BKIND: at the heart of business

Enter the world of BKIND , a committed company reinventing beauty care. BKIND is much more than just a range of products. It is a philosophy of life centered on benevolence towards yourself and towards our planet.

Learn more about the company in this interview where the founder, Marilyne Bouchard, shares her professional and personal journey that led to the creation of BKIND.

How would you describe BKIND in one sentence?

BKIND is a benevolent company, which always has good intentions.

Today, consumers are quick to misinterpret companies, and that's normal. They do not understand why a company has taken such a gesture or such an action and make a lot of judgments. At BKIND, we basically do everything with good intention and benevolence, without malice or ulterior motives.

Who are you? Why did you choose this field?

Ever since I was young, I have had very reactive skin. I started making my own cosmetics to have control over the ingredients in the products I put on my skin. It was then in 2014, at the height of the DIY period where everyone was making their own exfoliants based on coffee grounds and essential oils. Little by little, I started to make recipes a little more elaborate and I really liked it. It was my hobby.

I was also a big fan of Lush products, which are the pioneers in natural, cruelty-free products with minimalist packaging. I quickly realized that it was very difficult to find companies offering cosmetic products not tested on animals. There was a great lack of transparency in the industry. It was difficult to tell right from wrong in the marketing messages conveyed by brands. Being a vegetarian for 14 years and a vegan for several years, these are very important values ​​for me. I have a bachelor's and master's degree in microbiology and, during my schooling, I took a complete course on the ethics of animal testing. It really struck me to see the way the tests are carried out, close to home, in Montreal. So I started to pay more attention to this issue from that moment on.

What was the trigger that pushed you to go into business?

At the end of my studies, I worked for 4 years in pharmaceuticals. I had a regular job, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. In the evening, I went to my parents to make cream.

One thing leading to another, I gave my creations as gifts and it was a friend who pushed me to start my business. I had never considered becoming an entrepreneur in the past. I loved my job in pharmaceuticals and creating cosmetics was just a hobby. The instability of entrepreneurship scared me.

One thing leading to another, however, I developed a real passion for cosmetic creation and it was following a personal journey that I finally decided to go into business. It was therefore in 2014 that I founded BKIND, on which I worked part-time for 2 years, at the same time as my job in pharmaceuticals, to then devote myself to it full-time.

What is the most memorable moment in your career as an entrepreneur?

Hiring people and building a team has been the hardest part of being an entrepreneur for me, so it makes me very proud today to have a great team of 17 people. I have always had difficulty being authoritative. I want everyone to be so good that HR management definitely takes me out of my comfort zone.

So the first person I hired to support me with BKIND was really a defining moment for me.

Another highlight was the opening of our store in Montreal.

What motivates you at work right now?

What motivates me the most is that we don't sit on what we have done. We are always looking at how we can be better, for example in terms of packaging, ingredients, products, etc. Right now, I'm completing training so I can be a B Corp, so I can be a better employer. Improving and becoming the best version of us is what motivates me the most.

What playlist accompanies your days these days?

We have a playlist on Spotify called BKIND Spring Cleaning , which we created when we launched our collection of products for the home and we listen to it all the time because it is so good! I say no more, you will discover it, but there is Celine Dion in it 😉.

What's your next project?

We are currently working on a HUGE project! We are moving the current store to the Mile-End, on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, starting in July. It's a lot of work, but we can't wait to settle in this new space that will better suit our current needs.
Also, we are working very hard to obtain B Corp certification. It's a long process and a lot to change, but we can't wait to get it!

Looking back, would you have done anything differently? 

Definitively. Lots of stuff, but nothing major! I'm still learning every day. For example, right now we have a lot of inventory, because we ordered based on 2020 and 2021 sales, but the market is much calmer. Pandemic years have been exceptional years. I still make mistakes, but slowly, there are less and less of them or they are less and less serious.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

My most valuable advice is to surround yourself well. When you start a business, there are often people around you who will be delighted to help. Don't be afraid to talk about your project and seek advice from those around you.

What is your wildest dream with the company?

My wildest dream would be to have our own warehouse. We rent a huge building on rue Chabanel, but one day I would like us to have our own local, ecological, with the values ​​of BKIND. Our products are available in bulk and we have eco-responsible packaging. However, much of the environmental impact happens through infrastructure and our current infrastructure is unfortunately not aligned with our core values. There are a lot of energy losses. I would really like to be able to build a building in our image.

What has entrepreneurship taught you?

I learned that I am definitely more versatile than I thought. One of the things that makes BKIND work so well, even though I haven't studied business management, is the fact that I'm "good" in a lot of different fields, without being an expert in anything. either. In the early days of the company, I did production, communications and marketing, e-commerce, website, etc. There is almost nothing that I cannot understand within the company, since I have touched a bit of everything in the past. With what I learned “on the job”, I can do about 80% of the different tasks in the company well, without having real expertise in each one.

Many thanks to Marilyne for this dynamic and enriching conversation.

Want to discover BKIND's range of eco-responsible and caring products? No worries, you can find a selection of products in our stores.