ETHOSA

ETHOSA



Founders: Gaëlle Chatelard, Founder and Oliver Ludwig, Co-Founder

 

The Problem

Standard personal care products are usually made of 80 to 95% water; take a look at the ingredients list and you will see water listed as aqua, as the first ingredient. It is used as a filler and ultimately it makes products cheaper to produce.

However, water makes products heavy to transport which generates high CO2 emissions and requires plastic packaging to hold them. Every year, 8 million tons of plastic end up in oceans and it takes an average of 500 years for plastic to decompose.

So why are we shipping water and plastic around the planet when this is not necessary? It makes no sense!

We, at ETHOSA, believe our throwaway, ‘live for the moment’ culture has gone too far and that a beauty revolution is long overdue. We must learn how to meet our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

 

The Solution

ETHOSA are reinventing the shower category with waterless refillable personal care products in powder format. Waterless means that they are totally removing water from their manufacturing and are only shipping the essentials, aka the active ingredients, to their customers, in refillable & recyclable packaging; no single-use plastic is involved. By removing water from their manufacturing, their products end up weighing much less than standard personal care products. They reduce CO2 emissions by 90% during their transport therefore also lightening their customers’ carbon footprint. Their first product is a powder-to-gel body wash which activates upon contact with water and turns into a shower gel. All their formulas are made with plant-based ingredients and are free of the nasty stuff; that means no SLS, parabens, phthalates, silicones, synthetic dyes, and synthetic fragrances. Plus, their lifetime refillable bottle is super stylish and complements any bathroom. ETHOSA are switching up personal care and are protecting the planet, one shower at a time.

 

The Company

ETHOSA was born as a result of two passions – the environment and the world of beauty. 

Gaëlle Chatelard grew up in a small village in the French Alps and spent her childhood immersed in nature. Playing outside, building tree houses, having outdoor adventures, stuff-of-kid-dreams right?

Having worked in beauty and personal care, Gaëlle experienced first-hand the shocking impact the industry has on our planet and health. Armed with this knowledge and a passion for the environment, she knew there was a better way. 

With a vision to set new planet-positive standards and to empower consumers to make confident choices. ETHOSA encapsulates Gaëlle’s vision to disrupt and innovate the industry in a way that nurtures the person and the planet.

 

A Quote

“Absolutely thrilled to have won the online people’s vote. We’re very grateful to the Tata Varsity Pitch Team for the organisation and great communication around this online challenge. It was an amazing opportunity for us to call our network for support and to officially announce our entry to the competition. We’re very much looking forward to the next steps.”

Top Tips

Find ways to keep your mind boosted & implement them. Starting a company requires a lot of efforts and is challenging. You need to make sure that you always stay motivated and to achieve that, we all have our own way, whether it is through sport, spending time in nature, reading, meditating or else. What’s even more important is to make time for these extra-curricular activities; it is very easy to get swamped and not take the time; but on the long run, it is essential to find the right balance.