“It’s difficult to embrace your natural beauty in a culture where only one Eurocentric beauty standard is celebrated,” EADEM co-founder Marie Kouadio Amouzame tells ESSENCE. As a West African raised in France, “French lip products often don’t cater to darker skin tones,” she says, either appearing too light or masking dual-toned lips. To close the gap, today, EADEM is launching their first lip product, Le Chouchou Lip Softening Balm, and redefining the exclusive definition of “French girl beauty.”
With the “chic” standard revolving around white features, “I always wanted to make a French beauty product as a French person— even if I don’t look like what most people think of when they hear ‘French beauty’,” Amouzame says. Even so, “French beauty products are well known for solving a problem, their simplicity and chic packaging.” In the same vein, “Le Chouchou is an effective formula that exfoliates, moisturizes, and adds color to the lips, housed in sleek chrome,” she says.
Meaning “favorite” or “beloved,” Le Chouchou is designed to replace all the lip products in your makeup bag. Featuring five buildable shades, including darker skin-toned nudes, you do not have to use layers of lip pencil or lipstick to achieve the right dual-toned shade. “We were tired of multi-step routines (like lip basting),” she says, formulating the treatment with Cashmere Peel-like exfoliation and the moisturization of a lip mask.
“Unless you’re super dedicated to your skincare routine, reapplying multiple lip products to reap multiple benefits isn’t realistic,” she says. This is why EADEM formulated Le Chouchou as an all-in-one product. Enriched with hibiscus enzymes and lactic acid, the treatment instantly buffs dry skin, prepping the lips for hydration (locked-in by Brazilian açaí and African mongongo butters). Enhancing your lip’s appearance, collagen-boosting peptides reduce fine lines for pillow-soft lips. Meanwhile, their SpreadIt™ Polymer Technology disburses the product evenly, keeping color within the lip line.
As a French beauty product, the treatment is designed to enhance instead of cover. “Plus, we assume that everyone leads pretty busy lives with not much time in the morning to spend on an extensive routine,” Amouzame says. “We wanted to create a multi-functional product that slots easily into your skincare routine. Swipe on your Le Chouchou, and then leave the house.” The result? Confidence in your natural beauty wherever you go.
Le Chouchou Lip Softening Balm is available now at Eadem.co and Sephora.com.