Visiting Paris during summer, I found myself walking down a quaint street in the Marais that brought me to a small antique shop. In the window was a beautiful porcelain apothecary bottle dating from the 18th century. To my surprise, my family surname ‘Midy’ was inscribed on the side. I was always aware that my father (who passed away when I was young) owned one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in France, but I never realized we helped pioneer the industry. I soon learned from that we were the oldest surviving pharmaceutical company in the world dating from 1718. This encounter inspired me to continue in my father’s footsteps and build a skincare brand evolving from the original plant-based healing discoveries of my great great grandfather.