EP149. SBTRCT, brand innovator in solid skincare

One of the most important pillars of sustainable beauty is to do more with less, which is why solid formulations are increasing in popularity and likely to be one of the most in demand formulation types in the future. After all, there's no packaging involved. They're longer lasting because they're not based purely on water. They even potentially use less water overall, although that depends, of course, on the water footprint of the ingredients contained within the formulation. And they can be multifunctional, which means that you can use them on different parts of your body and even hair. In other words, solid beauty is only set to grow, but at the moment, it doesn't yet feel like a luxury commodity to a lot of people. It feels like a fun, potentially easily disposable item that doesn't necessarily command a high price tag. And if we want the beauty industry to become more sustainable, then we do need to reframe the way we view solid beauty to appeal to a more luxury market. One man has taken on this challenge and in an interesting twist of events, he is not targeting hair care at all. There is not a shampoo or conditioner bar in sight in the range started by Ben Grace, the founder of Subtract, a brand that's making waves in an industry that sometimes feels like it can't be disrupted. And then a brand like Ben's comes along and shows us that anything is possible. So join me today for a fascinating interview in which we ask how we can make solid beauty the norm. Welcome to Green Beauty Conversations, the podcast that challenges you to think about how you buy, use, make or sell your green beauty formulations. In my weekly episodes, I explore the sustainability of the beauty industry and encourage you to join me in changing the industry for the better. I'm your host, Lorraine Dallmeyer. I'm a chartered environmentalist, biologist and the CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. We have thousands and thousands of students in over 180 countries around the world who study with us to become organic beauty formulators and entrepreneurs. Visit our website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. And if you want to be the first person to know what's happening in green beauty, make sure you subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast app. So in today's episode, I'm joined by Ben Grace, the founder of Subtraction, an award winning solid skincare range that uses the best proven ingredients to deliver everything your skin needs without the waste that the planet doesn't need. With 20 years of experience building disruptive Consumer brands. Ben's passion lies in sustainability, in innovation and design. Subtract was founded in 2020 based on one guiding principle, Less is more. And Ben believes that by stripping out the things we don't need in life, we are able to love the things that we've made a conscious choice to keep. Believing this to be the future of consumerism, Ben set Subtract's mission to create the highest performing expert skincare with the lowest environmental waste. Hi, Ben, how are you doing today?

Really good, thank you, Lorraine? Yeah, really good, thanks. Not bad at all.

I am so pleased to have you on this podcast. I find what you're doing fascinating. So let's start at the top. Why did you start Subtract? What's the big mission?

Well, the mission is to create the highest performing skincare with the lowest environmental impact. My first experience with skincare, I guess started, I'm going to say. How old was I? Probably about 22 years ago when I first came out of uni and I, I started working in marketing and my first clients were actually Beierstorf. So it was all the Nivea brands, Nivea for Men had just launched and all that kind of thing. And then I, I worked in marketing for some time and then I, I was kind of growing slightly frustrated with marketing and I'm quite a practical person. I always felt that there's so much more to building a brand than just marketing communication side of it. And I was always interested in actually making products and building a supply chain, all the other stuff that comes with creating a brand and a business. And one day two guys walked into my office and they were launching a new men's brand. They just moved back from the States. They were launching a new men's brand called Bulldog. And I was like, that's what I want to do. So I called them up and said, look, you know, I'd love to join you. So I joined them just before we launched in 2007 and was there for kind of 10 years. And it was everything that I'd hoped for, really. It was, you know, there was only three of us for the first four years or so. So, you know, we were doing everything. We, you know, it was really hands on in terms of formulation and all the sales side of things as well, and commercial and everything really. So it was a brilliant experience. And then when that business sold to a company called Edgewell Personal Care, who own Wilkinson Sword and Hawaiian Tropic and other personal care brands, I was able to take a bit of time away from away from the business and, you know, just reflect on what I wanted to do next. And I guess for me, the way I think about my time at Bulldog was it was kind of as close to being the founder of a business without actually being the founder of the business. And I still really felt that I had this itch that I wanted to scratch and I really wanted to create something myself. That was in 2017 and between 2017 and 2019 when I really sat down to sort of think about subtract. You know, a lot had changed in terms of awareness of the climate crisis, the problem with plastic pollution, the problem with palm oil, and how that contribute to the climate crisis and all these different things. And so for me, I started thinking about, what does a really sustainable skincare brand look like today? And at the same time, because I wasn't earning any money during that period, I was kind of simplifying my life. I was spending less, I was applying a more minimalistic, I guess, approach to my life. And I found myself to be much more content. And that's when I started to explore this kind of less is more ethos that ultimately informed the subtract brand name. And then I went from there, to be honest with you. That's when I started kind of researching it and sort of really looking at what the products might look like, what the problems are that I'm trying to tackle, and all that kind of stuff.

