Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Benedict Klarmann: I'm Benedikt Klarmann, founder of the clean beauty brand Junglück. I've been an entrepreneur since I was 18. The idea for Junglück came about when I overheard my mom and my girlfriend talking at home about how unhappy they were with their cosmetic products. This prompted me to think about what could be done. With Junglück, I wanted to develop a skincare line that would make people happy. It was made with pure, natural products and a fundamentally sustainable approach.
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Benedict Klarmann: At the time of the founding of Junglück The cosmetics market lacked a consistent and holistic implementation of sustainability, environmental protection, transparency, and effective yet low-irritation ingredients in a comprehensive concept. For this reason, we, as pioneers, are setting a good example to close this gap in the cosmetics market and encourage other providers to follow our example – only in this way can we be good for both skin and nature – and in the long term.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Benedict Klarmann: Unfortunately not. Because: Although plastic pollution has become a topic of discussion in our society, 98 percent of the products on the cosmetics market are offered in unsustainable packaging. The majority of cosmetics that are packaged in environmentally friendly ways do not pay attention to the use of biodegradable ingredients that are healthy for humans and proven to improve the appearance of the skin. This means: Currently, no cosmetics brand exists that combines a comparable, consistent implementation of sustainable and environmentally conscious packaging with sustainable, effective, and skin-friendly ingredients as Junglück.
Munich Startup: Has there ever been a point where you almost failed?
Benedict Klarmann: Didn’t fail, but we had as a small Startup constantly struggling with various challenges such as supply bottlenecks due to growth which is constantly changing unpredictably.
“Balance between risk and security”
Munich Startup: How are things going?
Benedict Klarmann: Business is going very well! Our range now includes 32 natural products, and we produce a comprehensive and coordinated natural and sustainable cosmetics line for skin, hair, and body. Since October 2020, a baby product line has been added to our portfolio.
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Benedict Klarmann: The Munich location is very good in terms of leisure value for employees, but otherwise it is very expensive for a startup in Munich and often difficult to compete with the large DAX corporations (office rents, employee recruitment, etc.).
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Benedict Klarmann: You can't start a startup without risk, but risk also presents opportunity, so I think a balance between risk and security is very important, even when starting a business.
