A grandmother's home-made beauty cream that was mixed in a farmhouse kitchen for years, has led to South Africa's latest skin care range which was recently launched as part of Woolworths' exclusive international beauty range. Reana le Roux's grandmother, Freda Nower, was known for her beautiful and youthful skin, so Reana started using her granny's moisturising cream. Soon people were complimenting Reana on her clear skin. When she asked Freda where the cream came from, Freda said a pharmacist had given her the formula about thirty years ago. As Reana spent more and more hours mixing the cream using a mixing bowl and an electric egg beater, for friends and family, she started marketing the product under the Freroux name. The range has now grown far beyond that farmhouse kitchen.
Reana and her husband Jacques gave up their farming life in Cradock to concentrate on their expanding cosmetic business. They have two daughters, Mariné (3) and Ju-Netje (1). They sold their farm and moved to Rustenberg. With the help of Sasol ChemCity's small business incubator, they further developed Fréroux scientifically and a spa range named Fréroux Moods is to be released soon. The couple have also received help from the SA Cosmetic Council and hope to export their products. Each product in the Fréroux range uses natural oils such as almond, coconut, jojoba, wheat-germ and evening primrose, and plant extracts including gardenia, witch-hazel, sesame seed, beech tree and papaya, as well as various vitamins such as E, B3 and B5.