Wow. Well, I mean, so much to unpick here. I just have one small practical question first before we get into all the products that you make and the whole ethos behind it is, on all of your packaging and products, you have a series of symbols that say minus equals plus. So what does this mean and why is it there?

So that's just to reflect the less is more ethos. So it's just the less can be a positive thing, really, in your life. And actually, I believe that if you strip out everything that you don't really need in your life, you're more able to love and value the things you've made a conscious choice to keep. And I think, particularly, you know, I was reflecting on this over Christmas, and I think particularly during the times that we're going through at the moment and, you know, the cost of living crisis and all that kind of thing. You know, I get asked a lot about being a premium brand and whether I think that will impact our business and that kind of thing, but truly, I believe that actually people will just look at what they really value and they will continue to buy what they really value and they'll strip out the things that they, that they don't value in their life. So for me, that less is more ethos is something that runs through our whole business. So in terms of, you know, obviously our packaging, our formulation and all that kind of thing, but also just how we approach everything really. And there's a, there's a really nice piece of text that we use inside our pack as well, which is all about less is more. There's various different statements by a lady called Beth Kempton, who's an author of a book called Wabi Sabi and which is a Japanese ethos or philosophy all around, kind of simplifying your life and the value of things as just reflecting on the value of things and why you have them in your life and just making sure that they are important to you and they fulfill a role. So, you know, I believe that's the future of consumerism, if I'm honest with you, in the future of society, if we're going to kind of get ourselves out of the pickle that we're in. So for me it's really important and it has to run through everything and that's why it's on the pack.

I love it. I mean, the symbolism is absolutely beautiful and it's so simple but so incredibly powerful. Tell me a bit about the products that you sell. What have you got in your range at the moment?

