Portrait produced in 2017 by the blog www.labelloutre.fr (everyday ecological tips for beautiful otters, green, local and responsible!)

Knock Knock. Yes ?

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- Hello Anne! It's time for introductions please ...

You, BioKanKan , your productions ...

- Hello La Loutre! (well, in real life she didn't really say that!)

So… originally from Paris, it was after the birth of my two children in 2011 and 2013 that I started to really take an interest in the subject. I worked hard (soap joke) and through several readings including the essential book by Rita Stiens “The Truth about Cosmetics” , I started making small quantities of handmade soaps.

Some time later, using my professional experience in visual communication and my requirements as a consumer and a young mother, I realized this craft activity in the north of the Lot. Thanks to the support of a local cooperative and several training courses, I was able to market my first soaps in 2014.

My goal is to manufacture qualitative products through the choice of raw materials, natural and organic . The first sales took place in the region's markets, I then developed my network of local outlets and then online. And it worked!

Through the soap factory, I also wish to participate in the development of the economy, both local and national , by highlighting the surrounding rural life of the Dordogne valley and by offering demonstrations and manufacturing workshops intended for schools, tourists, locals , in short, all those who want to know more!

- Artisanal soaps and natural cosmetics , tell us about your know-how!

- The BioKankan soap factory manufactures natural cosmetics and 100% organic handmade soaps. Bars of soap are made without baking, which preserves a large amount of active ingredients present in vegetable oils and essential oils.

In 2015, my entire manufacturing philosophy was recognized and the soap factory received the Nature & Progrès mention, THE benchmark label in terms of bio-ecological requirements ! This label allowed me to establish the activity in a local dynamic and to continue to progress towards ever more ecological practices, in particular by privileging the research of local organic raw materials and / or resulting from eco-responsible and fair production .

- BioKanKan therefore claims products made from organic and local raw materials . Can you give us a quick overview of the main ones used?

- Sure ! The quality of cold soaps depends on the choice of raw materials whose properties and virtues make the difference. The specificity of my cold soaps lies in the large amount of organic shea tree used in the composition: the soaps, moisturizers, are extremely gentle even for the most sensitive skin.
The shea that I use is a raw shea that has remarkable moisturizing and healing properties. It comes from Upper Guinea, from a fair trade which develops the local economy and preserves the environment of those who produce it. It is very important for me.

I also use local additives such as honey, beeswax, goat's milk, marigold flowers ... The essential oil of true lavender and vegetable oils of sunflower, hemp and walnut are also products. premises . And this promotes, with the cold saponification process, a low ecological footprint on the environment !

- Who says craftsmanship, says unique creations ! And at BioKankan,

the productions are meticulous!

- Indeed ! All my ranges are the result of artisanal work where the selection of raw materials (butters, vegetable oils and waxes, essential oils ...) is very important because it determines the quality of the products. Whether for soaps or cosmetics, inevitably these products will be compared to industrial products often sold two to three times cheaper on the market.

Industrial soaps are generally made from inexpensive, low-quality palm oil or animal fat. As for shower gels, they are saturated with chemical elements (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, paraben, phthalates, phenoxyethanol, PEG ...), not to mention the containers that generate a large amount of plastic waste.

- Your workshop is located in the heart of the Dordogne valley,

in Floirac en Quercy . Family village in which

you are also investing economically ...

- Exactly The Otter! (yes, that too, it's a little reformulated!)

Floirac is my childhood village, source of many moments of joy, where part of my family lives. The town hall, which wishes to revitalize the socio-economic activities of the village, warmly welcomed my activity and supports all prospects for the development of activity projects, especially in the craft industry.
 

- I would like to invest myself more in this dynamic, in particular through the setting up of associative and festive meetings but also to create the desire in others to set up their activity on the spot and thus, to support an economy and a network of producers and artisans . It is important to maintain and participate in the development of local social life.

- Thank you Anne for this nice discovery!

- Thank you La Loutre!

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Chinese portrait

If you were a perfume?

"That of my childhood, the scent of cherry blossoms"

If you were a plant?

"The fern, that 400 million year old lady ... she will bury us all!" "

If you were one of the 5 fundamental elements?

"Water (hot side of the tap)"

If you were a landscape?

"A heavenly landscape, nothing more fascinating than the August night sky ..."

If you were a supernatural being?

“Ondine, recently rediscovered in a German film of the same name, a very beautiful poetic tale. "

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