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Les Belges Histoires | Bobone, the art of minimalist cosmetics

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Les Belges Histoires | Bobone - © Arnaud Banier

Charlotte Renard's journey crosses the intersection of art and cosmetics. After ten years working in fine arts as a painter and illustrator, she decided to study beauty, and take training in make-up for film and special effects.

In the early days of her career, she juggled sessions in her institute with doing make-up on film sets. It was in this powder-covered setting that she crossed paths with Samuel Deom. A meeting that would change the course of her life.

Samuel lived in the Ardennes, Charlotte in Brussels. After countless journeys back and forth along Belgium's motorways, Charlotte decided to follow her love and move to Libin. And, if you're going to take a leap into the unknown, you might as well go all in. So in 2016, Charlotte embarked on her Bobone adventure.

The young entrepreneur didn't appreciate the sterilised products the world of cosmetics usually produced... She had even taken to making her own home-made concoctions for her beauty routine. Then, immersing herself in nature, surrounded by the murmur of the rivers, the smells of the forest and the changing seasons, she felt inspired to go back to basics, to age-old practices and forgotten expertise. Leafing through some of her grandmother's recipes led to the idea for her brand name. In Belgium, a bobonne is warm, sweet word for a granny.

In her workshop in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, Bobone works with ingredients that are as unprocessed and as raw as possible, just like a chef in a kitchen. She creates 100% natural, artisanal products that are ultra-fresh and home made; recipes that smell just like an apple pie, and that have quirky names, contrary to conventional cosmetics.

Today, although Bobone has grown and business is going well, Charlotte and Samuel still manage to retain their clan's original values: authenticity, simplicity and the art of sharing.

 

 

 

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BOBONE Cosmétiques éthiques 100% naturels, belges & bios

 

Les Belges Histoires

The production of « Les Belges Histoires, les talents de Wallonie-Bruxelles » is an initiative of Wallonie-Bruxelles International.

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