#MCCOTBeauty {29}
BOTÉNOR
Menorca
Spain
Some brands were born as one big dream of a lifetime come true. Some others, instead, were born almost by chance such as BOTÉNOR a young, promising and innovative French "farm to face" skincare brand, 100% natural and certified organic whose signature active ingredients are grown on the island of Menorca, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. Its founders Khadija and her husband Florent Cristol-Barthès were living and working in the fast-paced metropolitan Paris, when, at the occasion of a trip on the wild and charming Spanish island Menorca in 2016, they literally fell in love at very first sight with a beautiful abandoned farm nestled in the hills. A magical place that they purchased and initially planned to turn into their happy and safe holiday retreat where to enjoy a slow Mediterranean living in the middle of a beautiful and incontamined Nature during some well-deserved breaks from work. But, unexpectedly and fortunately, life had bigger plans for them. They indeed were at the right place at the right time. This was the perfect place to achieve the ethical and fair project they were deeply reflecting on for many years. Leaving Paris was the best decision to make. Inspired by the farmers of Grasse and their agriculture dedicated to cosmetics and high perfumery, they moved into the farm, willing to transform it into an innovative and inspirational pilot farm and center and true living laboratory for the cultivation of extremophile plants. 'Through our interactions with local farmers, we became aware of the crisis they were facing. Many were dependent on monocultures and struggled to earn a decent wage. We began to wonder how we could create an agricultural model that would both revive our farm and inspire farmers to transform their practices to make a living from their work. The solution was right in front of us. Our plots, returned to their wild state, were home to an abundance of medicinal plants and endemic flowers (Immortelle, Endemic camomile, Wild pistachio lentisk, Wild olive three), all rich in precious natural active ingredients'. they tell. For seven years, as passionate apprentice farmers without any prior training, they both worked hard and learned on their skin by experimenting on the field. After preparing their land and harvesting their first plants, they joyfully discovered that their distillations produced ultra-concentrated oils of exceptional quality. "We then decided to go further by developing, in collaboration with recognized experts, a range of natural and organic cosmetics, directly integrating some of the ingredients harvested on our farm (an average of 17% of the ingredients of the formulations). Thus, we embarked on a new three-year cycle to create exceptional skincare products, nourished by our story and enriched by our ingredients." The non-gendered and universal, gentle for the skin and for the Earth BOTÉNOR (a phonetic contraction of the words Beauty, Natural and Organic) was born. A small eco-conscious and effective premium range called 'Preventive by Nature' that stimulates the skin's natural regenerative potential. Sophisticated and innovative formulas that offer an alchemy of excellence, designed to combine performance, naturalness, and sensory pleasure. As trailblazers and committed and virtuous ambassadors of slow and natural beauty and artisans, Khadija and Florent nurture the ambition of reconciling Beauty, Nature, and Ethics: their goal is to be able to preserve biodiversity and support farmers, the precious guardians of agriculture without whom there would be no natural skincare. But also to protect additional lands and develop new virtuous farms like theirs to increase the proportion of ingredients from their own harvests into their products to over 70% within 7 years. Another priority of theirs is also to made it establishing the proprietary "Cosmetic Farms" label to oversee the sourcing and train their partners in regenerative agriculture techniques, both ancient and modern. And build a true community of mutual aid with their collaborators, the media, and their customers.
All the pictures are Courtesy of BOTÉNOR . All rights reserved.
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