In this exclusive interview, Valerie Grandury, the Hollywood producer turned organic skincare expert, shares her thoughts and experiences that reveal the importance of establishing a natural skincare routine.
Expert Profile:
Valerié Grandury’s passion for beauty products is influenced by her origin. Born and raised in Paris, she gives great attention to skin care and is very serious about it.
Her interest in natural beauty care, begun as a part of her healing process. She knew that the road to recovery requires changes in what she has been accustomed with.
Living a healthy lifestyle involves several factors. Apart from studying health and wellness, and eliminating the toxins in her life, she also ditched skin care products that are not safe and natural.
Odacite was born along with the demand for pure and effective skincare. Combining efficacy and purity, she was able to come up with safe and natural formulations that somehow presented better options in the world of skincare.
Learn more about the extraordinary woman behind the range of 100% natural beauty solutions that combine luxury and efficacy, in this exclusive interview with Alyaka.
HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR GREEN BEAUTY GET STARTED?
Necessity is the mother of all invention. This could not be more true for me! After I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I made a promise to myself: never to expose my body to toxins and chemicals. It’s funny how we are aware of toxins in food yet ignorant about chemicals lurking into beauty products. When I realized how toxic personal care products were, I search for a natural solution. Not finding skincare products that were bridging efficacy and purity, I decided to create my own.
ARE THERE PEOPLE YOU LOOK UP TO IN TERMS OF BEAUTY AND PRACTICES? WHO ARE YOUR BEAUTY INSPIRATIONS?
Yes, my two grandmothers. One lived in the country in the southwest of France, and she was all about nature and the healing power of plants. My other grandmother was the essence of the sophisticated, elegant Parisienne. I feel my products incarnate my two grandmothers: natural, organic, fresh and always luxurious and sophisticated.
IF YOU ARE TO RECALL YOUR PAST BEAUTY HABITS, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE HARSHEST THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO YOUR SKIN?
For years, I used a very expensive high-end Swiss skincare line I will not name but many will recognize… When I read the ingredients list and discovered it was loaded with parabens, I was so upset! Parabens and preservatives are directly linked to breast cancer and I’m sure it contributed to me getting sick.
ODACITÉ HAS BECOME ONE OF THE TOP-OF-THE-LINE SKINCARE PRODUCTS PREFERRED BY MANY. HOW DID IT ALL GET STARTED?
The line is born out of my healing journey following my promise to never expose my body to toxins and chemicals. I knew that if I wanted to heal and for the cancer never to come back, I needed to change everything. I moved to Topanga, a beautiful unpolluted canyon between Santa Monica and Malibu, adopted a raw vegan diet, started yoga and meditation daily, quit my job, and went back to school to become a health and wellness coach. When it came to skincare, I wanted it all: the performance and the purity and not finding what I wanted, I thought “Why not make it yourself?!” I use to produce commercials all over the world, so I called my location scouts and asked them to go find me the best beauty ingredient from their country. It started with Green Tea seed oil that arrived from Japan, Tamanu oil from the rain forest of Madagascar, Seaweed from Ireland, Aloe from California, Rose water from Bulgaria… and so were born my formulations. For 5 years I only worked with private clients, creating custom formulations for them. Demand grew so big I decided to take it to the next level and created Odacité (which is a French play on “audacity”).
DID YOU EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY IN PENETRATING THE ORGANIC SKINCARE MARKET? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT?
My biggest challenge was to convince people that when properly formulated, natural products not only work amazing, they work better and faster than their non-natural counterparts.
ODACITÉ COMES IN UNIQUE FORMULATIONS. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA?
I’m all about customization to your skin’s specific needs. In the ideal world, we would use one product and see amazing results every single day, but we all know that isn’t working! Why? Because your skin is constantly changing.
Your skin is affected by factors like weather, pollution, sleep, stress, diet, hormones… So you may wake up with dehydrated skin and go to bed with a pimple! No product in the world can target hydration in the morning and pimples at night. With the serum concentrates, you simply add 2 drops of the targeted serum to customize your skin routine. Po+R for Hydration, Bl+C for Pimples. With 18 serums to choose from there is a perfect skin remedy for you.
THERE ARE ORGANIC BEAUTY EXPERTS THAT APPLY A UNIQUE PROCESS IN SOURCING AND CREATING THEIR PRODUCTS. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURS? CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF YOUR PROCESS?
We scout the world for the best ingredients and test hundreds of them to select the most active. Our first choice is wild-crafted ingredients, as plants in the wild have more potency. Then we choose organic, as it is a guarantee that ingredients are free of any chemicals. And if not available in either wild-crafted or organic forms, we make sure ingredients are grown free of pesticides or fertilizers, far away from pollution.
AS A PARISIAN EXPAT, IN WHAT WAY DID YOUR FRENCH BACKGROUND INFLUENCE YOUR BEAUTY PRODUCT LINE?
Odacité is made in California with French “savoir faire.” We marry the green California revolution with the result-driven approach of French skincare. Fresh, organic, natural but always luxurious.
WHICH OF THE SKINCARE SOLUTIONS YOU PRODUCED ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF, AND WHY?
All of them ☺ There is so much research that goes into each formulation. We get emails every day to let us know how the products have transformed people’s skin. This is exactly what skincare should do: create skin that helps you feel more confident about yourself. This makes me so happy because we all know that glowing skin can make a difference in the way your see your day!
MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THE SWITCH FROM CONVENTIONAL TO ORGANIC BEAUTY PRODUCTS. ARE THERE TIPS THAT YOU CAN RECOMMEND TO THEM?
You don’t need to change everything all at once. Start by adding 2 drops of a serum concentrate and see the difference. Once you do that you will be inspired to explore more.
ASIDE FROM CHOOSING ORGANIC BEAUTY PRODUCTS, WHAT OTHER PRACTICES DO YOU THINK MUST BE PUT IN PLACE TO CREATE AN IDEAL BEAUTY ROUTINE?
Beautiful skin is fed from inside and outside. Support your beauty routine with healthy diet, regular exercise and good sleep and you will be glowing for many years to come.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS A BEAUTY EXPERT?
We just won the ELLE Eco Beauty Award recognizing a handful of companies that are committed to make natural products that deliver amazing results. I feel so blessed to be part of this movement.
CAN YOU GIVE OUR READERS SOME TIPS ON HOW THEY CAN ENHANCE THE EFFECTS OF ODACITÉ?
Know that you are beautiful, no matter what. Be happy, be yourself and walk through the world knowing its beauty all the days of your life.
Valerie Grandury’s story reveals the triumph of good over bad, and how your beauty routine can have an impact on your overall wellness. It’s not too late to make the right choices, find skincare solutions that meet your needs–and even exceed your expectations!
