True Stories
A holistic beauty concept: amo como soy
Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser is the founder and CEO of amo como soy®, a German natural cosmetics brand founded in 2014. After studying business administration, she gained experience in some of the world’s best-known cosmetics companies such as Wella AG, Procter & Gamble and Dr. Scheller Cosmetics AG, one of the pioneering companies for natural cosmetics in Germany.
Schareska grew up in Venezuela. As the daughter of a cosmetic company’s owner, her future career was practically predestined. She lives in Germany, yet feels strongly connected to Latin America. She doesn’t want to just manufacture and sell cosmetic products. Invaluable mindfulness practices linked to amo como soy® facial care products strengthen the inner beauty, while the outer beauty is supported by 100% vegan, NATRUE certified natural products with exotic ingredients from South America. Their brand name amo como soy® means “I love myself the way I am”, and it is their philosophy.
NATRUE: When and how was amo como soy® born? What was the original idea behind its creation?
Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser: I practically inherited the love for cosmetics, as my mother also has a cosmetics company in Venezuela. My mother developed the products herself. To me it was normal that my parents talked more about ingredients, product properties and effects than about other ordinary things. However, my dream was a holistic beauty concept, not just cosmetic products. Women should recognize and unfold their very own beauty. The daily facial care seemed to me ideal for exercises of self-reflection and mindfulness. In 2014 I realized my dream of having my own line of natural cosmetics: amo como soy®, which combines the inner and outer beauty. It is a holistic concept of beauty: skin & soul care. Skincare can’t be separated from soul care. Today, as a trained Life Coach and Beautician, I offer the ideal combination of cosmetics with mindfulness.
NATRUE: What are your main values as a brand? How does amo como soy® represent natural and organic cosmetics?
Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser: We care about the energy of the wild Latin American flora. These precious plants provide our products with herbal ingredients of excellent quality. We reduce plastic to an extreme and work appreciatively with all the people at amo como soy®. We believe that a company should not only sell products but also do charity: 2 Euros of each sold product are donated to girls’ homes in Bolivia, such as the Hogar de Niñas Cristo Viene.
amo como soy® stands for more than natural cosmetics in the classical sense. I wanted to combine everything I believe in, what I love and what I am. amo como soy® stands for Latin American active ingredients, certified natural cosmetics, life coaching and financial support for girls’ homes in Bolivia. With my concept and my products, I want to motivate other people to live out their own “amo como soy”.
NATRUE: What are the star ingredients in amo como soy® cosmetics?Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser: All our products are 100% NATRUE natural with an organic portion and organic certified cosmetics, with a high organic-based content from natural and purest oils and Latin American active plant ingredients. Some of our star ingredients are sacha inchi and pataua oil from the rainforest of the Andes, natural passion fruit seed oil, precious organic extracts of the acai berry from the Amazon region, organic fresh plant extract from the aloe vera leaf and bio buriti oil from Brazil. Many of these ingredients have long-lasting moisturizing and highly cell-regenerating properties that soothe the skin and gives it a silky soft-skin feeling.
NATRUE: How is amo como soy adapting to the new trends in the natural and organic cosmetic sector?
Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser: With the product line amo como soy® I have fulfilled my dream of creating a cosmetics concept that acknowledges and supports people in their entirety. This is a new kind of trend that we are creating. I combine my Latin American roots with German know-how for natural cosmetics. Teamed up with renowned biochemists, we developed high-quality natural cosmetics “Made in Germany”, made out of seeds and fruits extracts from Latin America, especially from the Amazon and the Rainforest of the Andes. The way we encounter ourselves, discovering the best friend in ourselves, to know what is good for us and to love ourselves – all of this is reflected to the outside, and the world reflects it back to us.
NATRUE: How do you think NATRUE contributes to promoting authentic natural and organic cosmetic products?
Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser: The NATRUE label gives customers orientation to recognize real natural and organic cosmetics. Since the terms “organic cosmetics” and “natural cosmetics” are not protected in Germany, they can also be printed on products that don’t contain high-quality, sustainable ingredients. The NATRUE label cares for maximal transparency for the customer by giving comprehensible criteria for raw material quality and origin. Our products are certified as natural cosmetics with an organic portion and organic cosmetics. Both provide useful guidance to our customers. The NATRUE label is awarded after two checks by independent certifiers and gives my customers certainty that they have purchased a good natural cosmetic product. The NATRUE label gives in turn my products an added value.
NATRUE: What would you say to brands that want to certify their products with the NATRUE Label? And to consumers that want truly natural and organic cosmetics?
Schareska Antequera de Friebertshäuser: The NATRUE label offers me confidence regarding ecological standards for the European region. It is more comprehensive than local certifications. Very strict, on the one hand, which is the best guarantee for the consumer and, on the other hand, it is easy to manage for the companies that use it.
I am very satisfied with NATRUE, especially as a small company. I can only recommend it to other companies. There are only a few eco-labels that are subject to such a strict certification. In this regard, the NATRUE label is a very good decision-making aid for a conscious consumer.
For more information about amo como soy® and its products, click here
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