and 3) the amount of environmental pollution and plastic waste generated by the industry. As I was experimenting with making my own skincare, I also studied herbalism and learned about the healing and beautifying properties of plants, knowledge that informs the creation of my products. What started as a hobby making body scrubs and lip balms for myself and my friends quickly became a business focused on replacing all of my beauty products with natural and vegan alternatives made by my own hand. There were some existing “natural” beauty brands, but they had their own problems: many of them were very expensive, or used toxic preservatives right alongside natural ingredients, or used common allergens like almond oil. In the process of creating my business, I wanted to make sure my products were priced so that they were approachable for most income levels, that they were safe to use for people with allergies (a common demographic seeking natural skincare), and that they would be shelf-stable without needing to use toxic chemical preservatives.
I launched florapothecarie in 2016 as a line of 100% natural and vegan self-care products, with the belief that everything we don’t need much to take care of ourselves, and everything we do need can be found in nature. I use only real plant essences, extracts, herbs, and oils – nothing synthetic and nothing produced by animals. I believe in taking care of our planet, our animals, and ourselves. florapothecarie is PETA and Leaping Bunny certified as cruelty-free and vegan, which means I never use any animal fats or byproducts, and neither my ingredients or final products are tested on animals. I use eco-friendly glass and biodegradable cardboard packaging to reduce our carbon footprint.
Sami, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I think I answered this already in my last question, but here’s a little more about who I am and what I offer:
I’m Sami Jo Artus, herbalist and founder of florapothecarie, a line of 100% natural & vegan skincare products certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny as cruelty-free and vegan. florapothecarie has a little bit of everything. From facial care (cleanser, toner, serum, face balm, gentle exfoliating oat scrubs) to body care (deodorant, body oils, body butter, scrubs) as well as haircare, soy candles, and herbal teas… I like to think of my brand as offering everything you need for a day, week, or month of self-care!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
All entrepreneurs face many hardships while running a business, but women entrepreneurs often come up against gender discrimination on top of it all. There have been several times while exhibiting at a market or trade show when men approach my husband to ask about the business, assuming he’s the one in charge. I’ve been told my business won’t go anywhere with a woman at the helm or unless I can obtain celebrity endorsements. As I built the foundation of florapothecarie, I was dating someone who was verbally and sexually abusive, who constantly diminished my worth and told me my business wouldn’t go anywhere. While I experimented with the formulation for my natural deodorant, he called me a “dirty hippie.” I broke off my relationship with him weeks before launching florapothecarie – and my deodorants are one of my best-selling products! Women are constantly undervalued in our society and we receive so many messages from the beauty industry that we are ugly and flawed and we need 100 different products to “fix” us. As I built florapothecarie after breaking free from my toxic relationship, I wanted a core message of my brand to be the belief that women are already beautiful, that we don’t need to cover anything up or feel disempowered by our beauty products. Rather, I want women to view their routines using my products as moments of self-love and self-care where we can take the time to appreciate and enhance our natural beauty and hopefully connect a little with the natural world in the process. This is why the florapothecarie motto is: You’re a natural beauty; keep your beauty natural.™
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
Before launching florapothecarie, I had a blog and a small line of products which I sold on Etsy. When I rebranded to florapothecarie, I stopped selling on Etsy and built my own e-commerce website with Shopify. I went to college for, and have worked professionally in marketing and graphic design, so I know the importance of building your own brand and having control over your customer’s journey. With platforms like Etsy and Amazon, you don’t get to control your branding, nor do you have a direct relationship with your customers. They can boast about high traffic numbers to their websites, but there is way too much competition and those customers will never be yours. Think of it this way, when you buy something on Amazon or Etsy, where do you say you got it from? Do you remember the name of the shop, or do you just say, “I bought it on Etsy” ? You also can’t email those customers and have an ongoing relationship with them, thanking them for their purchase, reminding them to re-order, or letting them know when you have new products you think they might like. In addition to running florapothecarie, I’m also a marketing and branding consultant for other small businesses, and I love helping entrepreneurs transition away from these large e-commerce platforms to their own websites where they can control their branding and communication with their customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://florapothecarie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florapothecarie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/florapothecarie
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samijoartus/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFb7KaQVrW-8h1ptu5t8JA
Image Credits
MOJALVO (credit for the photo of me)