Infrared–it’s one of those technologies that sounds like it could be a superpower. It has the gravity of an unknown cure-all, and in some ways, it is. Infrared technology has been clinically proven to assist healing when applied to the skin. And its fast yet gentle, deep-penetrating heat makes it the perfect technology for straightening or curling while reducing heat-related damage to hair.

INFRARED IS ALL AROUND US
Everything around us is emitting infrared radiation (IR) at this exact moment, and this heat’s unique features make its application particularly useful in a diverse range of hot tools.

“Its a type of electromagnetic energy that has longer wavelengths than the regular light that we are used to seeing, and that’s why it is invisible to the naked eye,” explains Liam Ben-David, the founder of Sutra Beauty, a manufacturer of professional and consumer blowdryers and styling irons.

Infrared is a measurable frequency range. While the human eye can detect wavelengths between 400 to 700 nanometers (or a billionth of a meter), infrared extends from 0.7 to 300 μm (micrometer) wavelengths, making it invisible.

All objects that do not have a non-zero temperature both emit and absorb infrared or thermal radiation—even cold objects, such as an ice cube. In fact, having a temperature of absolute zero is impossible. “Almost everything that emits any kind of heat (such as cell phones, computers and televisions) has infrared; we just can’t see it,” Ben-David says.

Products may claim to utilize infrared radiation, but in actuality, they are not channeling it in a targeted way. “The vast majority of the time, this translates via red lights that people put on their tools and say that they have infrared. Technically, this is true, but keep in mind that almost everything and anything that emits heat
has IR. Their tools had IR before the red lights, and they have it regardless of the lights by the mere fact that they emit heat.” Viable infrared technology will control these wavelengths in a way that specifically benefits the hair, not merely exploit the fact that all hot tools intrinsically generate infrared radiation.

ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH
To truly harness IR and turn it into a means to achieve sleeker hair, there has to be an effective way to capture it. “In reality, the true translation into the hair tool world isn’t the infrared itself, but the radio frequency (RF) generator that complements the IR frequency. I call this ‘infrared optimization,’” Ben-David explains. This is something Sutra specializes in. “With today’s technology, we’ve found the most ideal IR output for each tool. But what makes the results so superb compared to regular hair tools is actually the RF generator. In essence, it optimizes the IR rays by coupling them with their ideal frequency as contact with the hair is made.”

When applied correctly, IR is significantly less damaging to the hair than alternatives, such as steam. “Imagine a potato,” Ben-David explains. ”You can bake it in the oven, put it on a flame, fry it or boil it in a pot. All techniques could be using the exact same temperature, but the results will be as different as night and day. The same is true regarding IR optimization. The IR wavelengths are much less harsh on the hair when properly coupled with the ideal frequency.”

“Infrared ray technology helps maintain moisture balance, stimulates hair growth and prevents dandruff.”

-Judy Mowatt, marketing manager, HairArt Products

IR reduces the time it takes to get hair ready, and in this respect it is also less damaging. “Infrared light gives off gentle infrared rays that can detoxify, sterilize and deodorize the hair, leaving the cuticle laying more flat and compact, which can help make the hair healthier and shinier after use,” says Gina Giambalvo-Glockler, sales manager for Corioliss Professional.

THE BENEFITS OF INFRARED
The best tools are built to maximize targeted infrared. Judy Mowatt, marketing manager for HairArt Products, explains how this works. “The nano-infrared technology in the plates emits longer wavelengths, which enables deep, penetrating heat that relaxes the hair, heating it from inside out,” she says.

Again, if properly controlled, the benefits are numerous. “Infrared ray technology helps maintain moisture balance, stimulates hair growth and prevents dandruff,” Mowatt says. “It relaxes and softens hair, kills surface bacteria and reduces exposure to heat for quicker styling in about half the time.” It is also a great option for customers worried about sensitive strands. “IR limits hair loss that could result from frizz and breakage, leaving a silky and shiny finish.”

While steam can strip the hair cuticle, IR works with it, acting as a sealant. “This is the reason infrared strengtheners work phenomenally well with chemical-straightening treatments,” notes Ben-David.

For all of these reasons, the future of infrared looks bright. “I think this is only the start,” Ben-David says. “[At Sutra], we’re discovering so much and at such a fast pace. When we launched our IR optimized tool category, we basically applied one standard frequency for the entire IR category. We are learning that each particular tool has a frequency range that it works ideally with. Another thing we are researching and figuring out through the data we’re collecting is the ideal frequency for each hair type. So we’ll have an ideal output for thicker, coarser hair, fine hair, etc. We’re basically fine-tuning the IR to provide the ultimate results.”

TO IR AND BEYOND
While this is a newer trend in hair tools, infrared for beauty originated in skin care. When directed to the skin, infrared technology is more focused on healing as opposed to speeding up drying time or utilizing heat as a shield.

The research on its skin benefits is promising. In a study titled “Effects of Infrared Radiation on Skin Photo Aging and Pigmentation,” published in the Yonsei Medical Journal, researchers found that after six months of exposure to infrared heat, in 20 patients with hyperpigmentation and mild to moderate wrinkles, over half (51 to 75 percent) reported an improvement in skin texture; 25 to 50 percent also noted an improvement in tone.

The study concluded that the “content of collagen and elastin produced by the fibroblasts increased after infrared radiation ... this increase was proportional to the duration of irradiation exposure.” It also found that “skin treatment with infrared radiation may be an effective and safe non-ablative remodeling method and may also be useful in the treatment of photoaged skin.” For those with sun-damaged skin, the results seem almost too good to be true. But they are not; beauty consumers are already enjoying the unique skin benefits infrared heat offers with new beauty devices.

“Infrared technology is in the energy spectrum of light just beyond LED,” explains Dr. Gross, founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. “Because infrared has more energy, it penetrates more deeply into the skin–it goes to the bottom of the lower dermal layer of the skin. On the other hand, LED covers all the skin layers above that.”

But that’s not where the benefits end for the skin. “Infrared technology stimulates circulation and improves wound healing. This has benefits to skin because it enhances the results of LED, which is why I included both light forces in my SpectraLite EyeCare Pro,” he explains of the infrared eye mask. “Infrared has been known to help promote difficult-to-heal wounds of the skin, particularly in the legs.”

Infrared technology is a work in progress, and the future means understanding how different frequencies are able to address different skin issues. The SpectraLite EyeCare Pro mask “features 72 LEDs created to target crow’s feet and [facial] lines,” explains Dr. Gross, adding that it utilizes four different wavelengths of light therapy. When used daily for three minutes for 6 to 8 weeks, your customers should notice visibly reduced fine lines and firmer skin.

