Exode

What Exode does

Exode is a French natural cosmetics company that develops and sells personal-care products formulated around Nigella sativa (black seed) oil, with its flagship line being natural deodorant balms. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Lyon (RCS Lyon 893 476 432), the company operates as EXODE SAS, a privately held French simplified joint-stock company under the Good Brands SAS holding structure. Its core technology proposition is that thymoquinone in nigella oil inhibits Staphylocoque Hominis bacteria — the organism identified in 2020 Canadian research as responsible for body odor — and regulates sebum and skin regeneration under the arm. The company cites a 2005 study by Dr. Fabienne Orsi-Llinares at the Grenoble Faculty of Pharmacy as scientific backing, and sources Egyptian nigella oil formulated and packaged in France. The portfolio spans standard and sensitive-skin deodorant balms (without sodium bicarbonate, using magnesium hydroxide and zinc), face creams, nigella oil capsules, multi-purpose Egyptian balm, pure nigella oil, lip balm, and nigella honey. Standard 50g deodorant pots retail at €12.90, sensitive-skin variants at €13.90, and accessories/bundles range from €5.90 (mini deodorants) to €55.00 (annual sensitive-skin pack). Products are ECOCERT-certified organic and carry AB labeling, with reported Yuka scores of 72-100/100 across SKUs.

Exode runs a dual-channel commercial model. The primary channel is a direct-to-consumer Shopify storefront at exodenaturel.fr serving France and other EU countries, with Colissimo and Chronopost fulfillment and free shipping above €40. The secondary channel is a B2B reseller program targeting pharmacies, parapharmacies, and natural/health food stores across France, which the company reports has onboarded 1,000+ resellers across 1,700+ physical points of sale; a dedicated reseller landing page attracts roughly 100,000 monthly visitors and generates approximately 50 new partner inquiries per day. The company claims 750,000 deodorants sold cumulatively and 150,000+ product testers, with reported outcomes of 94% comfortable days, 89% wanting to gift the product, and 89% adoption at 30 days. Marketing is concentrated on organic Instagram and TikTok (@exodenaturel), an educational blog on nigella oil benefits, SEO, email/newsletter, and a discount-code conversion strategy. Exode remains privately held and appears to be founder-financed, with no external funding rounds, M&A, or investor participation disclosed in the source material.

Name

Exode

Legal name

EXODE SAS

Website

https://exodenaturel.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Exode is a French natural cosmetics company that sells Nigella sativa (black seed) oil-based deodorants and adjacent personal-care products directly to EU consumers via Shopify and through 1,700+ pharmacy and bio-shop retail points across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Cosmetics

NAICS

Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Deodorants & Antiperspirants (CRADANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Natural & Clean Fragrance (CRABADAG)

Keywords

• Natural deodorants
• Organic skincare products
• Black seed oil cosmetics
• Natural personal care
• Nigella oil deodorants

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Primary revenue stream through the company's Shopify e-commerce platform (exodenaturel.fr) selling directly to individual consumers in France and EU countries. Products include deodorants, face creams, capsules, balms, lip balms, and nigella honey in various formats (full-size, mini/travel, and subscription-style annual packs).
2. B2B Wholesale to Resellers: Wholesale revenue from pharmacies, health food stores, and independent retailers purchasing Exode products for resale. The company references over 1,000 resellers and 1,700+ points of sale. Resellers contact the company through a Typeform to become partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Exode (also known as Exode Naturel) is a French natural cosmetics company that develops and sells deodorant balms and skincare products formulated with Egyptian nigella (black seed) oil as the primary active ingredient. The portfolio spans standard and sensitive-skin deodorant balms in multiple fragrances, face creams, food supplements (nigella capsules), multi-purpose Egyptian balms, lip balms, and nigella honey. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via the company's Shopify e-commerce site and through a B2B reseller network of pharmacies, health food stores, and independent retailers across France.

Product overview

Exode is a natural cosmetics company specializing in nigella (black seed) oil-based products, primarily natural deodorant balms. The core product line consists of deodorant balms in various fragrances (Musc, Monoï, Vanille, Coco, Agrumes, Pastèque, Candy, Litchi, Passion, Santal Blanc, Coton Floral) and a sensitive skin line without bicarbonate of soda. The portfolio extends to face creams with nigella oil, nigella capsules/gummies, Egyptian multi-purpose balms, pure nigella oil, nigella honey, and lip balms. Products are manufactured and packaged in France, certified Bio by ECOCERT, with ingredients sourced globally (notably Egyptian nigella oil). Distribution includes direct-to-consumer e-commerce and 1,700+ retail points of sale across France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Deodorant Balm (Standard Line)

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of 150,000 testers report passing comfortable days after one week of use
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Good Brands SASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Brands SAS is identified as the data controller responsible for processing all customer data, order management, payment processing, shipping, complaints, and after-sales service, as disclosed in the privacy policy.
• Dr. Fabienne Orsi-Llinares (Grenoble Faculty of Pharmacy)minorOthersDr. Fabienne Orsi-Llinares conducted a 2005 scientific study on nigella oil demonstrating that Thymoquinone inhibits the growth of Staphylocoque Hominis. The 175-page study 'la nigelle, une épice d'intérêt médicinale' is cited by Exode as scientific backing for their product claims.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Etiaxil: French clinical-strength antiperspirant brand cited by Exode reseller as a comparable for efficacy. Competes in the French deodorant category with a more clinical, prescription-strength positioning rather than natural.
• Respire: French natural deodorant startup offering natural deodorant sticks and skincare targeting the same French consumer who is transitioning from conventional antiperspirants. Direct competitor in the French natural deodorant DTC + pharmacy channel.
• Schmidt's (Unilever): Natural deodorant brand (now owned by Unilever) pioneering plant-based deodorants in stick/jar formats. Directly competes with Exode in the natural deodorant category with broader international distribution.
• Native (Procter & Gamble): Aluminum-free natural deodorant brand owned by P&G with a wide fragrance portfolio. Direct competitor in the natural deodorant category; Exode's sensitive-skin line competes against Native's Sensitive range.

Broad incumbents

• Caudalie: French natural cosmetics brand (with L'Oréal minority stake) sold through French pharmacies. Comparable to Exode in pharmacy-channel distribution, ingredient-led positioning, and French natural beauty heritage.
• Pierre Fabre (Avène, Klorane): French dermo-cosmetics group with pharmacy-channel brands including Avène and Klorane. Competes with Exode in pharmacy distribution and natural-origin sensitive-skin positioning across face cream and body care.
• L'Occitane en Provence: Global French natural personal care brand with a portfolio spanning body care, skincare, and fragrance. Competes broadly with Exode's full product line (deodorant, face cream, balm) and shares the Grasse perfumery heritage.
• Sanex (Colgate-Palmolive): Mass-market deodorant and personal care brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive with broad European distribution. Competes with Exode in mass deodorant channels where Exode seeks shelf space in pharmacies and retailers.
• Weleda: Swiss natural cosmetics company with a broad natural personal care range including deodorants. Direct overlap with Exode in ECOCERT-certified natural deodorants and natural-origin formulation philosophy.

Emerging players

• Patyka: French organic cosmetics brand with ECOCERT-certified bio skincare sold through French pharmacies and select e-commerce. Comparable to Exode in ingredient-led, organic-certification positioning for premium French consumers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/exodenaturel
• Instagraminstagram.com/exodenaturel
• TikToktiktok.com/@exodenaturel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exodenaturel

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Exode