Entrepreneur and author Mathilde Lacombe founded AIME in 2018 with a holistic, inside-out approach to beauty. We met her.
Who is Mathilde Lacombe, the founder of AIME?
Founder of the JolieBox beauty boxes, acquired by Birchbox in 2013, Mathilde Lacombe launched her next project in October 2018, co-founding AIME with François Morrier. The author of the book Une question d'équilibre, she spent years trying to understand the redness linked to her rosacea and became closely interested in nutrition. Working with experts, she became aware of the link between the skin and the microbiome. AIME grew out of this holistic approach to skin, with food supplements, skincare and make-up.
What is your favourite memory from the brand's early days?
“There are many, because the beginning of an entrepreneurial adventure is so exhilarating. When I launched AIME, everyone expected me to launch a cream or make-up brand; nobody expected us to go into food supplements. The announcement on day one had a huge response, which really carried us. My community trusted me and followed me on this second adventure, just as it had the first time.”
What are the most valuable lessons you have learned as an entrepreneur?
“The importance of trusting your instinct, trusting your inner voice and learning to listen to it. The few times I didn't, I often regretted it. I think women have a very strong intuition and should use it, especially when starting a business: there is no ready-made path, and nobody but you knows the way.”
What has been the most rewarding moment for you as the founder of AIME?
“What keeps us going is feedback from our customers. Knowing that we are part of their daily routine, that we support them in their search for wellbeing and that we help some of them feel better in their skin is very rewarding. It's why we do what we do.”
What are your 3 favourite products from the range?
“It is always hard to choose. If I really have to, I would say French Glow, our best-selling probiotic supplement. Then I take our collagen every day, and enjoy it as an iced latte as soon as the weather turns warm. Finally, our Makeup Care powder, a skincare formula that blurs the complexion and smooths the look of pores.”
Which product was the most complicated to develop, and why?
“All our products take a long time to develop, because we always start from a blank page: it takes 18 months to two years, sometimes more, for a product to come out at AIME. Our collagen range and our SPF 30 skincare powder foundation are among the latest developments that needed many rounds of revisions. I am my own first customer and I am very demanding: I would rather not release a product than launch something I am not completely happy with.”
What are your ambitions for the future of AIME?
“To keep growing AIME, in France and beyond.”
Discover the full AIME range in our Luxembourg City boutique and online.