Dr. Gross reiterates that not all light is created equally. “Pure infrared light sources are mostly beneficial in a hostile situation, but not for consumer use at home. Infrared technology is for wound healing and circulation, but doesn’t build collagen,” he says.

As IR technology becomes more advanced, we can look forward to an “IR prescription,” where we’ll be able to recommend solutions for any concern, just as with topical products.

Deborah Carver has always been ahead of her time. President and CEO of Creative Age Publications (CAP) in Van Nuys, California, for nearly 50 years, Carver has shepherded it to becoming the only beauty trade publishing company covering every segment of the industry. Witness CAP’s roll call of highly successful publications: NAILPRO, DAYSPA, our very own Beauty Store Business, Beauty Launchpad, MedEsthetics, The Colorist, Nail It!,Eye Lash and MAN. Throughout her publishing experience, Carver has demonstrated a sixth sense for retailing and the beauty industry. For example, she foresaw an age of “electronic retailing” decades before online ordering became commonplace and she anticipated the wellness craze more than 20 years ago when she introduced DAYSPA magazine in 1996.

Carver has made a career out of innately knowing what lies ahead. And yet, she is surprised to find herself receiving City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Award. An avid supporter of the organization for decades, she once thought she wouldn’t be eligible for the award as a publisher. Then, when she was asked to be an honoree, the timing simply wasn’t right. However, now the stars have finally aligned and this July, she’ll accept the award at the Spirit of Life Award gala held during Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas, already promising to be an unforgettable affair to celebrate Carver’s philanthropic achievements and the hope for a cancer cure.

Beauty Store Business recently sat down with the publishing mogul to discuss her remarkable career, her love for the beauty biz and why City of Hope has remained so close to her heart.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH
It’s difficult to believe that Carver, a long- familiar figure at trade shows and industry events, wasn’t born into beauty. In fact, it wasn’t even her first area of focus when she started CAP. Born to a labor leader father and a seamstress mother in Philadelphia, Carver proved herself a go-getter with big-city dreams even as a teen. After graduating high school, she fled to New York City with modeling aspirations, then hit Las Vegas with her sights set on the showgirl life. But the reality was decidedly less glamorous than expected. “This was in 1960, and they trained me at the Flamingo Hotel. Back then, there were only a few hotels on the Strip,” she recalls. “It was completely Mafia-driven and I found out the real job of a ‘showgirl’ wasn’t just walking on the stage in a skimpy outfit and a huge headdress. I escaped Vegas–literally!–and came to California, even living in my car for a few weeks until I found a job and got my first paycheck.”

A few forgettable jobs followed, and Carver–no longer a showgirl, but always seeking a leg up in life–combed the classifieds for better positions, eventually spotting a gig at Brentwood Publishing. Its single magazine, Space Age News, promised an intriguing subject, and Carver landed the job as a receptionist alongside its two partners. From three people, the company grew fast, and Carver grew along with it–moving up to circulation director and production manager, running editorial and working on art and sales. Her strong work ethic, focus and tenacious drive propelled her advancement in the company. By 1970, Brentwood Publishing had expanded to more than 15 publications with Carver as associate publisher.

“I did everything, so I thought, ‘If I can do this for them, I can do it for myself,’” Carver says. “I started a small newsletter service on the side, with a modicum of success, and decided to quit the publishing firm and start my own magazine publishing business.”

“I thought anything was possible. I wasn't afraid. ‘No’ did not exist in my vocabulary. I never thought it was a man’s world or I couldn’t do it. That really never occurred to me.”

Then earning a mere $10,800 per year, Carver borrowed $12,000 from a friend–a small fortune for the aspiring entrepreneur, and an especially daring move as the sole source of support for her mother and her young son. “If I were a man, my salary would have been triple!” Carver says, laughing.

With the money she borrowed, she cofounded Creative Age Publications with her editorial partner Carol Summer. Carver quickly established herself as a visionary with an eye always on the next big thing. In January 1971, she started her first magazine, Undergrounding, which covered a relatively new industry: putting wires and cables underground for telephones and television. It was around this time that Carver met her third husband, Jim Brodie, at a convention for utility managers. Brodie was general manager of the Department of Water and Power in Pasadena, California. “Long before I got involved with City of Hope, and before we even met, Jim volunteered his time there working for free to put in their cogenerator systems, so we had that connection as well. I was married to Jim for 44 years until he passed away in 2014,” she says.

Two months after starting Undergrounding, Carver launched Dialysis & Transplantation, which became an internationally acclaimed medical magazine long before a dialysis machine even existed, and ultimately spread the word about a life-saving service. Later that year, Carver introduced Emergency Medical Services, which helped coin the acronym EMS in the U.S. and was the first outlet to publish Henry Heimlich’s paper on the Heimlich maneuver. Several niche medical industry publications followed, including Nutritional Support Services and Audiology & Hearing Education.

“We had a magazine called Diving World as well as Electronic Retailing; I should have held on to that one!” Carver exclaims. “What an idea, selling every- thing ‘online’–it was way before its time. Then I started Avenews in 1980, a precursor to the city magazines in the Valley. Creative Age was highly successful from the start. It was an astonishing rise.”

Of course, success didn’t come easy. Carver wore multiple hats–receptionist, art director, production manager, circulation director, accountant and ad salesperson. As her own paste-up artist in a precomputer era, she recalls, everything was done with a T-square, rubber cement and hot type from the typesetter. Sixteen-hour days were the norm for the first decade or so (nowadays, she’s taking it “easy,” working 12-hour days, six to seven days a week). “Hard work is just in my makeup,” she says.

Looking back, Carver marvels at her naiveté and chuckles at her gumption. Instincts, rather than perfect preparation, have served her well in business. Without a formal college education–she took only a “commercial course” that covered topics like typing, sewing and shorthand–her savvy has been hard-earned, learning through experience and succeeding through intuition, old-fashioned dedication and sheer determination.

“Had I really understood anything about business or had a real education, none of my success probably would have happened,” she muses. “Nobody in their right mind would quit their job with a baby to take care of and start a business! I started with $12,000, and it never occurred to me it wasn’t enough. I was aggressive, cocky and strong-willed, always pushing for better and more. I thought anything was possible. I wasn't afraid. ‘No’ did not exist in my vocabulary. I never thought it was a man’s world or I couldn’t do it. That really never occurred to me. I think I was just blessed with an innate ability to do what I needed to do in this world.”

“In the world of publishing, women were either executive editors or content writers; they were not business owners.”

