Like many do when they have a skincare issue, Nishant Aggarwal spent more than $1,000 on skincare products that promised to eliminate his acne issues, only to find out later that the products had only minimized his acne and contained questionable chemicals.
This experience led to him create a skincare startup called Peau Originaire, which loosely translates to original or natural skin in French.
“I speak French and I thought it sounded nice,” Aggarwal said. “We wanted to go back to a time when our products were less infested with chemicals. Because chemicals are helpful in many ways, but chemicals can also be detrimental to our health.”
Now, Peau Originaire is preparing to launch online within the next three to twelve months and has progressed to Phase II in the University of Chicago’s College New Venture Challenge, the university’s pitching contest which offers student entrepreneurs (or startups with at least one UChicago student) startup capital and mentorship from venture capitalists. Founded in July 2018, the startup is currently testing its products to ensure effectiveness before its launch, Aggarwal said.
“We want our products to work; we don’t want our product just to be a product,” Aggarwal said. “We’ve spent the last three and a half months developing recipes and testing them extensively. I’ve been testing a lot of the recipes on my own skin.”
With Peau Originaire, consumers will be able to either purchase a single box of products or subscribe to a subscription box, which will include small tools and ingredients to mix and create products like lip balm, face washes, shampoo, body washes and soaps. The kits come with natural ingredients such as oats, wheat flour, rose water, honey and lavender oil.
The ingredients will be ethically sourced from smaller farms and suppliers, Aggarwal said. The startup is looking to feature its products at local spas and eventually feature its products at stores like Whole Foods, Sephora, Anthropologie and Ulta, as well as startup galleries.
“Down the line, yes, we do want our own stores,” Aggarwal said. “Some of the stores we’ve taken inspiration from are stores like Aesop. We want a store [where] people can come in and not only buy our products but also interact with them.”
Nine other startups have progressed in the CNVC, including the online video game betting startup WAGR and Bizarre, an online marketplace for servicing people 65 years and older.
The winners will be announced on March 13. The contest's graduate-level startup conception, the New Venture Challenge, has kickstarted multiple notable tech companies, including Grubhub and Braintree.
