Sonia Caltabiano, long black hair and a beauty typical of the women of her land: Sicily. 30 years old and all the determination needed to launch a new cosmetics brand.
Only a few days ago she launched SC Sicilian Care online and we did not miss the opportunity to interview her to find out more about the project.
How does it feel to have founded your own skincare brand?
I have put time and effort into the creation of SC Sicilian Care and seeing its birth today makes me very proud. Being responsible for every aspect of the brand gives me a sense of control and creative freedom, at the same time being alone in this project means I have the responsibility to grow the brand and achieve the success I desire.
What were the key ingredients?
First and foremost, the desire to bring Sicily with me after I moved to Milan. I felt that something in my skin was different and I thought I would create my own line that would enhance my land and the products that our grandmothers used to make homemade ointments to put on the face.
Sicily is the star of SC Sicilian Care because you are Sicilian...
Not only that, Sicily is a unique land. Its resources and colours have always held a fascination for me. I wanted to take the best of my land and put it into my brand, because Sicily is a treasure trove of precious ingredients, known for their beneficial properties for the skin.
I imagine that the Sicilian cultural heritage has also influenced your brand image.
Absolutely, my own logo is a majolica, an iconic Sicilian element. SC Sicilian Care's contains orange that recalls the warmth and citrus fruits of Sicily and then blue that recalls its sea.
How do you communicate this?
Using the power of stories through images. Suggestive landscapes and colours take centre stage. Furthermore, we want to involve our local community of producers, farmers, to increase knowledge around the excellence of this magnificent land.
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The first challenge you faced with your brand?
Creating a unique identity and then finding its positioning in the market. The sector I am in is really competitive and there are many established brands. Getting noticed is definitely the biggest challenge.
Next challenges?
Expand first throughout Italy and then, we firmly believe, foreign customers could also appreciate our products. Sicily is famous all over the world and anyone could have a piece of it in their beauty.
Sustainability: what do you do about it?
This theme is strongly linked with the raison d'être of SC Sicilian Care. As anticipated, we want to organise direct activities with small farmers to bring Sicilian excellence to the bottle.
In addition, we are studying a sustainability programme through which we want to commit ourselves to devolve part of our turnover to the protection of Sicilian biodiversity, such as the sbergia fishery, from which one of our lines takes its name. In fact, this type of fishing only exists in Sicily, and is cultivated in only three municipalities in the region. Think how important it is to protect such a heritage!
And the packs?
We are a start-up company, within the budget we have tried to make glass prevail over plastic, some elements remain, but the path we have designed goes towards total elimination. To date, the plastic elements are still recyclable or from recycled sources.
Is cosmetics a saturated market?
No, it is rich but not saturated. There are still good opportunities for new brands. Consumers today are always looking for new products, attention to personal care and skin health has become a priority for many people.
Moreover, in recent years, the male audience has also become interested in skin care, and every day more and more, it contributes to the growing demand for cosmetic products...
Any anticipations for the future?
We continue to research Sicilian excellence and have already identified other unique and rare products that my land offers. We are studying their properties to identify the best vehicle in which to include them.
Maybe some hair products. Then geographical expansion as I was telling you.
Images: SC Sicilian Care
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