Remarkably, Carver didn’t experience the sexism that was prevalent in that era. “In the world of publishing, women were either executive editors or content writers; they were not business owners,” Carver explains. Rubbing elbows with Madison Avenue advertising executives–even the likes of David Deutsch–Carver had power and she commanded respect. “Maybe because I was tall, important and played the role of CEO well, I was always taken seriously. I learned early not to flirt and to speak with authority (although I didn’t feel that way inside). It turns out that they needed me more for their purposes than I needed them for mine, which gave me an edge,” Carver says.

Whatever it was, it worked. Agency executives bought advertising, lots of it–and they all profited. It was a time of big money and Carver was not beyond making grand gestures in the name of business, sometimes flying executives in private planes or sending gifts of liquor and tickets to plays. “I was never ‘one of the guys’ but in a way, I was,” she says.

THE BEAUTY BIZ CONVERT
Life would change drastically for Carver in 1989 when she founded NAILPRO, her first foray into the wild and wonderful world of beauty. As she had done in the medical world, she built upon that one magazine to spawn a host of niche sister publications: DAYSPA, Beauty Store Business (her first purchased instead of created), Today’s Image, Beauty Launchpad, Sunless, Professional Beauty Manufacturer, Professional Cosmetics, INSPIRE books for salons, MedEsthetics and The Colorist, among others. With the company’s new focus on beauty, she sold Dialysis & Transplantation, and the rewards proved far more valuable than the sacrifices.

“I fell in love with the beauty industry,” Carver says. “All my career, I rode in the back of ambulances or went to fires with fire chiefs or watched people being dialyzed. It’s a lot more fun watching people getting their hair and makeup done. Plus, most of the people in this industry have become my friends, which didn’t happen in the medical industry. In beauty, there were music and parties; it was so different, and I just loved it–I still do. To this day, my best friends come from this industry.”

Carver fondly recalls one of her first beauty trade shows in NAILPRO’s early days, a nails-only show in Hollywood, California, run by Jack Sperling and attended by fellow nail industry upstart Essie Weingarten. “When Essie picked up the toilet seat in her hotel room, she saw a live crab–Jack Sperling had put it there!” Carver says. “That night, Essie went to Jack’s room and put cornflakes in his bed. That was the first time I’d met all these people–and remember, I’m coming from the medical industry. I thought, ‘What a crazy, fun industry to be in.’”

Carver credits the industry for introducing her to her best friend Lois Christie, former president of Intercoiffure and owner of Christie & Co Salon in New York. "I met Lois at a beauty event. In those days I always wore a hat, 4-inch heels (as if I weren't tall enough) and dressed to the nines. And so did Lois! We chatted about Beauty Launchpad becoming the official publication of Intercoiffure," Carver recalls. They have been best friends ever since.

Sharing a meal and having fun are two ways Carver connects with clients. In fact, she has blended her love of entertaining with business. Many of her colleagues and business connections have spent time on her boat in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. "We love taking people out whale watching, preparing delicious food and, of course, stirring up some mischief!" Carver says.

And many have enjoyed dinners at her home in Los Angeles. "There's something that happens when you get people outside of the office. We all relax and just get to know one another and have fun. Lasting friendships form naturally. And we inevitably end up working together in ways that mutually support our businesses. It's just the way it works," Carver explains.

As for her own unlikely journey from receptionist to media mogul, she admits her success is part pure luck, a pinch of research and a lot of full-steam-ahead persistence. “It takes a little bit of seeing into the future. I’m like an idiot savant in a way,” she laughs. “I understand publishing. I really get it. I could wake up every day and start a magazine. Many magazines are having difficulty, no doubt about it, but there will always be room for something people can touch and feel, even with the rise of digital media.”

With years of experience comes a certain wisdom, which Carver uses to guide a publishing powerhouse that continues to introduce new pubs at an impressive clip. In recent years, for example, Eye Lash, MAN and consumer publication Nail It! joined CAP’s roster. Even as Carver remains laser-focused on growth, she also admits that her once-fiery temper has considerably mellowed. “I was a nervous wreck all the time. I wanted exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it,” she says with a grin. “I’m a much calmer, kinder human being today–but business-wise, I’ve always believed in doing the right thing. That’s in my blood; it comes from my father. And I believe if you do the right thing, it always comes back to you.”

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING
This year, Carver’s good work will come back around in a big way as she is honored with the prestigious Spirit of Life Award from City of Hope. She has been involved with the life-changing organization for more than two decades: publishing ads in her magazines to help raise money through its events, drumming up donations, acting as an industry co-chair and working on the dinner committee. “The very first tour I ever went on at City of Hope, they took us to the pediatric section, and I literally passed out,” Carver recalls, tearing up at the memory. “Seeing these kids suffering and seeing the care they were getting, I just wanted to do more.”

“The very first tour I ever went on at City of Hope, they took us to the pediatric section, and I literally passed out. Seeing these kids suffering and seeing the care they were getting, I just wanted to do more.”

Still, Carver never expected to be honored with the Spirit of Life Award. “I’ve worked hard on many campaigns and can remember thinking how profound it was to be the honoree–these people were big shots, with plaques on the walls of the hospital and accolades from the industry, and I really never looked at myself that way,” she explains. “Besides, only manufacturers and distributors and reps were considered, so I never imagined in my wildest dreams I could be honored as a publisher. Then I was asked, and I said no, because at the time, I didn’t know if I had the support to make it work. They’ve asked me three, four, five times, but I respectfully declined. Harlan Kirschner [The Kirschner Group CEO and past honoree] finally convinced me by telling me I was getting too damn old and I’d better say yes this time!”

Uniquely, Carver has a certain advantage that she’s hoping to leverage into a ripple effect for City of Hope in the future. With reach into every conceivable corner of the industry, she hopes to bring fresh blood into the organization by asking a multitude of new prospects to get involved. “I’m getting a lot of support, people are buying tables and donating, and I think in the future that’ll continue to benefit City of Hope,” Carver says. “Once they see the good work City of Hope does, I think they’ll stay involved. After all, this is the charity of choice for the beauty industry, and we all know somebody who has been affected by cancer. If everyone just gave $5, it would help to find a cure.”

That is Carver’s hopeful vision.

GEARING UP FOR THE GALA
This year’s Spirit of Life Award gala, to be held during Cosmoprof North America on July 28 in Las Vegas, promises to be a star-studded and glamorous affair as Creative Age Publications CEO Deborah Carver accepts the prestigious award. “We are going to have the party of par- ties,” she promises. “My goal this year is to make this event fun; we don’t want anything old-hat or something that’s a chore to attend. That’s my goal, to make it a party. And anyone who knows me knows I know how to throw a party!” Though she remains tight-lipped on many details, Carver teases a takeoff of Truman Capote’s “Party of the Century”—his famous Black and White Ball—with many celebratory surprises around that theme. (One preview: A very special surprise guest DJ will kick off the post-dinner party!)

