CÎME stands for organic and fair skin care products thanks to our superfoods from the Himalayas. We learned a lot during our trips to Nepal. Local, traditional knowledge enabled us to launch our Nuts about you products based on soap nuts. How does planting our soap nut forest in Nepal have a beneficial effect on both the local population and your skin and hair?

Sustainable washing thanks to this natural alternative

Most shampoos and soaps contain sulphates. These detergents come from vegetable or animal oils, but most often from petroleum. They remove grease and dirt and ensure that our beauty products foam. Unfortunately, sulphates also break down the natural protective layer of your hair and skin, causing dryness and irritation. Coloured hair will also fade faster due to these sulphates. In addition, they have a harmful impact on the environment.

That's why we looked for a natural alternative to wash your skin and hair. And we found it in the Himalayas! In Nepal, people have been using soap nuts for centuries to wash themselves and their clothes! The soap nuts grow in the foothills of the Himalayas on trees that have been planted between the fields of local farmers. Thanks to the shell of these soap nuts, your hair and skin are gently washed and the natural protective layer of your skin/hair remains intact. Moreover, shampoo based on soap nuts does not sting your eyes like traditional shampoos do.

From soap nuts to natural foam

Through Community Foresting projects in the Himalayas, where a nature reserve is handed over to a local community, the soap nuts are harvested between October and February. After harvesting, they are dried and mainly women remove the shells from these soap nuts. The dried soap nut shells contain the natural detergent 'saponin' (which is the basis of soap). The people involved in these projects are guaranteed a fair wage. In this way, the soap nuts are not only a natural alternative to sulphates, but also an additional source of income for the villagers.

Then the shells are processed into a powdered extract. This way, more jobs are created in Nepal and we also reduce our ecological footprint, because the extract is more compact to transport than the shells of the soap nuts. With one kilogram of soap nut extract, 250 bottles of liquid soap or shampoo can be filled! To reduce our ecological footprint, we think it’s important that the production process takes place in Nepal as much as possible and only extracts are imported. The soap nuts are also completely biodegradable.

Our own soap nut forest

Together with our local partner Satya International and the Dutch brand Seepje, we planted new soap nut trees in the Nepalese hills. Thanks to our own soap nut forest, we ensure the sustainable supply of the soap nuts that we use in our 'Nuts about you' line. In addition, these soap nut trees, like other trees, convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. As a result, the CO2 emissions for the supply of the soap nuts are also compensated.

It takes about 9 years for a soap nut tree to bear fruit. But once there are fruits, you can continue to harvest the fruits of these trees for up to 90 years! Meanwhile, 5450 young trees have already been planted in our forest by 14 local farmers in no less than 11 different villages. This way, we build a full-fledged forest step by step, so that we can harvest our own soap nuts for our 'Nuts about you' line. The planting of our soap nut forest has definitely been a milestone in our sustainable entrepreneurial adventure.

Have you tried it?

Have you ever tried to wash your hair or skin with this natural alternative to aggressive detergents? Both our 'Nuts about you' shampoo, wash & scrub and hand & body wash contain this extract from the soap nuts that will soon grow on our own trees in Nepal! Thanks to the gentle effect of these soap nuts, our 'Nuts about you' products are also suitable for sensitive skin types. You ensure that not only your skin and hair remain naturally cared for, sulphates are also banned from your bathroom for good!