The story behind HejBuddy
Mother & daughter in the background
HejBuddy® Cosmetics is cosmetics brand that focuses on sugaring and strives to be the most consumer-friendly option on the market.
The idea started a long time ago in the mind of our entrepreneur, Niina. Niina has had (and still has) several beauty salons around Finland. Sugaring has been popular with consumers throughout the years, and people have been increasingly interested in doing it themselves.
Niina's salons have been pioneers in the use of natural cosmetics - while elsewhere the focus was on medical treatments and injections, Niina's salons preferred treatments based on aromatherapy.
Niina is a nurse, beautician, phytotherapist and NLP-coach. Entrepreneur since 2006.
The initial impetus from the pandemic
Niina has always been a passionate sugaring trainer and its advocate - but the final solution for the home sugaring brand was born amid the uncertainty caused by the pandemic in spring and winter 2020.
It was time to take action for the long-cherished dreams and to include Niina's daughter Nenna in the project: "Nenna, now we are making sugar paste for home use for our customers."
The search for partners with sufficient know-how and production facilities to realize the suitable paste for the needs began - the criteria were 100% pure raw materials, a factory visit and the fact that you could get by with one can of sugar without talcum powder. Sugarpaste should not melt and its composition should stick to both thinner and thicker hairs - an impossible task? Not fortunately.
While the factory was preparing the paste, at the home office, thoughts and laptops were buzzing about creating a brand. The name was missing but finally the name was born at the wheel of a car on the highway.
"Something playful, but suitable for everyone." "Maybe a nice greeting" "Body is like Buddy or when sugaring is suitable for all bodies and buddies" "Hey, Buddy!" "Yes, and let's bring a Nordic twist to it, hej" .
HejBuddy - that's it.
"1, 2, 3 - Action!" 📸
Photo: © HejBuddy / Jonna Monola
Since the schedule was tight but HejBuddy's message was clear, the first brand shots were done without products. When all the products of the starter package were finally brought to the same place, each sugar jar was labeled by hand in the office, as well as the packages were folded and stacked by hand. At the same time, we wondered when every corner was filled with thousands of pink packages - does anyone believe us?
At this stage, there was also a mother-daughter competition: who puts the labels faster? Although a joint project is the salt of life, on many darkening November evenings the motto was "The sooner we do it, the sooner we can get out of here" - it was done along with the regular work and studies.
Fast forward to history
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1/3: "Oh, we have a store"
When the online store opened for Christmas 2020, the atmosphere was quite primitive, but the word about HejBuddy and easy home sugaring spread. Potential customers started asking if it was possible to buy the product directly from a store. The space was found on the idyllic Iso Roobertinkatu in Helsinki. The floor plan accommodated one treatment room, so the sugaring studio was accidentally born.
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2/3: Empty handed - sold out
In autumn 2022, HejBuddy participated in any event for the first time. The stand at the I love me trade fair was small, but the reception was even bigger and the sales were jaw-dropping - the products were sold out and our team left the trade fair stand 'empty-handed'. There was no need to return anything back to the warehouse.
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3/3: Natural Beauty Awards #1
Just before the I love me -fair, we received an information that we have won our first award and placed first in the Nordic Natural Beauty Award with the Sugar Buddy homesugaring kit. The jury consisted of more than 30 international influencers.
We felt proud to receive five-star reviews for the innovative spatula technology and the gentle product. We still feel the same pride, Sugar Buddy is already an almost timeless classic.⭐️
The people behind HejBuddy
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Niina
"My mission is to promote awareness of how we can live and thrive without chemicals and complex technology, returning to our roots and trusting in nature's own abilities to heal and protect."
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Close to nature and strives to live respecting the rhythms of nature and the cycle of life. Appreciates the beauty of nature and wants to keep it clean and untouched, without chemical additives or excessive use of technology. Niina's lifestyle reflects a deep connection to the earth, water, air and all forms of life, and she believes that people can only find inner peace and balance by living in harmony with their environment.
Niina is committed to helping others understand the importance of maintaining the beauty of nature through natural methods. Niina wants to share her knowledge and skills, teach people to use the resources provided by nature in a sustainable way and inspire them to choose natural alternatives in their everyday life.
As the owner of the forest, Niina bears a deep responsibility for her environment and acts on its behalf in accordance with her values. Niina is sensitive to the needs of nature and people, and she sees beauty in simplicity and naturalness. His life is an example of how we can live sustainably and in harmony, while building bridges between nature and humanity. -
Nenna
"Out of the two of us, I'm the annoyingly critical and logical thinker who acts as a handbrake for Niina's craziest thoughts. Still, I have a creativity that I get to use in the most versatile way in this job."
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A native of Tampere who grew up in Helsinki, who regularly longs to return to Pirkanmaa and whose heart also beats north of the Arctic Circle. As an air sign, you fly smoothly from place to place and creativity definitely blooms in the early hours of the morning.
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Nenna believes in a holistic approach in everyday life, work and cosmetics - too much is too much in everything (i.e. don't add sugar every week but trust the process. )
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As a curious person in life, Nenna is interested in everything; an elementary school with an emphasis on fine arts, a high school with an emphasis on psychology, a bachelor of law and a degree in visual artist-stylist. Self-taught in marketing, e-commerce, product development and packaging design. Among other things, all HejBuddy's labels, window tapes, printed materials and packaging come from Nenna's screen, as does the entire online store with updates.
Development is developing ♻️
Our product family has also grown to include products that support sugaring. We continue to accelerate the brand's product line with the same ideology, i.e. ease, cleanliness and listening to consumers - without compromising on quality. We are constantly developing our solutions, and we strive for consumer and environmentally friendly solutions - one step at a time.
Today, we can employ not only ourselves but also other staff both in our stores and through the online store. Every new acquaintance in our store, on social media or in the customer interface is a step forward for us.
Thank you for being with us on the journey towards easier, better and more natural sugaring.💕
- Niina & Nenna from HejBuddy