HOPE IS IN YOUR HANDS
Attend the Spirit of Life Gala, Support City of Hope!
JULY 28, 2018
Award Reception 7–8 p.m.
Award Dinner 8–10 p.m.
Mandalay Bay Convention Center • Las Vegas

To purchase tickets to the Spirit of Life gala, visit creativeage.com/spirit-of-life-sponsor. If you are unable to attend and wish to make a donation, visit creativeage.com/spirit-of-life-donor.

BUSINESS ADVICE FROM DEBORAH CARVER

ADVICE FOR BEAUTY RETAILERS

• “Don’t be afraid of Amazon. There’s room for everybody. It goes back to the customer experience; the customer experience is the next competitive battleground. Amazon may be the best experience for transaction—but it can’t deliver the in-store experience a beauty retailer can.”
• “Take the customers who already love you and get them to buy more! Manage your existing customer base. But you need to follow the fundamentals of everyone else in the beauty industry, which means reaching your customer wherever he/she is— whether that’s through email, any of the social media platforms or traditional methods of marketing.”

THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE

• “The beauty industry has no barriers to entry, although it clearly has barriers to success. The entrepreneurial spirit of beauty is a force of innovation, and its product development is constant. Those who can continue to reinvent themselves will succeed.”

GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN BUSINESS

• “Don’t think so much about what to do; just proceed. That’s how I was able to start so many magazines. I didn’t spend a lot of money researching a magazine idea or having focus groups— I just started a magazine—and, fortunately, it worked.”
• “Be yourself. People in business can often be formal or stiff. I’m myself all of the time. I’m just me, and I like to have fun—people respond to that.”
• “You always have to tell your clients the truth, no matter how difficult it is.”
• “Be likable. Have fun. When I first started out, I innately understood that business is all about relationships. Would you rather do business with someone kind and fun or someone dour?”

Annie Jackson, cofounder and chief operating officer of San Francisco-based Credo Beauty, slipped into the world of beauty quite by accident: As a 19-year-old seeking a job to save for college tuition, she landed a position at Estée Lauder. From there, she moved on to a then-unknown concept called Sephora and eventually launched Credo in 2015, now a clean beauty powerhouse that has surged to eight coast-to-coast locations in just three years.

Despite all her time working in beauty, it was running a retail operation that made a lasting mark on this eternal entrepreneurial thinker. “Strangely, what most prepared me for Credo was when I took a short departure from beauty for a few years and owned my own retail store,” Jackson recalls. “I thought I had worked hard in the past–how wrong I was!”

Building on her myriad experiences in and out of the beauty industry, today Jackson contemplates what’s next for her burgeoning company and asserts that clean beauty is a true movement–not a fad.

BEGINNINGS IN BEAUTY
At 19, Jackson wasn’t seeking much in the way of employment, just a gig to pay rent and save for college. In fact, she was headed to an interview to be the receptionist at a portable toilet company when she landed an administrative job at Estée Lauder–a stroke of luck that would change her life’s direction.

“Needless to say, the admin job at Estée Lauder sounded a lot better,” Jackson says. “I started working for Estée Lauder at a regional office in San Francisco, ultimately staying about seven years, ending up in New York City in marketing. The company is incredibly supportive of their employees and the experience gave me an incredible opportunity. In turn, I wanted nothing more than to make my time there as meaningful as I could, and contribute and learn as much as I could. When I left, I felt like I was leaving family.”

Like many forward-thinkers, Jackson never quite made it to college full-time. Instead, she attended a program through a private university close to her office, attending class after work at night for a couple of years thanks to Estée Lauder’s tuition reimbursement program. But Jackson found her job more meaningful and eventually dedicated all of her time to that–until a recruiter called one day to discuss a new concept called Sephora. All it took was for her to hear the concept and meet the pioneering team–including the late Shashi Batra, who was ultimately her boss at Sephora and later cofounded Credo with her. Jackson jumped at the chance. “It seemed too intriguing to pass up; even better, it was based back home in San Francisco,” she remembers. “I was 26 and there were only a few of us on the Sephora team in 1997. The years that I was with Sephora back then (I actually returned 10 years later to join the Sephora-inside-JC Penney team) ... were some of the best of my career: fun, exhausting and super challenging because we were able to wear so many different hats at that time. Even Sephora was a small team and super scrappy at one point!”

“Engaging with our customers on social media and doing events with the makers from the brands in makeup application or skincare consultations are a really rewarding part of what we do.”

It wasn’t clear to Jackson herself back then, but her driving motivation was a love of entrepreneurship, or as she puts it, “the challenge of knowing you can do something a better way, and though you may not see it clearly, you’re determined to work until you figure it out.” She left Sephora in 2003, shortly after having a daughter, and moved on to different roles in beauty–working on the floor in retail and owning a retail store, which she describes as humbling, physically exhausting and financially terrifying. Jackson says, “To make those four walls profitable, every product needs to pay its rent and every penny you spend needs to be highly scrutinized. So, for me, Credo is this very fortuitous coming together of all of these experiences.”

THE COMING OF CREDO
Despite a wealth of experience, Jackson’s early days at Credo were challenging, to say the least. With only three people on staff, the team squatted at an investor’s office for the first 18 months. Packing web orders and receiving brand shipments caused a stir–not so conducive to a quiet office setting. They eventually moved into a shared townhouse in Pacific Heights, California, close to the current Fillmore location in San Francisco. “Shashi was good friends with the founders of La Boulangerie, a chainlet of artisanal bakeries and cafes, and their team worked in the living room, while we were literally in a bedroom,” Jackson says. “We slowly added to our team, until there were seven of us in a bedroom, before we moved to our current headquarters.”

Jackson laughs now at the humble townhouse beginnings: Only one employee could talk on the phone at a time, during which everyone else had to remain completely silent. Toting Trader Joe’s shopping bags, they’d head over to their San Francisco store every day and pick up products to fulfill web orders, then walk them back to the townhouse to pack and ship. “The UPS guy would text one of us to say he was downstairs and we would all stop what we were doing and bring the web orders down the stairs to him,” Jackson recalls.

Credo opened its flagship store in June 2015; a second location would follow, in New York’s SoHo, in May 2016. Following bicoastal success, another six locations opened rapidly in less than one year, between February 2017 and January 2018. But as the company grew, tragedy reared its head. Batra was diagnosed with an aggressive illness just after the second location opened. “What made me so excited about Credo was of course Shashi’s innovative concept and the fact we could do this together. But before his passing, I did not understand how personal this journey would become,” Jackson says. “We had a lot of challenges: We were a small team and had a lot of stores in play at the same time. Between the lease negotiations, the buildouts and just the demands on our team to travel and physically open the stores, it was a tremendous amount of work. We obviously wanted Shashi to focus on treatment, but we also could feel his pain at not being there with us as we opened stores.”

