Twelve years ago, when Bakel introduced clean beauty to the Italian market, chemist Dr. Raffaella Gregoris did so with the belief that skincare should make sense and the brand effectively translated her belief in the power of quality and craftsmanship to create sustainable, clean, science-backed and performance-driven skincare.
Lead by Gregoris’ personal dedication, the brand’s team of chemists has championed skincare that provides real, tangible results by using only the most high-quality clean ingredients. We translate raw materials and ingredients proven by scientific research-rich and carefully composed products to share with the world. And throughout the years Bakel has maintained its philosophy and dedication to products with proven efficacy and formulated serums composed entirely of active ingredients, with no unnecessary additions.
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“It’s not marketing, it’s science,” Gregoris told WWD of the brand’s third-party tested claims, which include countless dermatology overviews.
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Here, Gregoris talks to WWD about why she started Bakel, ongoing research development and the importance of educating the consumer with transparency.
WWD: What lead you to create the Bakel brand?
Dr. Raffaella Gregoris: When I started Bakel, I launched during Cosmoprof in Bologna, and I was thinking in a totally different way. We were claiming 100 percent active ingredients and zero useless substances– it was so new that everybody there was coming to our stand to try to understand how to avoid using preservatives.
When I think about our launch, my first concern was about ingredients. I wanted to create something that was made entirely of active and clean ingredients. It seems like a very common way of thinking now, but at that time it was not something that was common.
The way I approached things was disruptive. First, I wanted to eliminate all of the useless ingredients being put in products. From my point of view something that is useless as an ingredient is one that you insert into the formulation because you want to achieve something like having a nice texture or fragrance. And useless ingredients are also preservatives. For Bakel, each ingredient must be scientifically recognized as beneficial to your skin.
Second, I wanted to create a safe product, because there are a lot of ingredients that create problems when you consider allergies or irritations. In many cases, skincare contains many useless ingredients that are not able to process on the skin. It doesn’t make sense to include these ingredients.
And safety also means giving the final consumer a guarantee that Bakel is avoiding these kinds of ingredients. All of Bakel’s products are certified with clinical testing that looks at efficacy and demonstrates that the products really do what they say they will do for your skin.
WWD: Bakel has put transparency with the consumer at the forefront of its strategy, why is this so important?
R.G.: Efficacy, transparency, sustainability and safety are Bakel’s four paradigms. All of these together lead to a final result where we are able to produce an ethical product. And that’s not marketing, it’s science.
Transparency is a big part of our philosophy. People buy skincare like they buy a dress and that’s not right, because skincare becomes part of us. You can’t buy skincare just because you like the packaging or because it smells good.
From the beginning, I wanted to educate the consumer to be independent in trying to understand what they are buying. On every single Bakel product box, we list each ingredient, explain what it does for your skin, where it is sourced and its expiration date. For me, the quality of what is in the product is the most important part of my job.
There are a lot of problems related to the composition of skincare. Brands’ advertising will say a product will reduce wrinkles by a percentage but it’s just marketing. Bakel has been able to use science for better results in how we use ingredients. It is very important to me that Bakel’s claims are recognized by the scientific community. For example, with Jalu-3D, we’ve been able to increase the collagen density by 32 percent.
Additionally, in terms of sustainability, Bakel has always been at the forefront in the formulation of clean cosmetic products and remains actively committed to safeguarding the health of the planet by taking concrete actions, such as reducing paper, limiting the use of plastic, gradually eliminating materials that are difficult to dispose of and replacing information leaflets with QR codes.
WWD: As clean beauty has continued to evolve; how does Bakel continue to stand out in the market?
R.G.: The fact that we are a clean and a signature beauty brand says a lot – we are truly advanced clean beauty. I also see my products in a different way on the market because, unlike traditional skincare lines, Bakel recognizes the mechanisms of the skin. Compared to other lines, we don’t sell separate day and night creams, instead, our cream takes care of every single specific mechanism of aging. The perfect cream for our consumers is the same during the day as it is at night.
It’s not easy, but we’re educating the consumer on different habits from what has been marketed to them for a long time. Bakel will never have a line for just men, there’s no sense in it, the products they need are the same.
The Future is in 3-D
Driven by a dedication to research and innovation, Bakel is pushing skin care into the next dimension with BAKEL® 3D-Technology.
Launching in the U.S., Jalu-3D was developed over seven years after discovering the possibility of 3D printing Hyaluronic Acid, an effective age-defying ingredient. The patch of pure active ingredients that serve to awaken the natural beauty of the skin has revolutionized the possibilities for fast-acting skin care.
“We wanted to create something that was that had even a higher efficacy,” said Dr. Raffaella Gregoris, founder of Bakel. “What we’ve achieved is incredible. It’s a new texture of the first 3D-printed cosmetic which consists of a very thin patch that dissolves in contact with the skin.”
Through the 3D-printing process, regular fibers with constant diameter of Hyaluronic Acid are produced in a clean room. The shape of the fibers obtained is similar to that of a ribbon, able to ensure a greater contact surface with the skin. Basically, the active ingredient is “caged” in a stable 3D structure composed of intertwined ribbons of pure Hyaluronic Acid which is instantly absorbed when in contact with wet skin, providing deep hydration, reducing wrinkles, and replenishing the complexion in just 10 days of treatment. This revolutionary technology makes it possible to provide the skin with the highest concentration of active ingredients possible so far in cosmetics.
Moreover, all of these results are proven by robust clinical studies. In a 90-day clinical study conducted by the University of Ferrara based on a sample of 30 women aged between 25 and 61 years old, two applications per day.
Jalu-3D is an eco-friendly skincare product, designed to reach the highest sustainability standards available. With its innovative and revolutionary 3D-technology, Bakel is bringing eco-sustainability full circle. Jalu-3D is Italian-made, advanced clan beauty, cruelty-free, vegan and made with 100 percent active principles. The patch is composed of micro-polymers of active principle able to be completely absorbed in contact with wet skin, leaving a 100 percent biodegradable starch film as the only residue.
The box is made of recycled and completely recyclable paper. Additionally, it is designed to reach the highest sustainability standards available.