The thing was, we started off with a cleanser and a moisturizer. So we started with the gentle foaming cleanser and the moisturizing facial balm. That was a very deliberate choice because firstly I wanted to focus on skincare. That's where my background is. You know, there were already solid shampoos and conditioners out there on the market. But for me, I felt that, you know, actually the real opportunity from a business perspective was in skincare, but also obviously my experiences in skincare. And I really felt that I could create something different and special in the space. And I chose those two specific products to start with because I figured they're the bookends of anyone's kind of meaningful skincare routine. If you ask anyone who uses skincare products, they will typically use a cleanser and a moisturizer and then kind of build their routine around that, adding in different products where they need to. So I figured if I can get those right, I can prove the concept and then look to build the range out from there. So those two products, the cleanser has a coconut based surfactant in it. So it's not soap, it doesn't go through saponification, so it's not drying on your skin. It has a more skin friendly ph level, etc. And then the moisturizing facial balm, the first ingredient on the Inkey list is Squalane, which is obviously an incredible humectant. And then there's glycerin, there's shea butter, there's just these great natural moisturizing ingredients in there. And then both those products are fragranced with a blend of geranium rose and tonka bean essential oils which give them this amazing almost like spa like smell, which was kind of important because I really felt like, you know, people see the bathroom as a really special sort of space in the house and they almost want to create this spa like environment themselves. So having that fragrance really key. And then we started to look at, well, how do we now we've kind of proven that and people really liked it. And then we developed a discovery set because obviously at the same time we were reflecting on the fact that, you know, solid skincare is new to a lot of people. I think people can really very quickly grasp the idea of a cleansing bar because effectively, you know, you apply it in the same way you would wash your face with a bar of soap. With the moisturizing facial balm, it's a bit different. You rub it between dry hands and apply it to dry skin. So it's a slightly different process to what people are used to to. So it made sense to develop this discovery set which is kind of a mini of both of those products. And obviously the benefit of solid products is they're great for travel. So having a mini of those two things was ideal. So we developed the discovery set. Then we developed a two more products which was the Makeup Melt and the Rejuvenating Night Balm. So the makeup melt is kind of. So the way that differs from the cleanser in terms of result, that is for more heavier coverage makeup. So whether it's waterproof, mascara, lipstick, foundation, that kind of thing. So you can use it hand in hand with the cleanser if you like, to double cleanse. But the way it works is similar to the moisturizer in terms of application. So you rub it between dry hands, you apply it to dry skin and the oils and waxes break down the makeup. Then you apply water and it emulsifies into a milky cleanser that you can wipe away. So that's an incredible product. It's got some chamomile in it as well. So that's the makeup melt. The rejuvenating night balm was, was the one that I guess really put us on the map in terms of innovation because that's the world's first sort of solid retinoid product and plastic free retinoid product. So it contains 2% granactive retinoid. And the reason we use that specific retinoid is because it's a very stable form of retinoid. But it's also significantly lower irritation. So it binds directly with the retinoid receptors in the skin without the need for a metabolic breakdown. So therefore there's, there's less irritation. And because it's stable and with the addition of vitamin E in our formulation, it means the active ingredient can still work within a solid format, which, which is really exciting. And so that was the kind of, I guess when we figured out that that was the product that we wanted to develop, that was the point. I mean every step of the way you're obviously, you know, when you build a brand, I used to think it used to be that you had it set in stone and it just kind of stayed the same throughout. But the whole thing is just an evolution over time and gradually you think, oh, this is the direction we're going in and it's very dynamic the whole thing. So it was only then that I think I really felt like from a formulation perspective I wanted to build this range of really not just using natural ingredients, but using incredible kind of scientific active ingredients, best in class ones, whether it's vitamin C, whether it's retinoid or whatever, to create a real range of products that would compete with anything, any other expert skincare range that was out there on the market.

Amazing. I mean it's certainly what brought you to my attention because I remember reading an article online and someone talking about this solid retinoid bar and me sat there going, what? That's incredible. And I think it is incredible to see the innovation that entrepreneurs such as yourself can bring to an industry that often feels quite stale and a little bit out of touch. So how have these solid high performance products, because I think you have a vitamin C one as well, have they been received by customers? How have they been received by the beauty industry in general since you've launched them?

