LONDON — Breitling CEO Georges Kern has turned his attention from one Swiss luxury product to another, taking a stake in the natural soap and skin care brand Soeder.
The investment is a personal one for Kern, a marketing and management wunderkind who began his career at Kraft General Foods, and who made his mark repositioning IWC at Compagnie Financière Richemont before joining Breitling.
Kern said that having used Soeder’s soap for years, “I’ve come to realize the profound impact that quality skin care products can have on our health and the environment.”
The investment, Kern added, was “driven by my commitment to sustainability, and to taking the best Swiss brands to a global audience.” The size of Kern’s investment was not disclosed.
Kern has been also driving the sustainability strategy at Breitling, which includes using only lab-grown diamonds and responsibly extracted gold.
As part of his investment in Soeder, he has joined the board, and plans to help with the company’s expansion into new markets and its global brand awareness.
Georges Kern, Hanna Olzon Akerstrom and Johan Olzon Akerstrom.
Florian Kalotay
Soeder was founded in Zurich in 2013 by Hanna and Johan Olzon Akerstrom, with the aim of making skin care “kinder to both the body and the environment.”
The products, all of which come in refillable packaging, are developed and made on-site at the company’s Zurich factory. All ingredients are 100 percent natural in origin, and include Swiss honey, wheat proteins and cold-pressed organic oils. There are no synthetic additives, according to Soeder.
Bottles are made from glass and locally recycled plastic, and the brand has more than 130 refill stations.
Products include Herbal Garden Natural Soap, Lavender Field Natural Lotion, and Mystic Journey Natural Shampoo, which range in price from 24 Swiss francs to 59 Swiss francs, or $28 to $69.
The brand is distributed through 500 stores in the Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Retailers include Bergdorf Goodman, KaDeWe, 25 Hours Hotels, Amour hotels in Paris and Nice, France, and three stand-alone stores in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland.
Soeder’s new Zurich flagship is located inside the city’s main railway station.
Soeder soap bottles.
Hanna Olzon Akerstrom, whose title is cofounder and creative director, said Kern “recognizes our goal of transforming the skin care industry. We are on a mission to create products that are genuinely good for both people and planet, and we strive for full transparency every step of the way. We hope to set new benchmarks for quality and sustainability.”
Konrad Bergstrom, Soeder’s chairman and largest investor, said Kern’s support “underscores the growing importance of sustainable, natural products. We are excited to continue driving innovation, and expanding our reach globally.”
Bergstrom is the founder of Swedish electric boat company X Shore, and of the music consumer-tech firm Zound Industries, now Marshall Group.
The factory floor at Soeder in Zurich.
Tom Licht
