Today we meet Chantal Soutarson for a virtual coffee.
If the situation allowed it, we would rather be at Champeaux in Les Halles, one of his favorite cafes in Paris. She loves this cozy place where you can work, have a coffee and eat with friends.
Profession: Beauty journalist.
City: Parisian suburbs
For those who do not know Chantal, she is the creator of the first Beauty podcast in France: BeautyToaster. At QUINQUE, this podcast is a religion. We listen to it every Wednesday morning.
Chantal helped us get to where we are today. This interview gives us great pleasure.
Mercedes: Chantal, is this the first time you've been on the other side?
Chantal: No, not at all - She says it to us while laughing - it does not happen often, but it is not the first time.
M: Can you tell us about your profession? We find it fascinating.
C: I have been a beauty journalist for 25 years.
M: So you know everything about the beauty industry!
C: Not at all, I learn more every day. I discover small designer brands. A few years ago they did not exist. There were only large groups on the market. With these creators, I learn their different ways of operating and establishing themselves in the market.
M: Can you tell us how Beauty Toaster was born?
C: It was in the fall of 2015. Basically it was a blog that I did in parallel with my job in the press. The way of communicating was changing and I wondered if I wanted to continue working like this. Starting in 2016, I spent a few months doing freelance work (freelance work for several magazines). At the end of 2017, I proposed a subject on indie brands to a magazine, but the head of the beauty department deemed it irrelevant.
One day, while searching for info on a successful American brand at the time, I found their Instagram account with a post saying, "Listen to our founder's interview on the Breaking Beauty podcast." And then it all lit up, that was what I was going to do. Give a voice to these brand creators who “came out of nowhere” and that we couldn't see anywhere.
M: You were truly a pioneer!
C: Yes, I did a little benchmark and I couldn't find a beauty podcast in French. In two months I created the thing. I have never been so quick to do something. Especially since at that time I didn't know anything about it. I Google “how to make a podcast”. I found the right gear and then Beauty Toaster was born!
M: How did you find your first guests?
C: I found them thanks to my notebook and social networks. Usually, it's the creators who run their social media when they start out and that made it a lot easier for me. If you want to contact a CEO of a big company it's impossible, but a young designer, just contact him on his Instagram account and he is often ready to talk with you.
M: Weren't you afraid to invest in something you didn't know (podcasts)?
C: No, I couldn't. I dared not say to myself "you are not going to be able to do it". I have rarely experienced this in my life, it was an incredible alignment of planets! I had to do it and I did.
M: I think podcasts are great especially for people who don't have much time! Has the confinement had an impact on your audience?
C: Yes, a very positive impact. I didn't expect that because people usually listen to podcasts when they go to work, on public transport, etc. But I had a nice surprise when I discovered that they were finally listening to them at home too!
M: After all this work and effort, what is your philosophy of life?
C: Don't let go and trust each other.
This is our favorite part of the interview ...
M: In your bathroom, what are your beauty essentials?
C: Lots of products although I am getting more and more minimalist. I'm not looking for super sophisticated creams. I have a lot of face and body oils. I try to keep it as simple as possible.
M: What if you had to choose only three products?
C: There are only two products that I cannot do without: an eye contour and a facial treatment. The eye contour is a product that I have been using for 20 years. Besides, I don't have crow's feet !! - I confirm to you that it is true, she does not -
M: This is not a very popular product around the eyes! So you had the opportunity to test the of QUINQUE right?
C: Yeah, and he's really good. Its texture, its light and fleeting scent… it is my favorite among the three products. But I also loved the day cream.
M: Thank you very much! It’s nice. Finally, our last question to end the interview, if you had to describe the QUINQUE experience in three words?
C: Fast, simple and holistic. The textures are super fun to use.
Thank you very much Chantal for your support, your time and for sharing these moments with QUINQUE.
See you soon!