So yeah, I haven't talked about the vitamin C1 yet. So the vitamin C1 is got sea buckthorn oil in, rosehip oil in, and then it's got a vitamin C derivative as well that is oil soluble because most vitamin C is water soluble and obviously that wouldn't work within a solid format. So we found this also, you bow which does work. And honestly, they've been so well received by our customers, I can't tell you. I think, you know, I spoke to a lot of people who I thought might be interested in buying my products before I launched the product, the brand. And it was like they bought into this lifestyle of, you know, maybe they were, maybe they were like reducing them red meat, reducing their dairy. You know, they were using keep cups rather than disposable coffee cups, all this sort of thing. They bought into this whole lifestyle. But then when it got to the bathroom, bathroom, you know, you started digging into what, you know, hair care products they use, what skincare products they use. And it was almost like their ethics stopped at the bathroom door. And I think that was largely down to there being a lack of availability of choice, you know, of a skincare brand that really was aspirational, that reflected who they are and also had the formulations that would deliver the results that they wanted, you know, from their products. Once we launched these products, people were incredibly, almost grateful that we, that we, that we provided them with this choice for the first time. These products really, really did work, you know, and live up to the claims that we make and all that kind of thing. So they've been incredibly well received by the public and then by the industry as well. Again, to your point, I think there are so many brands that still launch today. It's, it's just another kind of. It's almost like a cookie cutter approach, isn't it, where it's just another range with another serum, another moisturizer, another cleanser, another oil, whatever it might be. And there really isn't actually anything that different what they're doing. And they're not bringing anything that new to market. And I think that was really important. And that kind of, you know, being so different and doing something in such a different way has meant that we've had a lot of attention from the industry and from the press as well, which has been great. And it has been incredibly well received because it's new, it's exciting, it's different, but also obviously, you know, is much better for the planet as well. And these are problems, you know, these are environmental challenges that an. As an industry we're wrestling with. And there is no way around them. The problem that the. As an industry responsible for 120 billion units of packaging every year, you know, and much of that is plastic, there's no hiding from that. And that is a problem. And we can't recycle our way out of it, it's not possible. And then, you know, the water based formulations, there's a huge amount of water that's wasted as a result of being included in formulations. And then of course, the over reliance on palm oil as well. So I think it's been so well received because it is different, but it is also tangibly attacking these problems and these challenges as well. Because I think sometimes there's a danger that you talk about when you start talking about, you know, the number of trees you've planted or that you're carbon neutral and all these different things. It's like that's, that's great and all positive stuff, but it's not very tangible. You can't see it when you buy the product. Whereas with my products you can actually see there is no plastic, there is no water, and obviously there isn't any palm oil in the formulations either. So. So I think that all those differences are the reason why it's been so well received is a premium. It's the first kind of premium expert skincare range doing something like that as well. Because obviously there are companies like Lush, for example, who have done solid products for some time. But it's a very different proposition with very different formulations and different products. And so what's exciting about Subtract, I think, is that we're doing something that elevates all of that to a whole new space and there's a huge opportunity for growth there. And I think, I think customers really are enjoying the products as a result.

No, it's amazing. I've seen a lot of beauty brands dabble in solid formulations. Like you said at the beginning, a lot of them go down the route of hair care, shampoo, conditioner bars. It is quite rare to see a brand go only down the route of solid skincare products. In fact, I can't think of any others other than you. I guess my question would be about your customers because this is something that I've been trying to unpick here on the podcast over the last year or two as well, is how do you make a solid formulation feel like a premium or a luxury item?

Well, again, when I first set out and started talking to people about the idea of subtract and asking them about the products, you know, that's when I started to dig into this idea that, you know, it became very clear that the bathroom, as I mentioned earlier, that the bathroom space is somewhere they go and they. It tends to be at the end of the day that they'll spend more time on themselves. You know, in the mornings they're rushing out the door to getting up to, you know, go about their daily routine. But you know, at the end of the day they almost go to the bathroom. They, you know, spend some time in the bath or whatever or cleanse their face. And that's when they use that time to almost change their state of mind. You know, when I was talking to people about, you know, they bought into that lifestyle I talked about with the, you know, vegan leather trainers, they'd reduce their dairy, their red meat. They, they bought into that whole lifestyle. What was clear is that, you know, then when I presented them with the idea of subtract, they loved the idea of it. But the question that kept on coming up was where do I put these things when I'm not using them? That was when I started scratching my head and thinking, well, clearly I need to develop like a suite of accessories that would, that would again elevate the bars in the bathroom space. And so what I've done is each product comes with accessory. So for the Le on products, that's a bamboo pot in the shape of the bar with a kind of swivel lid I've got. And then for the wash off products, they come with dishes which is made of a material called diatomite, which is a form of fossilized algae. And that is, that's mold resistant, antibacterial and it also is porous, so it sucks water away from the bar as well. So these are the things that kind of keep the bars in their best condition and also looking beautiful. And so that, which is kind of whether we like it or not, whether we admit it to ourselves or not, it's important to people, you know, how things look is important. The aesthetic of a brand and the products themselves and how they're going to look on the shelf in your bathroom. So there was a lot of that as to, you know, how do we create this kind of really luxurious, expert looking brand using just bars, you know, without people just looking at them thinking, oh, that's a bar of soap. So we've done that. And then obviously the colors of our products, we have kind of multicolored products and different shapes as well. And that all makes a big difference in terms of the look and feel of the brand, I think. And it's very deliberate.