“Credo continues to push the industry in a better direction by working with our brand partners to create a roadmap for the future around sustainability and manufacturing–and we’ve only just begun!”

Unfortunately, Batra passed away after the opening of Credo’s fourth location in Brooklyn, New York. Stores inspired by his vision followed in Chicago; Boston; La Jolla, California; and Plano, Texas. “I miss his humor, guidance and friendship very much,” Jackson says. “Our name is reflective of the belief that there is a better way to look beautiful, with both style and substance, a belief in a holistic vision for what beauty is: looking good and feeling good.”

Jackson notes that Credo’s mission is to change the way people think about what they put on their bodies–without forcing the customer to sacrifice style or product performance. And its founders knew that providing a destination with a comprehensive collection of clean beauty choices was an important step to drive this movement. “Credo offers the widest assortment of clean beauty brands in skin care and makeup, and we also have a variety of services in the stores that you can book online,” Jackson explains. “Our staff knowledge in the space is deep, so if customers are seeking information, they’re a resource. Above and beyond that, though, we are a beauty store. Engaging with our customers on social media and doing events with the makers from the brands in makeup application or skincare consultations are a really rewarding part of what we do.”

CLEAN CRITERIA
Credo’s criteria for selecting brands, Jackson notes, begins with two fundamentals: authenticity and transparency. Credo’s team looks for creators who maintain a holistic vision for their products with a focus both on the inside (formulation, ingredients and efficacy) and the outside (the experience, including packaging, texture and scent). Meanwhile, the staff consists of licensed estheticians and makeup artists who offer on-floor services like mini facials, waxing and makeup application in every Credo store (plus Tata Harper Spas at the San Francisco, La Jolla, Chicago and Plano locations). “We really wanted a place where people are excited about skin and skin physiology and we are able to counsel people on their skin concerns from a place of confidence and trust,” Jackson says.

One of Credo’s most unique features, both in-store and online, are “clean swaps.” A customer can tell staff which products she’s using or even bring in her entire makeup bag, and the store’s experts recommend healthy alternatives–making education a cornerstone of Credo’s credo. “Whether you’re visiting Credo with your friends looking for a lip gloss or you have skin concerns you want to address one-on-one, our staff is ready and waiting to talk to you,” Jackson says. “And, from day one, Credo created the ‘Dirty List,’ a robust list of ingredients that, due to safety and/or sustainability concerns, cannot be used in any of the products we carry. As the leader in clean beauty retail, Credo continues to push the industry in a better direction by working with our brand partners to create a roadmap for the future around sustainability and manufacturing– and we’ve only just begun!”

Indeed, Jackson believes that clean beauty has grown from a niche to a movement in just the few years since Credo’s beginning. “The first wave of natural beauty brands, about 15 to 20 years ago, worked hard to create products with healthy ingredients but tended to sacrifice beautiful packaging, texture, scent or even efficacy due to the higher costs,” Jackson notes. “They were visionary brands, but they forced women into making an intellectual choice of style over substance–or substance over style in this case–and, essentially, that meant health before beauty. At Credo, all of that has changed. Among our vast assortment of brands, there is an entire new generation of creators that are offering both: efficacy, high color payoff and modern packaging, all with nontoxic formulations–and product development is moving fast to keep up with customer expectation and demand.”

With eight stores now in full swing, Jackson continues to carry on Batra’s legacy. After a plethora of challenges and learning experiences, Credo now knows its customer inside out and the team is excited to enter its next phase of evolution–continuing to flourish over the next decades to meet ever-growing customer demand. “I am very clear on Shashi’s vision for Credo,” Jackson says. “I miss him tremendously and there about 100 times a day I wish I could talk to him, but I never question whether we are growing according to what he envisioned. And that feels really good.”

MAKING CHANGE
Meanwhile, Credo continues to make progress in the greater landscape of clean beauty. In June 2017, the company joined Beautycounter’s Counteract Coalition, made up of like-minded businesses in the safe skincare and beauty industries collaborating to advocate for federal laws to protect consumer health. With no new rules or regulations on the $400 billion U.S. beauty industry in the past 80 years, Jackson explains, companies like Credo and Beautycounter are working to create better standards. “This coalition will activate at key moments, with actions to include joint sign-on letters to key Con- gressional committees; coordinated phone calls to Hill offices; and trips to Washington, D.C.,” she says. “Credo is promoting the text for change–people can just text ‘Better Beauty’ to 52886 and, in response, a form with a letter that is directly sent to your state senator will appear.”

Because there are no legal definitions of terms such as “clean,” “green” and “natural,” Credo works to define them and asks its brand partners to align with these definitions, hopefully easing confusion in the beauty space. The company, of course, very clearly defines clean beauty on its website, including what ingredients they don’t allow.

“The biggest risk is for those who assume clean beauty is only a niche–and it’s more a risk for the conventional brands and retailers who don’t adapt.”

Then there is the formation of the Clean Beauty Council–a dream since Credo’s founding. “The Clean Beauty Council is a group of beauty industry experts who have been propelling the industry forward. It's made up of seasoned veterans of the clean beauty movement with decades of experience between them,” Jackson explains. “A Ph.D. skin pharmacologist; a makeup artist focused on natural, holistic beauty; a founder of the organic certification movement; an aromatherapist and teacher; a public health advocate and market-mover–these are the current council members we’re fortunate to work with. A couple of our council members are longtime advisers and friends of Credo, but we knew it was time to formalize the relationship. Credo is growing, and our industry is changing, too. As a retailer working with hundreds of brands and dozens of product types, we want to ensure that we’re staying on top of the trends, the science and the supply chain. Industry expertise and constructive dialogue shouldn’t be seen as a trend.”

Moreover, Jackson believes that consumers today expect and deserve better. She points to Whole Foods creating its own discerning standard for both personal care and food so that consumers needn’t question their choices while shopping. “If you look at retailers like Target–visited by millions weekly–which is constantly evolving their chemical policy, and CVS, which will scrutinize ‘chemicals of concern’ in the future, it signals this is a movement, not a trend,” Jackson notes.

It’s good news for Credo–a store that Jackson foresees establishing a presence in any community that has a critical mass of consumers with conscientious demands. However, she also knows that, as a leader in the movement, Credo has the responsibility to educate and be an integral part of building that demand. “Looking ahead, we believe the wealth of information out there today will empower people to know what they are consuming, and that will cast more suspicion on conventional beauty and the use of questionable ingredients,” Jackson says. “There are similar parallels in other consumer categories, where sustainability, ethical sourcing, environmental impact and health are already key factors in consumer decision-making; food is one obvious example. The overall shift to conscientious consumption and healthy lifestyle is becoming innate to people.

