Tell us about IDUN Minerals, how did it all start?
“IDUN Minerals was founded by the siblings Göran and Per Agardh and launched 10 years ago in pharmacies in Sweden. It was right after the deregulation of the Swedish pharmacy monopoly, which was a great occasion to break through with beauty products based on highly purified minerals. The assortment has developed and gone from a smaller range of 30-40 products to a full assortment on 25 markets.
We target all skin types, also the most sensitive ones. We can do that because of the fact that we have such good ingredients in our products. The ingredients have been adapted and developed through a tough quality control, which is necessary to get the permit to sell the products in pharmacies. I came into the company 8 years ago and it has been an exciting journey to see how so called clean beauty has grown since then. IDUN Minerals have since the beginning focused on sustainability through clean products, but also through truthful and transparent dialogue with the customer. All that are in IDUN Minerals DNA are requested on the market.”
Which type of products are you selling and which markets are you targeting?
“We started with solely makeup and now we have a full assortment that also includes skin and hair care. IDUN Minerals are targeting a very broad target group since the products can be used by all skin types. Another target group is the environmentally conscious customer that are choosing products by contents, where IDUN Minerals are transparent and optimizing the ingredients, material choices and production. When it comes to the geographic market the Nordic region is our biggest market, but we are present in 25 countries in total. We have been in the USA for several years where we before the pandemic signed a deal with a distributor. USA is an extremely large market with great potential, and we have therefore decided that we need to have `boots on the ground`, a personal and physical presence to be able to develop and grow strong there.”
Which is your best-selling product?
“Our waterproof mascara that you are able to wash off without makeup removal and with warm water over 38 degrees.”
What does the perfect skincare routine look like?
“My quite dull answer is that the most important things are two components only, a good makeup removal product and a lot of moisture are what is most important. Besides that, it is important to find a good routine that gives a nice feeling, this is because the time you put on your routine should be a time for relaxation. The cosmetic feeling that the product gives should be pleasant and give the result that you are after.”
The topic of sustainability is highly actual. How is it discussed in the beauty industry and at IDUN Minerals?
“The beauty industry in general want to make sustainable changes, but many are afraid of how the consumer will react. We at IDUN Minerals have had the courage to run and jump. Vi are still a smaller company that, in a smooth way, can do the changes that are required. Internationally, they have not come as far. It is even more difficult to communicate the change that is happening in a way that the customer understands. The industry is well on its way, but we are far from finished.”
How do you work to develop new palettes and colours?
“IDUN Minerals is a classic brand when it comes to colours. We have a broad palette since we are working to a great extent with inclusion and being available for every skin colour. We are not the kind of brand that jumps on the latest trends and constantly pushes new products out on the market. It is a well-thought-out sustainability strategy. Our products should live long, and each product launch have been developed with long term thinking.”
What does the beauty industry look like over time and how is the development looking like forward?
“Cosmetics and makeup are a luxury and not a necessity in everyday life. We are basically an industry within glamour and luxury and the customer have expectations of heavy and exclusive packaging, which is not in alignment with the development in sustainability we have been through and still are going through. It is therefore extra important to communicate with the customer and explain, for example, why packaging is getting lighter instead of us using the heavy metal cases that earlier have been used in the beauty industry. We want to communicate new luxury and what beauty should stand for moving forward.”