Obviously they look absolutely stunning, I have to say. Everyone listening, go and check out subtract. Obviously the link will be with the show notes and go and check out the accessories as well. I have to say, I spent quite a bit of time on your website looking at all the accessories too, going, this is beautiful.

Thank you.

Of course, you know, you are effectively preaching to the converted here. I mean, you've talked already about some of the shoppers that you'd talk to who are already buying into that alternative lifestyle. Do you think that the sort of mainstream consumer out there is ready for solid formulation?

Yeah, I do. I mean, I don't necessarily see it as an alternative lifestyle anymore, really. I see it that, you know, the one of a better word, the ethical customer and the mainstream customer, if you like, are kind of have merged into one homogeneous group, if you like, you know, and people who you would have put in that mainstream category maybe 5, 10 years ago are making conscious choices to have less of an impact on the environment, in my view. I absolutely think that people are ready for it. I think there is, obviously, my challenge is, of course, one of brand awareness, education in terms of how the products work so that people understand that the value that they're getting, that the products will last longer than a typical product, etc. Yes. And I think, you know, coming back to the discussion around hair care and solid shampoo bars and conditioners and things, that has all helped my business in a way, because it means that people have tried this other way and they realized that it could work, and then that's made them more open to trying new things. And I think there's a lot of innovation in beauty. People are very much open to trying new products and new things and seeing how they work and see if it works for them. And I think that doesn't change for solid products either. I think more and more people are open to trying them. I think we sell predominantly direct consumer, but we're going to be selling further afield over the next few months, which is very exciting for us. We've got some really exciting launches, which I think, again, is testament to the fact that this really is a format that is here to stay and that people want to try.

That's exciting. I love it. So what changes do you feel that the beauty industry needs to make to become more sustainable? Let's throw some big questions at you.

Okay, so there's a lot there, I think. I think largely, you know, from the people that I talk to, the different brands that I talk to, I think it's fair to say that sustainability is very high on everybody's agenda, which I think is a great thing. So I don't think it's a question of someone's out there merrily kind of doing the wrong thing that is damaging the planet. I don't think that's it. I think everyone's heart is in the right place and everyone's moving in the right direction. Obviously for a new brand it's easier. Well, I wouldn't say it's easier, but it's more. I guess you have the privilege of having the visibility of the problems and creating. So the reason I chose a solid format, the reason I started exploring that in the first place is because that was the only meaningful way I could create plastic, truly plastic free products that were water and pile more free as well. I had that privilege. Whereas you might have another brand who maybe 10, 15 years old and who are wed to, you know, plastic packaging and manufacturing practices and all that kind of stuff. And they have employees and everything. So they can't just change overnight. It's something that they have to do kind of over time. Everyone's heading in the right direction. I think there's more and more collaboration in the space. Another thing that's really, I found really positive is just how supportive other brands are of Subtract. And you know, there's a couple that I always name. I mean Laura, who is founder of Evolve Beauty, which is an organic beauty and she, she's invited me to speak at some of their events and various other things like that. So again, like, you know, really interested in what I'm doing, that it's new and that it's different and then see it as something that's additive to the industry and can really help it move in the right direction. So I think the more that brands collaborate quicker we can tackle these problems and come up with different solutions to them. That's the other thing. And then I think the buzzword, obviously you have to be careful with, but I think kind of one of the most important ones is just regenerative beauty. And that's a very lofty goal, to be honest with you. You know, we've got quite considerable way to go before we're making truly regenerative products. But I think the idea that you can. So rather than just reducing your environmental impact on the environment, rather than just reducing your environmental impact, you're actually, by manufacturing these products, you're actually having a positive impact on the planet through how you're sourcing your ingredients, creating your packaging, all those different things. So I think that as a goal is incredible and something that collectively we can all work towards. And I see it being talked about, you know, a lot more. There are huge strides that we need to take to get there. These strides need to happen, particularly the problem with plastic. I think it's a huge problem. You only have to walk into a high street beauty retailer to see just a sea of plastic. And so sometimes I think about that and I go, I was reflecting on this over the last few weeks and just thinking about what if everybody had their own personal landfill site dumped outside their home? Would that make people realize just actually how much waste they create? People create, you throw it away and it disappears. You just never see it again. And you don't really, you know. Yes, there are pictures of the oceans and the landfill and everything. But what if it was just dumped on your doorstep? I think that would probably have a bigger impact. I don't. I've gone off on a tangent now, but anyway, I think the point is, I think there's a long way to go and I think, I think that will come with legislation. I think it will come with Sustainable Beauty Coalition as well, which is part of the British Beauty Council, who do a great job, you know, and just make sure that it's on everyone's agenda. And I think the more we talk about it, the better.

