On the causse, in Lozère, Laurène Ménard makes natural soaps and slow cosmetics

Laurène Ménard et son savon préféré, le plus simple. MIDI LIBRE – STEPHANIE BOULOIR

Laurène Ménard a installé sa savonnerie Nerium Natura à Soulages, petit hameau aux environs du Massegros, en Lozère.

The hamlet of Soulages, a few kilometers from Massegros, and its typical houses. It is in this Caussenard setting that Laurène Ménard and her companion settled. They arrived from Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, with Laurène's suitcases, her soap recipes. The thirty-something then decided to set up her workshop in a vaulted part of the building. ;rsquo;housing, to continue the activity of the Nerium Natura soap factory which she had created in 2020. A gamble that was ultimately successful: the factory is now continuing its journey in Lozère.

The search for the natural

His credo: naturalness. It was by wanting to create soaps for her personal use that Laurène Ménard took her first step. "I’have always been sensitive to ecology. I started making my own products with the aim of 0 waste and short circuit , summarizes the young woman. I'm looking for the lowest carbon footprint and the most natural and French products."

Holder of a master's degree in marine sciences, she finally decided to dive into the world of entrepreneurship and create her small artisanal business. She researches a lot, and follows training in hygiene standards. Then develop your recipes. Each must be validated by a toxicologist.

No coloring, no perfume, no essential oil…hellip; In his workshop, in large glass jars, daisies, rosemary, bay leaf, etc. are macerated in olive oil. Laurène Ménard makes her own macerates, which are used in the manufacture of some of her soaps.

Caustic soda base, Luberon olive oil, macerates, Gascony plum oil, Ardèche honey… Laurène Ménard is looking for the simplest possible recipe, which will suit as many people as possible.

A reasoned development

Her soaps are sold on the internet and in markets, where they are very successful. "Here I found my niches. Artisan markets work very well, for example. The tourists who come here are sensitive to nature." Today, the young woman has managed to achieve a viable economic model. Its range includes six soaps, two solid shampoos, a body balm, a lip stick and a deodorant. This spring, will release a new shampoo and body oil, its first non-solid product, "to meet customer expectations".

"I went through periods of stress, wondering why I was getting into this, confides the young woman. But I found my way." If she doesn't harbor dreams of grandeur – "I prefer to stay a small structure" –, she would like to have land, to cultivate her plants, in addition to picking them. And she has just won the Slow Cosmétique label, "who is interested in both formulas and the marketing model", we read on the website. Her philosophy: "the fewest ingredients, the most organic", she sums up:  "I really wanted this label. Everything is scrutinized, the ingredients, the manufacturing process… And even the packaging which must be eco-responsible and not contain elastic for example." These criteria meet the ideal of Laurène Ménard.

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