“If we work together to demand cleaner ingredients, it helps all of us,” she concludes. “The biggest risk is for those who assume clean beauty is only a niche– and it’s more a risk for the conventional brands and retailers who don’t adapt. They have more to lose than the disrupters and startups, given the conscientious demands of today’s consumer.”

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DEFINING CLEAN BEAUTY
Clean beauty “begins with the ingredients not found in our products,” states Credo’s website. Though the retailer admits that not all synthetic ingredients are harmful, it does keep a close eye on those that have been linked to health or environmental issues—and asks its brand partners to evaluate everything from sustainability to marketing claims. However, Credo also knows that the definition of clean beauty is constantly evolving and isn’t always a black-and-white issue, so several ingredients are noted on its website as ones to watch.

For example, palm oil and palm-derived ingredients are described as safe and potentially sustainable, but currently “most palm oil is grown and harvested in an unsustainable and destructive manner.” So, the company attempts to fuel demand for eco-friendly production methods. The red pigment carmine, meanwhile, is allowed but must be clearly indicated on labeling due to concern over allergic reactions and its derivation from insect sources. Part of Credo’s promise to customers is to keep up-to-date on the latest science and developments, working toward a clearer definition of clean beauty—and holding its brands to those ever-evolving standards.

[Photos courtesy of Credo Beauty]

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has acquired prestige skincare brand First Aid Beauty for a reported $250 million. The move marks the third P&G acquisition of a specialty brand for everyday use in the last year (the others being New Zealand prestige skincare line Snowberry and Native deodorant). The acquisition also establishes the conglomerate as a formidable player in the M&A game after an eight-year hiatus while strategically tapping into millennial consumer preferences.

Lilli Gordon founded First Aid Beauty (FAB) in 2009 to deliver prestige-level, solution-based skin care for those with sensitive skin at an affordable price. Free of artificial colorants and fragrance, parabens, alcohol, lanolin, phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum and mineral oil, the brand is a favorite among millennial consumers. In keeping with its new acquisition strategy, P&G will allow FAB to continue operating independently with Gordon at the helm as CEO, reporting to Markus Strobel, president of P&G’s global skin and personal-care business. The brand is expected to gain a wider consumer base by expanding its efforts globally with the help of P&G.

In 2015, the American Academy of Dermatology noted that “nutricosmetics–the use of nutrition or nutritional supplements for skin health and beauty–is popular abroad and may be the next frontier for improving skin health and beauty in the U.S.” The prediction turned out to be prescient. The Business of Fashion reported last October that the beauty supplement category has doubled within the last two years. A 2016 survey from the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) found that 26 percent of those who use supplements for a beauty boost are ages 18 to 34 (compared to 17 percent ages 35 to 54, and 14 percent over 55 years old), meaning the future of the category looks bright.

Last June, Global Industry Analysts reported that the global nutricosmetics market was projected to reach $7.5 billion by 2024, and points to myriad factors at work behind the surge: a consumer emphasis on less invasive beauty treatments; a growing interest in preventative care due to skyrocketing healthcare costs; and the health and wellness megatrend, fueled by manufacturers who are offering consumers new pathways to beauty from within. The report even suggested that male consumers would be increasingly susceptible to appearance-enhancing supplements.

The category is projected to continue growing. “The beauty supplement business is still relatively small. In the $18 billion prestige beauty market in the U.S., beauty supplements represented just $13.1 million–but most industry insiders are betting on growth,” says Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, a Los Angeles-based nutritionist, speaker, consultant and author of 15 books, including The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. “The CRN’s 2016 consumer survey on dietary supplements found that nearly one-fifth of supplement users in the U.S. already take supplements for skin, hair and nail benefits.”

INGESTIBLES ON THE RISE
Beauty stores are accustomed to meeting customers’ every beauty need–but are they satiating their growing hunger for ingestibles? Topical products for hair, skin and nails are stalwarts of the industry, but it’s becoming an increas- ingly good idea to also stock up on products that promote beauty from within. Sephora, for example, recently added Moon Juice powders to its already robust lineup of supplements designed to fix issues from acne and sagging skin to thinning hair and dark undereye circles.

After all, with more consumers aware of the link between their inner health and outer appearance, they’re beginning to seek solutions outside of the latest topical treatments. “I’m a big believer in the idea that beauty starts from the inside out, just as aging does,” Bowden says. “Superficial fixes like skin creams and wrinkle-hiders may temporarily improve the look of the skin–or, more correctly, may help camouflage the signs of aging and wear–but the regeneration of healthy skin, and the moisturizing of skin in general, really has to start from within.”

Esther Blum, MS, RD, CDN, CNS, an integrative dietician, holistic health expert and author of Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat, based in Weston, Connecticut, agrees that more and more consumers are making the correlation between wellness and beauty. “Topical products are great at treating the symptoms,” Blum says. “But if you want to reverse or cure what’s creating those problems, you have to start from within.”

Don’t fret; no one’s going to toss those high-end, age-defying creams just yet. Bowden emphasizes that supplements aren’t necessarily more or less effective than topical products–they simply work in different ways. “We do know that substances can be delivered to the body transdermally (through the skin), but how much active ingredients can be put into skincare products vs. how much can be ingested through supplements is an open question,” he says. “I’m a big believer in building the infrastructure first, and in skin and beauty, the infrastructure starts at the cellular level. That’s where nutritional supplements can really shine.”

INGREDIENT INTELLIGENCE
Looking for certain key ingredients in beauty supplements can help you select the optimal options for customers. According to Bowden, supplements that help build collagen–the most abundant protein in the body, important for connective tissue like skin and joints–are good bets for promoting beauty from within. In years past, people were taught that collagen supplements couldn’t be absorbed when taken orally, “but that’s old information,” he says. “High-quality collagen supplements can very definitely be absorbed, and a fair amount of research shows improvement in skin and joint health with the proper use of the right kind of collagen supplements. I think daily collagen supplements can go a long way toward helping to stem the destruction that comes from having smaller and smaller collagen stores.”

Bowden notes that there are more than a dozen different forms of collagen, but only three are important for the human body. Collagen types 1 and 3 are more targeted to the skin, while type 2 is helpful for joints. And Blum adds that many protein powders now often contain collagen as well–an ideal way for those who already use these formulas to receive an extra beauty boost.

Omega-3s, Bowden believes, can do more to improve the skin, hair and nails than any superficial “fix” thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties. After all, inflammation “is a promoter, an accompaniment or cause within virtually every degenerative disease on the planet, from heart disease to diabetes to arthritis,” Bowden explains.

