Less is more

Dr Bettina Lühmann & Silke Koppe

The secret of Beti Lue lies in a small silver tin. A good twelve years ago, Silke Koppe and Dr Bettina Lühman wanted to make creams where you know what's inside. The friends created their own brand Beti Lue and, together with three other women, run their shop in Chemnitz and another in Leipzig. The women know exactly what is in their products, which they sell alongside creams, soaps, bath chocolates and oils. Right next to the small shop is their own soap factory.

Why weren't you satisfied with the creams you could buy in drugstores? Why did you want to make your own soaps?
Silke Koppe: We want women to have cosmetics where they can understand the ingredients. We want to be able to explain why and what is in it. We lose this knowledge in everyday consumption. We are usually so far removed from the manufacturing process that we no longer have any idea about the composition of products. Bettina was able to clearly define that certain raw materials in creams are not good, no matter how expensive the cream is. That gave us the idea of producing creams ourselves.

How did you build up the expertise for production?
Dr Bettina Lühmann: I am a chemist and studied here at Chemnitz University of Technology. Of course, I acquired the knowledge about cosmetics separately. But my studies gave me a very good grounding in understanding what is important in cosmetics and which raw materials have what effect.

How do you develop your products?
Silke Koppe: Actually out of lack. (laughs) We are five women who fulfil our own wishes here. And of course many people ask us directly. A friend of ours was diagnosed with cancer and we started researching what cosmetics are good for skin that has changed due to illness. Or when Bettina had her daughter, we developed our Goldkind range. I love that - a skincare range for children that consists of just three products. And that makes me very happy in this age of consumption and being worthless that we can say: three products are enough.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: For small children, you don't need the whole range of skincare products offered by retailers. Just a few products really are enough. In the year I've been at home, I've been able to judge very well what children actually need.

How many products do you have in your range?
Silke Koppe: We have around 150 different products.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: A product range like this is also something organic. Something goes away and something comes in. When customer enquiries pile up, we try to develop something for them. And if there is no demand for products, we take them out of the range again.

You also offer courses. How does that work?
Dr Bettina Lühmann : You can make your own creams, soaps and bath chocolates here. It is an opportunity to create personalised creams. As a company, we have strict rules about what we can and cannot do. When a woman comes to me, I can't just add something to a cream. That's why we offer these courses where customers can mix their own creams.
Silke Koppe: The courses are also great for the community. Friends or even complete strangers have a lot of fun together.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: Yes, it's also a great experience for us.
Silke Koppe: It is simply important to us to show women what they should look out for when buying cosmetics. Nowadays, so many have allergies or intolerances. Our principle is: less is more. Customers can understand this perfectly during the courses. It's a careful way of attracting customers. It's a very honest way of selling products. And it's a great time together - relaxing for all of us. 1.5 hours of pure relaxation, because you can just concentrate on smelling, touching and feeling beautiful.

You've been self-employed since 2004 - how did you pluck up the courage to set up your own business?
Silke Koppe: We really didn't know what was coming. (both laugh)
Dr Bettina Lühmann : I was fresh out of university and really naïve. It wasn't a schnapps idea, it was a wine idea. And we just got started. We had the plan to make something that we liked and that women might like.

Was the start of the business very bumpy?
Dr Bettina Lühmann: Yes. But somehow also fun. At some point, the bureaucracy catches up with you and you ask yourself why you're doing this. But it was actually always a lot of fun.
Silke Koppe: We enjoyed going to work every day because that's exactly what we wanted to do.

What have been the highlights of the past ten years?
Silke Koppe: Definitely: the hospital asked us if they could test our sea buckthorn products. That was an accolade for us.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: The sea buckthorn range was created at the suggestion of our friend who was so seriously ill. The response still makes us proud today. I think it's great that we don't just make cosmetics to feel good, but also offer something for difficult skin. It helps women through this difficult time. It makes me happy when women and men are grateful for our products. We are doing something that is appreciated. Some even write letters and thank us.
Silke Koppe: It's not about selling an expensive cream to a rich woman, it's about us being able to help. That fulfils our helper syndrome, which everyone should have. If we stop looking at how the other person is doing, then we're no good as human beings.

Would you encourage women to become self-employed? What do you have to be prepared for? What do you need to bring with you?
Dr Bettina Lühmann: In principle, yes. But you have to have stamina. You can't do it in one or two years. You have to keep motivating yourself. And you also need support from your environment.
Silke Koppe: Yes. You can stop again at any time. Of course, try everything. Nobody says it will work. But you can only know if it works once you've tried it.

Why did your business work?
Silke Koppe: We were all just lucky together. (laughs) It's like life. Sometimes things get better and sometimes worse. But things were never really bad for us. I'm proud that we created a brand that was brand new. That's what I found so exciting at the time, creating our own brand. The market is actually already full.

The shop is located at the foot of Kaßberg, on Limbacher Straße. The large window panes are labelled Salbenmanufaktur in red letters. You can peek through to watch the soap being mixed. In the small shop next door, the products are lovingly packaged with magic buttons or colourful bows. A poem on the shopping bag is included free of charge.

How long have you been in Limbacher Straße and what is the advantage of the location for you?
Silke Koppe: The city centre was simply out of the question for us. I don't want to be in an environment that is dominated by corporations. I think it's a shame that there are fewer and fewer private entrepreneurs. I miss the individuality in city centres, regardless of the city. The big chains dominate. Of course we wanted to be near the Kaßberg, because it's beautiful here, this is where we belong. We got off the bus here and stood right in front of the shop window.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: We need a laboratory and a shop. We were lucky that the shop next door moved out. And our landlord remodelled the shop for us straight away and made a lot of things possible.

You also have a location in Leipzig. Did you ever consider leaving Chemnitz?
Dr Bettina Lühmann: We had considered where we could open another location. We came across Dr Fellmer in Leipzig - or we came across her. She also has a doctorate in chemistry. And we quickly agreed that we wouldn't do a franchise or anything similar, but that she would open her own Beti Lue. shop in Leipzig. And of course we work very closely together. But the base is and will remain in Chemnitz.
Silke Koppe: Everything is just right here. There's no reason for me to leave here.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: When I came here in 1991, I first had to warm to the city. That took quite a while. But today it is simply beautiful. Chemnitz has a lot of culture. There's everything I need here. My family is here, my friends. The employees are from here. And what would it be like in another city? Maybe there's even more culture there, but I don't have the time. And if there's nothing here, then I'll go to another city and take a nice trip. Nevertheless, I always like to come back.
Silke Koppe: It's not right to talk so badly about your own city. If I don't like it here, that's the way it is in life, then I have to change it or leave.

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Silke Koppe: They are responsible for that themselves. I need courage everywhere. Courage is part of life.
Dr Bettina Lühmann: Yes, that's how I see it too. It always depends on what demands you make and what you do with yourself and your life. For us, for example, networking in Chemnitz works really well.
Silke Koppe: What I like about Chemnitz is that it's a big city, but still manageable. I know a lot of people here. We set up our business with friends, that's the kind of thing that connects people.