We had the pleasure of speaking with Connie Lo, one of the co-founders of Niu Body, an amazing natural skincare line focused on high concentrations of effective, 100% plant-derived ingredients that are backed by science. Here’s what she had to say about her new brand, the adversities they faced starting up and how it came to fruition :
Tell us a little bit more about Niu Body, how it came to be & what your startup costs were?
Niu Body is an affordable natural skincare company. We create beauty products that are derived from nature, driven by science, and all under $40.
My co-founder, Laura Burget, and I founded Niu Body in March of 2017. Having just graduated from university, we were frustrated with the lack of natural brands which spoke to us as young millennials and which we could afford on a student budget.
“Both avid natural skincare users with a thirst for entrepreneurship, we set out to revolutionize the natural beauty space with just $4,000.”
What started in our kitchens has now grown to a full line of plant-based, certified cruelty-free and vegan beauty products carried across North America.
Fun fact : “niu” means “coconut” in Hawaiian. Our brand name is an homage to our initial product line, in which every product included coconut oil.
What’s your brand mission and how do you plan on achieving it?
Our mission is to make natural skincare accessible to everyone. We will achieve this by not only continuing to offer high-quality clean products at affordable prices, but also by researching new innovative plant-based ingredients to develop innovative beauty products.
“We firmly believe that natural can be just as effective (if not more effective) than synthetic ingredients.”
In this crowded marketplace that’s the beauty industry (and particularly in the natural skincare category), how do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
Our tagline is “derived from nature, driven by science,” and we hold ourselves to this standard with every product we develop. Our formulations are all lab-tested and use the newest processing methods to let the effectiveness of natural ingredients shine.
“NIU BODY is not only 100% natural, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, vegan, and affordable, but also has extremely sophisticated formulations.”
Our target audience is women between the ages of 20-45, with an interest in natural beauty. They may or may not currently use clean products, but are very curious and passionate about clean ingredients. They also strongly support animal welfare.
What struggles have you had to face starting your brand and can you let us know how you overcame them?
6 weeks after we launched NIU BODY, while we were both working other full-time jobs, we received a PO for 6,700 units of our makeup remover wipes. At this time, all products were still being made in my kitchen! Laura and I rolled up our sleeves, and fulfilled the entire order by hand over the course of 3 weeks.
“During that time, we worked our 9-5 day jobs, then met at my apartment to hand-press these makeup wipes until midnight.”
It was an extremely stressful time both mentally and physically (our wrists were aching!), but so rewarding. We are huge believers in putting in the work, which I believe is what has helped us grow so quickly.
Your beautiful Glow Luminizing Facial Serum is in our December 2019 box, can you let us know why you developed it and why so many people love it?
Our Glow Luminizing Facial Serum is our #1 best-selling product! It’s a beautiful blend of camellia seed oil, jojoba oil, bergamot essential oil and Vitamin E.
“We developed this product because we couldn’t find a lightweight oil-based serum on the market that we could use both morning and night that still had tangible skin results.”
We researched the best non-comedogenic oils available on the market, and set off to developing our own serum! This product is a fan favourite because it truly helps to minimize the appearance of pores.
“Jojoba oil and camellia oil’s structures are very similar to the chemical structure of skin’s sebum, which helps them absorb quickly into the pores.”
Both oils promote glowing skin without clogging pores, and as they absorb quickly, don’t leave a greasy residue. It also has a refreshing bergamot citrus smell, which is great in the morning and night!
We can see you’re a big supporter of women entrepreneurs such as yourselves! Let us know how you’re able to do this even as a small, growing brand?
A big part of our mission is supporting women in business.
“One way that we currently do this is through our bi-weekly #HERHUSTLE interview series, where we feature inspiring female founders and creators.”
It’s important to us that we highlight how other women have created amazing businesses, and encourage entrepreneurial readers to do the same.
Do you have anything new in the pipeline?
We will be launching a new brightening serum in November, as well as a new day cream in December! These have been our most highly requested products, so we are super excited to share them with the world.
Apart from Nourish Beauty Box, where else can readers find your products or make contact?
You can find our natural & vegan skincare products at www.niubody.com. You can also find us in stores! As always, feel free to DM us with any questions at @niu.body.
Don’t forget that Niu Body’s Glow Luminizing Facial Serum will also be featured in Nourish’s December 2019 box!