For those that don’t know what Fur oil is, it’s a natural formula that softens pubic hair and clears pores for fewer ingrown hairs. Also, Emma Watson uses it, which is how I discovered the product by reading about her beauty routine here.

With that, I feel truly honoured and privileged to have gotten the opportunity to interview the CEO and Cofounder of FUR, Laura Schubert. Here, in this interview, Laura talks about how Fur came to be, the triumphs and challenges of starting a business, and more.

An Interview with the CEO of Fur, Laura Schubert

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First off, tell us a bit about how Fur came to be, what inspired you to launch it?

Back in 2014 we were discussing exciting trends in beauty towards natural products and defining your own beauty, and away from prescribed standards. As we talked, we realized available body hair products were not in line with this movement—the ingredients were harsh, the packaging was unsophisticated, and they focused only on removal—hair as a problem. Fur is about a more inclusive definition of beauty, whether you think the bush is back or skin is in. We spent the next two years developing and testing and officially launched in 2016. Today, we’re still one of the few totally women-run businesses in this space.

Pubic haircare and skincare, Fur is the first for this category, how does it feel to pioneer this space?

It’s so thrilling to see Fur out in the world. When we launched, there was literally nothing like it in the market. We made 1,000 Fur Oils and 1,000 Stubble Creams, and I stored them in my apartment. I remember the night before launch looking at the stack of boxes and hoping that people would respond to the products in the way I felt in my bones they would. Then we quickly sold out, and we knew we were onto something. So right from the beginning Fur has been an exciting journey.

We also feel a great level of responsibility in creating this category. When we launched, we could have easily been made into a joke. That is why it took us two years to develop the formula to be effective, test dermatologically and gynecologically to EU standards, and create a brand world, with packaging inspired by YSL and Chanel. If we were going to create a new category, we needed to show that pubic hair and skin care could be elegant.

By creating an elevated product, we could create a safe place where people would feel comfortable discussing pubic hair and body care, which is a taboo subject that is hard to discuss sometimes.

What are some of the most significant challenges you faced embarking on this venture?

When we told people we wanted to create the first line of pubic hair care and skin care, we were hung up on, laughed at, and told it was a terrible idea. So it’s been exciting to watch our idea that we knew would be challenging to make a marketable turn into a trend that people really appreciate. At the same time, the new challenge is our concern that this movement can be co-opted by brands that don’t actually have the best intentions.

As with any beauty product, you don’t necessarily “need” it, but we founded Fur because we thought it was odd that there were so many products out there that catered to head hair and facial skin, but absolutely none for pubic hair and skin. Meanwhile, there are endless options for hair removal, but almost none to make sure that skin stays happy, ingrown free, and moisturized. So we definitely challenged ourselves to push that conversation further.

In some ways, it’s pretty groundbreaking to consider pubic hair outside the realm of it being embarrassing or something you need to remove and never discuss. There’s almost a rebellious quality to treating your body hair luxuriously.

Throughout the journey since launching Fur, what has been your proudest moment of so far?

I am proud of our team every day! The most magical moment so far was when Emma Watson talked about Fur on Into the Gloss last year. We came into the office, and our website was going crazy, and we didn’t know why. Then we realized she had talked about using Fur products. We had no idea it was coming, and we sold out of a year’s worth of product in 3 weeks. It was truly amazing.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have told yourself when you first started?

Don’t do it! I’m kidding, but a little serious – if I knew then what I know now about starting and running a business, I probably would have been intimidated, with good reason.

That being said, I have a friend who early in this process said to me, if you’re not scared every day, you’re not challenging yourself, and you’re not growing. And I think he is 100% right. Nothing has been more challenging or exhilarating than this journey.

So in short, my advice to myself would have been to go for it, and also to just go for everything at once. If you try to plan too much, you don’t move forward. So be careful and thoughtful, but most importantly just get out there.

How has Fur helped YOU grow?

Fur has made me trust myself and my intuition a lot more. Being a business owner, you have to be an expert in so many things – sales, marketing, finance, operations, talent, recruiting – and most of these are new responsibilities, so I’m not actually an expert.

When I don’t know the next step, I try to draw on my network for advice, but at the end of the day, I am the expert in Fur. It’s scary but liberating to realize that no one has built this exact business at this exact time, and I just need to follow my heart and make the right call.

What’s next for Fur?

Stay tuned for a lot of newness in 2019! New retailers, new products, and new media. At the same time, expect a continued commitment to great products that challenge the stigma around body hair and seek to normalize discussion of pubic hair.

Finally, how people find out more about you and Fur?

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I genuinely enjoyed this interview, not only did I learn more about Fur, but it was also great to hear about the struggles and success when starting a business, and there’s valuable career advice too! I’d love to know your thoughts and if you have tried Fur yourself! Leave me a note in the comment section.

Thanks for reading,

Michelle