Innovation

The main innovation of Nopal-milta is the use of nopal (cactus) in their cosmetics (moisturizers, translucent powders, liquid lipsticks, and more). This so that the skin is always hydrated and protected. In making these cosmetics, the company uses solar energy, tries to not waste more water than what is needed in their processes and does not use chemicals that would harm the environment. They also have a recycling program, where costumers bring their empty plastic containers and get a refill of the product at a certain price, instead of buying another plastic container that contaminates the environment.

Inspiration

This innovation started with two friends that went to college together named Rosmery Martinez and Mario Alberto de Jesus Bautista. They started this project with food products based on nopal and then, since the food industry was full with different brands, they decided to move on to the cosmetic industry since they had an original idea that wasn't done before.

This business was created because both friends had a dream of owning their own business. As Mario said, "one of the highlights of my life was becoming an entrepreneur. That's when I decided to put some order in my life and really follow my dreams". This is a clear example that if you really want something, you need to work hard to get it.

They wanted to create a product that was directed towards Mexican's skin, but with something unique and different. As one of the owners said, Mario Alberto de Bautista, "there are no products that are targeted to Mexicans' skin. Sometimes cosmetic brands don't think about climate conditions or different skin types that our culture presents". That was the main reasoning that went behind this product, they wanted to find a way to stop this problem.

Then, in college they did a research paper where they found out that "nopal" was used by the Mexicans in ancient times to cure their wounds and to maintain hydrated skin.

Overall impact

This is a very young brand that was just introduced to the market three years ago. For society this innovation has resolved a basic need that some might have. Since now, more people are informed about the chemicals that are in most makeup brands, they try to take care of the skin with natural products. Mario explains that this business has had a great and constant acceptance in the Mexican market, their sales grew in the past years. Now they want to expand the business, so that they can introduce more products that will benefit society.

For environmental impact, Mario explains that they are not a 100% sustainable company yet, but they are trying hard to change this situation. They are changing the way they create their cosmetics with more eco-friendly processes like renewable energy, more glass instead of plastic, and their packaging is biodegradable. There is no concrete evidence that they are changing the environment for the better, since a lot of brands are still contaminating the air, but they now that they are doing the right thing and they have to keep it up in order to succeed as a business.

For business impact, changing from food to cosmetics was the right decision. They knew that the food industry wouldn't accept them because it's really competitive and so they went for an opportunity in the cosmetic industry. This helped them grow and now a lot of people have tried their products and there are many reviews online talking about their benefits. Now they want to expand the business and find ways to improve their products in a responsible way.

In the future, they hope that younger entrepreneurs follow their steps and create a brand that compromise with the society and the environment.

Business benefit

First of all this type of innovation has brought a lot of attention to the makeup and non makeup lovers, since the range of products go from body moisturizers to lipsticks. This type of innovation created a good image for the brand because now people know that they are an honest company and they try to put the best ingredients in their products, it created prestige for the brand. Another thing that benefit the business is that they really pay attention to the costumers' needs, this helps them to be a trustful brand and costumers are happy with them because they know that their products are made with love and with the details that the costumers asked for. On the other hand, Mario says "we want to be a teaching brand", they want to teach their consumers how to use natural resources in a responsible way and hopefully change their lifestyle.

Social and environmental benefit

One of the social benefits that this business creates for society is that it creates jobs for anyone that needs it and it also helps them grow as individuals.

On the other side, we have the Environmental Benefit that Mario describes as "complex". First of all, their products are based on vegetable sources. Mario explains that the cosmetic industry is not the most eco-friendly when it comes to the making of the products. A lot of makeup brands waste a lot of water when they make the products, they also have a lot of preservatives in them that harm the environment, they use a lot of plastic as well. To contribute to the environmental benefit they they save water, use solar energy in some of their processes, they also use glass droppers instead of plastic ones, and their dyes are not toxic and won't harm the environment.

Interview

Mario Alberto de Jesus Bautista, Entrevista Nopal-milta