Founded in Marseille by Julie Ducret in 2009, Pulpe de Vie initially promoted cosmetics made from unsold, inglorious, or incorrectly sized fruit sourced from regional producers. Perfectly in line with the current trends, the concept of upcycling has since been widely adopted: it reached a 30% growth rate in 2023, compared to last year, and a turnover superior to 3 million euros.
Available in over 2,000 mass distribution points of sale in France (Carrefour, Casino, Lidl and Intermarché networks) and on its e-shop, pulpedevie.com, the brand now offers 40 organic-certified face care and body hygiene references, all made from downgraded fruit. And they cost less than 12 euros each.
“From face care to toothpaste, from solid deodorants to hair care products, we almost cover all bathroom needs now. Every product contains two fruit types, usually combined with two patented actives – in skincare formulas – and prebiotics. Our whole range offers prebiotics to help the skin naturally defend itself. We are the only ones to do that on the mass distribution skincare segment”, explains Julie Ducret.
The products are 100% made in France, in one of the brand’s four partner plants.
Going regenerative
In March 2023, the company raised 1.1 million euros to further boost its growth. This achievement helped double the number of employees, in particular by recruiting sales representatives, reaching 15 employees. Another part of the budget is dedicated to the digitalization of the concept, in the mainstream and social media, and to export.
“We opened to export this year, mainly in Europe, with Germany ahead, followed by Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland. And we are also considering expanding in the UK. We will gradually widen the circle, but we are looking to adopt the most positive model possible in terms of greenhouse gases – and it is not that simple”, says Julie Ducret.
The third part of investments is focused on the brand’s ecological transition.
“We aim to push our model further, not only to be less polluting, but also to become more regenerative, in particular by taking care of our farmers even better”, explains the entrepreneur.
Pulpe de Vie has worked with about 20 local producers for 14 years: the brand has committed to buying two years of stock of unsold fruit to secure their income, which represents 20% additional revenue for them.
“We are not just a cosmetic brand. We have a real, extremely strong bond with the land and the living: we have a territorial pact, so we aim to strengthen our local concept. I strongly believe that we will get through all these global warming crises with this local approach, this local cooperation and support”, concludes Julie Ducret.
