Who We Are
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Words From Our Founder
Years before I developed Cleo+Coco’s award-winning natural deodorants, I was famous among my friends for smelling amazing, mixing and blending perfumes to make my own signature scent. When my father was recovering in the hospital from a serious illness, it was only natural that I found my way to essential oils and their beautiful scents and beneficial properties. I began to use them in my home, health, and wellbeing. Then along came the clean eating movement. Having been taught from a young age to eat healthy and take care of my body, I became an avid student of this clean movement, as well. When I got married and pregnant, I suddenly became very sensitive to and aware of the chemicals that I was putting onto my body. All of my perfumed skin care products and antiperspirants went into the garbage.
I’ll be honest, during this time in my life there was simply no aluminum-free deodorant that I could find to handle my fluctuating hormones, sweat, and odor. Having been known for my great scent over the years, this was not something I was happy about, especially as I was still a newlywed! So, I took out my essential oils and began creating my own deodorant that was natural, free from synthetic fragrance, sensitive enough for pregnant and nursing moms, yet still powerful enough to combat our odor. It took a good year of experimenting with the perfect mix of ingredients to get to the point where we could claim with complete confidence that Cleo+Coco offered all day odor control. Our deodorants work and we have won awards to prove it. Our thousands of happy customers demonstrate that.
Once I created the perfect formula, I had a vision for what deodorant should be. I saw that deodorant should be a product that you love to put on every day. Not just something that we brainlessly tolerate to prevent uncomfortable body odor. I saw that deodorant could feel, look, and smell luxurious.
After all, isn’t a product that we use every day on our sensitive underarms, so close to our delicate breast tissues and glands, critically important? Shouldn’t deodorant be a product that we think long and hard about before applying? Shouldn’t it be made with clean ingredients? And shouldn’t deodorant allow you to feel confident all day long? Confident that you aren’t compromising your wellbeing for effectiveness.
And that’s how Cleo+Coco came about. We had the perfect formula. Now we perfected the creamy application and improved the packaging to offer you the luxury experience you deserve.
Recently, we have also added a zero-waste, plastic-free option in travel-friendly, reusable organic cotton bags. This Deodorant Bar uses our same award-winning formula and is held in a no-mess sustainable wax mold offering the next generation of eco-conscious deodorant application, because we are acutely aware of the fact that the environment is something that we have to take care of too.
We hope you will enjoy using our products that are Clean+Confident and Conscious without Compromise. We would love for you to share your experiences with us on Instagram with #CleanConfidence @cleoandcoconatural.
Xo,
Suzannah Raff, Founder/CEO
Suzannah Raff is a New York native and mother of four who is committed to living an authentic life spiritually, physically, and professionally. Over the years she has earned both a Master’s degree in Business along with a Master’s degree in Social Work. Cleo+Coco was born out of a passion to learn more about toxic ingredients, the negative effect they have on our bodies, and the benefits of plant-based ingredients to create authentic products that are safe and effective. After years of listening, experimenting, teaching, and learning, Cleo+Coco’s next generation of natural was born.
“One of my motivations in developing Cleo+Coco products was to provide products that I felt were safe for my pregnant/nursing self and now my pre-teen children to use. That meant minimizing our exposure to toxic chemicals, synthetic fragrances, aluminum, and talc. It is interesting to note that my maternal grandfather was a chemist and came to New York from Europe as a holocaust survivor and built a very successful spice factory together with his brother. So, it seems that formulating is in my blood. Really, it’s in my fingertips and my nose. I can smell a new dish and recreate it from sensing the spices. Same with perfumes. And now I’m able to reformulate natural deodorants into what they should be, Clean+Confident, conscious, and pleasurable without compromise.”