Pernilla Rönnberg

Pernilla Rönnberg

The history of Estelle & Thild began when Pernilla Rönnberg started to look for organic skincare products suitable for her two young daughters, Estelle and Mathilde. The difficulty to find what she expected led her to create her own line.

The company was founded in 2007 and the overwhelming demand forEstelle & Thild’s original children’s products quickly led to the launch of a complete skin and body care line for adults. “We have 33 SKUs, and will launch 3 more in August. We continuously work on product development,” explains Pernilla.

Brand awareness

Ecocert certifies both Estelle & Thild products and manufacturing process, but being certified is just a basic requirement for a natural cosmetics line, it does not really help to stand out from the mass. “For Estelle & Thild as for many other upcoming eco beauty brands, the main challenge is to build brand awareness,” says Pernilla.

To reach her goal, Pernilla Rönnberg mainly relies on a strong brand concept, and then on partnerships with distributors. “We have had a great success in terms of getting the best distribution channels and shelf space. We work closely with our retailers and do joint marketing.

Beyond organic

Pernilla Rönnberg is convinced that consumers of organic and natural cosmetics have new expectations. “I believe that for the most part natural skin care has moved beyond the promise of purity and safety. Instead products must offer something more than these basic benefits. I believe that the new dynamics need to look closely at promises and performance and innovation backed up with originality, design and exploration. I am convinced that a part of our success is that we have combined the organic content with a fresh design and concept.

Actually, the natural and organic cosmetic customers have transformed very fast and now demand much more than mere natural or organic formulas. “They want fresh modern alternatives that combine performance, originality and design together with a genuine organic approach.

Going international

The Estelle & Thild product range consists of three lines: baby & child, body care and skin care. Currently, the products are distributed in Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark). In particular, they are available at Kicks - the leading Nordic cosmetic chain - and in selected children’s and interior design stores.

There are plans for further expansion in Europe and in Asia and the company got a lot of attention and contacts from its participation in Cosmoprof this year. “Our focus markets are Germany, UK, Italy, France. However, we are very selective in our choice of distribution channels and only go with those which are most suitable for our brand,” says Pernilla Rönnberg.

The most coveted retailers in Europe would be interested in the brand, which should therefore be available in more countries soon.