Acne outbreaks, too, are related to inflammation, so anti-inflammatory ingredients can help the skin. His top ingredient picks? Fish oil, which boasts two omega-3s (EPA and DHA), or alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in flaxseed and chia seeds.

Blum also advocates omega-3 fatty acids, which hydrate and plump skin cells, and keep blood vessels flexible and fluid (ideal for those prone to capillary damage). Because of their anti-inflammatory properties, they can be helpful for customers with rosacea; she recommends at least 2 grams, or 2,000 milligrams, per day.

As environmental stressors, styling tools and aggressive products take their toll, keratin has become a popular supplement for creating healthier-looking locks. “Keratin is the main structural protein in the hair,” Bowden explains. “There’s an awful lot of anecdotal evidence showing that keratin supplements can make a big difference in its appearance, thickness and luster.” Nails are also made of keratin, so these supplements may make dry, brittle nails longer and stronger.

Meanwhile, biotin is a B vitamin often used to improve the look of hair, skin and nails. Biotin strengthens the bonds in this trio of beauty indicators since keratin creation requires biotin. “For those who are low in this vitamin, it’s really hard to have lustrous hair and strong nails,” Bowden explains. “And, even if there’s no deficiency, extra biotin through a supplement can
help with those areas.”

Finally, experts agree that probiotics help with overall health, which translates to healthier skin. Blum thinks of skin as “your gut walls turned inside out–a direct reflection of what’s happening inside, either digestively or hormonally,” and probiotics are especially helpful for people with eczema, psoriasis and acne. “Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live in your gut, and I recommend anywhere from 25 to 50 billion a day. Most people are taking 1 billion, which is what would be found in a kombucha tea,” Blum notes. “If someone says, ‘I don’t know where to start,’ always start with a probiotic.”

Bowden agrees that probiotics are essential for a healthy gut and, therefore, healthy skin. “We now know that the gut is central to just about every health condition we can imagine,” Bowden says. “A lot of this is connect the dots, but because we have studies linking the health of the flora that lives in your gut with a host of issues, from obesity to depression, and we have studies that show the gut and mind connection, it’s not a big leap to believe it also affects your appearance.”

FINDING YOUR FORMULAS
With so many varieties available, how do you select the right supplement providers? Outside of seeking specific ingredients, look for companies that can be true partners when it comes to the oft-complicated world of supplements. Seek continuing education or perform your own research (using trustworthy sources) on the basics of supplement ingredients and what they do.

Blum also advises working with companies that have solid, scientific research, such as peer reviews or literature, behind their claims. Or work with a local registered dietician or nutritionist to select the right formulas for your store. Finally, check ingredient lists. “I think when the fillers on the ingredient label are longer than the active ingredients, when there’s chemical dyes or ingredients you don’t recognize, that’s a warning,” Blum says. “Supplements shouldn’t have a lot of binders, colors or fillers.”

Ultimately, with the right partnerships, products and customer education, beauty stores can successfully tap into the beauty-wellness market–and potentially change customers’ health in positive ways. “If, as industry insiders project, this is a growing market, it makes sense for beauty stores to carry all the things marketed for the same purpose under one roof,” Bowden concludes. “After all, beauty supplements certainly target the same demographic as those looking to buy antiaging skin creams!”

ONES TO WATCH
Looking for additional ingredients that can help to boost beauty? Esther Blum, author of Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat, recommends the following.

• Borage or Primrose Oil: Contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which helps control sebum production for those with acne. It hydrates and moisturizes from within
• and regulates the hormonal balance.
• Astaxanthin: A specific type of red algae that pink flamingos and red salmon eat to give them their signature pink color. In humans, the ingredient provides a natural SPF of about 5 when taken orally, but it’s also a great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
• Diethylaminoethanol (DEAE): For tightening and toning the facial contours, (DEAE) helps boost neurotransmitter production, so it aids both brain and beauty. Think improved cognitive function and anti-sagging capabilities.
• Hawaiian Spirulina: A great detoxifier to counteract the effects of mercury or mold exposure, which makes people sick and causes everything from undereye circles to liver issues.
• Zinc: Use for inflammation, especially rosacea and acne–and most people are deficient due to a high-sugar diet, high stress and poor gut function. Try ionic zinc in 25- to 50-milligram doses.

 
THE NUTRITION FACTOR
Educate your in-store and online shoppers by sharing these nutritionist-approved tips. Esther Blum, an integrative dietician and holistic health expert based in Weston, Connecticut, points out that supplements are just that–a supplement to a healthy diet and lifestyle. While you’re not expected to staff a nutritionist at the beauty store, you can share this expert’s tips with your customers for glowing skin and stronger hair and nails. (Please note: Recommend that customers consult with their physician before making any dietary changes.)

1. Sugar accelerates aging. It’s super inflammatory and causes collagen molecules to stick together, which can accelerate the wrinkling process from within. Avoid it as much as possible!
2. Wild Alaskan salmon is loaded with DEAE and astaxanthin.
3. Green leafy vegetables, or any veggies, are high in antioxidants.
4. Wild blueberries and other berries are loaded with antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Get high-quality protein. Ditch the factory-farmed meats in favor of pasture-raised meats, such as chicken (and eggs) raised on grass. They naturally contain omega-3s.
6. Incorporate nuts and seeds, which are loaded with healthy fats.
7. Choose oils carefully. Oils can be temperature sensitive, so for high-heat cooking, try avocado or coconut oil. Olive oil is great for low- to medium- heat cooking. For baking, use real butter (stay away from margarine and other fake foods), coconut oil or avocado oil. Never use canola, sunflower or safflower oil, which are highly inflammatory–even if they say organic.
8. Sweet potatoes and winter squash reduce inflammation. They’re slow-release carbs, and very low in sugar.
9. Bone broth, slow-cooked at a low temperature for 18 to 24 hours (or purchased from a local butcher or retailer), supplies collagen and heals the gut wall.
10. Fresh herbs, from basil to parsley, help detoxify the liver.
11. Struggling with acne, rosacea or any other skin condition? Avoid gluten, most grains and dairy; these changes often clear up 90 percent of the problem.

[Photo by Maciej Frolow/Getty Images]

On a warm summer day in Corona, California, I visit DeveloPlus’ two-story, 150,000-square-foot headquarters to meet the mother-and-son duo behind the company, CEO Kiran Agrey and COO Steven Barnes. The pair apologizes for running a few minutes behind schedule–they had a frenzied morning and several people await their approval on a seemingly important decision. But when they sit down for the interview, their calm dispositions could’ve fooled anyone into thinking it was a sluggish day at the office. Maybe that’s a testament to how they’ve managed to survive and thrive in the haircare market–they make manufacturing more than 7 million products per year and running four brands totaling 350 SKUs look easy.