Yes, great answer. I love the idea of everyone having their own little landfill. I think that'd be hilarious. It would really wake people up to the amount of waste that we produce, that's for sure. Rather than this out of sight is out of mind concept. So one final question for you then before we round this off is what's next for subtract?

What's next? Well, we've got a couple of new formulations in the pipeline that will be launching later this year which, which I'm very excited about. One of which uses another kind of, what would you call it, best in class proven skincare active, which is very exciting for us and I think just builds out the range. There's a few sort of design tweaks as well that we're doing and then, you know, as I mentioned, I mean for me it's about feel like we've got what we got, including our fragrance free at the moment we've probably got eight core SKUs that will become 10 core SKUs this year. And then I feel like we've got this really meaningful range and it's about now kind of building our distribution so that people can get hold of the products and you know, just building brand awareness and getting people to try the products and educating them on why they're fantastic. That's the main goal for this year really. But it's a very exciting time for us. You know, it's funny because we haven't really known normal since Subtract has been in market since 2020 September 2020. So it's a roller coaster. But it's such fun. And you know, as I say, I think because we're doing something so different in the space, thankfully, you know, we're in the right place at the right time and we'll be able to achieve our goals this year. So.

Absolutely. Well, very exciting times ahead. I look forward to watching from the sidelines and seeing all the dizzy heights that I'm sure Subtract will reach. Ben, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. Where can people find out more about you and come and buy your products?

You can purchase the products direct to consumer, so through our website, which is subtract.co.uk we should just say that subtract is without the vowels. So I kind of took the less is more ethos one step further and removed the vowel. So it's sbtrct.co.uk. see, that's probably the best place to find the whole range.

Excellent. Well, thank you so much. Really enjoyed chatting to you. Very interesting concept you've got there. All the best with it and we'll be, I'm sure, following your story along as you continue to grow Subtract. Thank you so much.

Thanks Lorraine. That's fantastic. See you later. Bye bye bye.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Are you buying solid formulations yet? How would you feel about buying a high performance facial serum bar, for instance, like the ones Ben described? Please do come and leave us a comment on our social channels as both the Formula Botanica team and I love hearing from you. And if you want to hear more about some of the topics we covered today, please do delve back into the podcast archives. Go listen to episode 94 in which I asked the question how do we make solid formulations feel luxury? Or listen to episode 88 in which I challenge all of us to make change in the beauty industry by voting with our wallets. Or episode 83 in which I'm joined by Anna Green to ask whether waterless beauty is the future or whether the term is just marketing hype. There's a wealth of information in our old episodes and I do encourage you to go back and listen to them. Thank you for joining Ben and I for this latest episode of Green Beauty Conversations. I really hope you enjoyed it. It if you did, please do leave us a five star review so that other people can enjoy these conversations too. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever your favorite podcast app is, and stay tuned for the next episode. Follow Formula Botanica at Formula Botanica on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter or LinkedIn and come and give me a follow at Lorraine Dahl there on Instagram. Visit our website@formulabotanica.com and sign up for our free online formulation course today.