We sat down with Odacite founder Valérie Grandury to find out how a life-changing diagnosis inspired her to shake up the skincare industry and create a totally unique brand. Odacite was your way of reinventing your life after being diagnosed with breast cancer, can you tell us more about this journey? I used breast cancer as an opportunity to reinvent my life and dare like I never did before. I turned the fear into my motivation to create a life filled with meaning and new adventures, making the pledge to never again expose my body to any toxins or chemicals. I quit my job, went back to school to become a health & wellness coach, adopted a raw vegan diet, started yoga and meditation, and set out to completely remove toxins from my life. The hardest part of my healing journey was giving up my luxurious (but toxic) French skincare! Not finding anything that gave me incredible results without the bad stuff, I started mixing my own custom skincare blends at home - and so Odacité was born. How did you come up with the brand name Odacité? A friend of mine kept telling me I should market my homemade skincare products - he said, “you have to have the AUDACITY to reinvent skincare.” So, Odacité is a French play on “audacity”. The “O” represents organic and the symbol of the earth, the é at the end is because I’m French and the line marries French skincare and organic California lifestyle. This French/Califonia approach of efficacy and purity is the foundation of the brand. Being a from a Californian/Parisian background, have you noticed any major disparities with the two skincare industries? Yes! This is a dichotomy that very much defines Odacité. Skincare is super important to us French women because we tend to wear very little makeup and have a more minimalist approach to being glamorous. It’s also a beauty ritual that I learned from my mother and grandmothers. I got started with it at a very young age - it was a foundational teaching, not a reaction to getting older. The Californian approach to skin care is all about natural, organic ingredients and skincare being a part of your overall health and wellness. I don’t think any other region is as in tune with green beauty as California is! Lately, there is more awareness of how to rule out ingredients that could be disturbing normal hormone function. What would you say are the top 3 ingredients that can wreak havoc on your hormones? There are so many - but I’d say the top 3 to avoid because of hormone concerns are parabens, Glycol Ethers, and phthalates. Phthalates are sneaky though - they are usually a found in “Fragrance” which is what you see on the label, so go for products that use beautiful essential oils as a means to support both skin health and aromatherapy. Which of the oils in the range do you love to layer in your own skincare regimen? One of the best things about our Serum Concentrates is that they are super customizable - you can mix and match according to your skin concerns, and the many factors that affect your skin day to day. So, I am constantly switching up my routine, but some of my go-to's are CaR Vital Glow, Pa+G Hyperpigmentation, and Ba+S Eye Contour. Those who may suffer from excess sebum production may be hesitant to add oil serums into their skincare, what would be your message to them? I know it feels counterintuitive, but adding oils to oily skin actually works! Most products for oily/combination skin remove your skin’s natural oil. This simply prompts your oil glands to produce more sebum to counter the stripping effect. Instead, when you apply the proper face oil (light, penetrating, hydrating and non-comedogenic), it prevents your skin from producing excess sebum, which is responsible for clogged pores and pimples. Our Pe+C Combination Skin, Jo+L Clogged Pores and Bl+C Serum Concentrates work wonders on oily and combination skin. How would you like to see Odacite evolve over the next 3 years? When I launched Odacité, I wanted to start a new conversation about beauty, one that said: “you can have it all, the performance and the purity.” When we launched 8 years ago it was completely daring; we set out to reinvent beauty standards, proving that you don’t have to sacrifice performance for purity. My joy, of course, is to see Odacité growing so quickly with a presence in the most beautiful stores throughout the world, but my ultimate goal is for our standards of purity to become the norm, so people never have to sacrifice health for beauty. Shop here for Odacite
