SWEATING IS ALLOWED, BAD SMELLS ARE NOT
The care products market has a newcomer: the Oy deo soap definitively tackles unpleasant odors and preserves the natural sweating process. Behind the innovation is the Leper pharmacist Inge Louf, and for this she was just declared a finalist for 'De promise' for West Flanders, a search for female entrepreneurial talent organized by Markant vzw, Unizo and the Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
As a pharmacist, Inge Louf has been fascinated all her life by the scientific side of her job and by the formulas behind each product. The memories of the unpleasant smell of sports shoes during her sons' childhood and of her own blouses that did not always stay fresh in stressful situations, gave her the idea to develop a formula that puts an end to
and started experimenting in his own mini lab. Four years and 271 attempts later, she found the perfect formula - a formula that repels sweat odors without compromising the natural sweating process, ecologically responsible and safe for the user.
"I spent a long time looking for a way to develop the product water-free," says Inge. "A regular shower soap easily contains up to 70% water. I definitely wanted to avoid that, because I also wanted to propose an ecologically responsible product. I looked for and found a way to mix the moisture-regulating glycerin with the oil that ensures adhesion to the skin. skin, allowing the soap to do its work optimally during the application time."
The product that was named Oy Deo Wash after the Norwegian word for island, which refers to purity and freshness, is not a sweat inhibitor according to Inge. "It does not hinder the natural sweating process. Because it teaches us to keep our temperature in balance and remove waste products. But it is also not a deodorant, because a deodorant does nothing more than mask unpleasant odors. I call the product I developed a deo soap It acts on the bacteria responsible for causing bad odors, especially in skin folds such as the armpits, groin or between the toes, places where bacteria develop more quickly due to heat. This way the odor is neutralized instead of camouflaged. Using our scrub further enhances the effectiveness of the soap."
For Inge, her invention also meant that she had to find her way as a starting entrepreneur: "I often initially felt like a 'one woman army', because you are suddenly responsible for finances, business plan, strategy, marketing and sales. " In the meantime, she has founded the family business Laboratoires Pi Care together with her sons Gauthier and Gaetan; they assist her with the administration, distribution and promotion of the product. They saw how it came about, how hard I worked on it and experienced for themselves that it works. The fact that they gave up their promising jobs in other companies for this proves how much they support me and fully believe in our product." O
O.Y
“After four years and
After 271 attempts I finally arrived at one
successful soap"
TESTED
We tested Oy Deo Wash. The product is easy to use. Every morning you simply apply a dab of product to the dry, unwashed skin of your armpits, between your toes or where you suffer from bad odors. After working for a minute, wash the product off with water. It is best to use the deodorant soap together with a deodorant during the first week, after which deodorant is unnecessary. Our guinea pig evaluates Oy as user-friendly. Just review your morning ritual, it will take a minute. For example, just before you step into the shower. Under normal circumstances - in the case of our guinea pig, a day at school or a quiet internship day in a residential care center - the product certainly offers resistance to bad odors for a day. During sporting activities and in stressful situations, an odor still appears to occur. According to Inge, this is the case with 2% of the test subjects: "I had the product extensively tested by test subjects in advance. Only in a very small minority did a slightly longer break-in period be required, or did the test subject still need to use a deodorant in extreme stress situations. necessary. But that problem also disappeared in this minority after longer use of the Deo Wash. In those cases, I recommend applying the product twice a day in the start-up phase, in the morning and before going to bed."
The Oy Deo Wash (200 ml) is distributed through pharmacists and costs 24.60 euros. With normal use, a tube lasts three to four months.
Inge Louf with sons Gauthier Robyn (left) and Gaëtan Robyn, who not only inspired her. but whoever she works with now.