Often the most fruitful businesses have humble beginnings, and DeveloPlus is no exception. The company’s impressive rise in the world of hair dyes and gray coverage is the result of three generations and, currently, 100 employees tirelessly working together to expand DeveloPlus into four distinct haircare lines: Satin, Splat, Color Oops and No Gray. Here, you’ll learn more about this family-run operation, their secrets for like-minded entrepreneurs and what it’s like to be a major, influential player in the ever-changing hair color category.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In 1991, Kiran and her parents, Dave and Ann Agrey, founded DeveloPlus. Prior to starting the company, Dave, a mining engineer from India, ran a printing shop in Denver with Ann. “Kiran at one point wanted to be a cosmetologist, so that’s why we got into hair care–we started the business for her, really,” Ann says. “My husband had a chemistry degree [from Nagpur University], so he knew what he was doing.”

At first, the family tinkered with a formula for months until they created a safe developer for professionals and, soon after, shampoos and conditioners formulated for salons and beauty stores followed. Kiran admits that formulating products and gaining brand recognition among consumers were the biggest challenges in the beginning. “We were creating conditioning developers, so getting that stabilized was a challenge,” Kiran explains. “And we were unknown to the industry, but we managed to break through.” To do that, Kiran went door to door to salons, spending hours pounding the pavement and performing product demonstrations to gain her clients’ trust. “We needed to learn the industry and our customers. The only way to do that was to be hands-on,” she says.

In 1994, the Agreys began importing colors from Italy and soon after added hair colors to their product lineup under the name Satin; by 1997, they were manufac- turing everything in-house. “We started in the kitchen and we gradually went to a 1,000-square-foot building to 5,000 square feet to 26,000 square feet–and then we added four more buildings and outgrew all of them,” Kiran says. Their current space boasts a lab, a photo studio, production areas, filling departments, a warehouse, a distribution center and ample office space.

Living by the philosophy “there’s always room to grow,” DeveloPlus launched the brand Color Oops to mass market in 2003. The product, a revolutionary, ammonia-free color remover, is so gentle on hair that customers can recolor their locks the same day. In 2005, Splat, a line of temporary vivid colors that last anywhere from one to 30 washes, debuted in beauty supply stores, drugstores and the mass market. In the years that followed, DeveloPlus introduced No Gray Quick Fix for instant gray coverage on the go.

There was a point when Kiran, who has a background in accounting and office management, took a few years off from the business to live in England with her young sons, Steven and Christopher Barnes (“It was always my dream to live there,” she says). Upon her return, she opened up jewelry kiosks in malls. But when the market crashed in 2007, she closed up shop and returned to DeveloPlus.

Today, Christopher, who joined the company about a year ago, works as a business analyst. Steven, a premed student who studied drug development in college, came onboard four years ago as a customer service representative. Eventually, he moved up the ranks to quality control, changing roles frequently until he grew into his current position as chief operating officer. “My earliest memory of the company was filling bottles in the kitchen,” he says. “We still have the table here that we used back then.” But of all the tasks he’s now in charge of, he is fond of one in particular. “I’m from the lab, so I love being part of the development process.”

“We really like to help people express themselves and it’s great to see everyone adopting this trend of bold, vibrant and colorful hair.”

—Steven Barnes, COO, DeveloPlus

Ann says that it’s exciting to see her grandsons so involved with the company and that they’ve caught on quickly. “We planned to pass the company on,” Ann says. “Steven was going to be a doctor, and so was Christopher, but when my husband got seriously ill, Steven gave it up and came to work for the company.” Steven worked alongside his grandfather for almost two years, learning the ins and outs of running the company. That valuable experience combined with the multiple roles he has played crystalized one key point for Steven: Listen to what your customers want. “Starting in customer service really opened my eyes to the people that make this all happen–and the importance of focusing the company on them. We like to have that personal touch and have direct feedback,” he says. “That’s what sets us apart. ... It’s different when you do it all in-house.”

Kiran took over as CEO after her father passed away in 2017. “My father was a good boss. He was tough but respectful and caring. He was a strong-minded person who always expected a lot of himself and, in turn, expected the same from us.” His style of leadership is what Kiran tries to emulate in her role as CEO.

FAMILY FIRST
An average day for Kiran begins at 6 a.m., taking work calls from home and getting into the office around 10. As DeveloPlus’ CEO, her main responsibilities encompass managing finances and human resources, but she wears multiple hats to ensure that both her team and her customers are satisfied–which often means working on weekends.

Steven’s days start much the same way. He wakes up early and meets with Ann, who is still actively involved in the day-to-day operations, particularly overseeing the Satin product line. Steven says she “keeps us on our toes.”

“Since we do everything in-house, it’s kind of like a circus trying to keep everyone together and on the same page. The biggest challenge is making sure the right product goes out the door, and then also working on product development, marketing, sales and customer service–a little bit of everything,” Steven says. He does this six days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day.

“Obviously there are challenges working with family, but even when you’re not working with family there are challenges,” Kiran says. “I feel like we’re closer. We’re involved in every aspect of our lives together, business and home. I enjoy it. Our company culture is family- oriented. We’re a close-knit group and there’s a pretty relaxed and homey atmosphere here. It’s very collaborative.”

“We do everything from our graphics, research and development all the way through manufacturing, filling and distribution. ... It keeps us agile.”

—Kiran Agrey, CEO and cofounder, DeveloPlus

Up until his passing one year ago, Dave remained involved and passionate about the future of DeveloPlus. “He was working up until the day he couldn’t,” Steven says. “It’s nice because it really is like a home here. Everyone wants to be successful and everyone wants to see everyone else be successful here. Since we’re all in the same place, we go and ask each other for help. It’s not a corporate environment; it’s not a rat race.”

Kiran adds, “[My father’s] philosophy was make the best-quality product for the best price, help others when you can, always treat people as you would like to be treated, work hard and stay focused.”

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD
Several defining features that set DeveloPlus apart from other hair dye manufacturers are its safe formulas, good value and quality. Their Satin colors use less than 1 percent ammonia and feature an aloe vera base with conditioners and reconstructive vegetable proteins to nourish hair as it’s dyed. And then there’s Color Oops, a one-of-a-kind hair color remover made from hydrosulfite that doesn’t damage hair like bleach, ammonia or peroxide do.

“Color Oops is a hero product because it can be used with any hair color–and it allows the consumer to remove unwanted hair color without having to go and spend a lot of money in the salon for a color correction,” Kiran says.

Then there is the Splat line of vegan, cruelty-free vivids that come in every color under the sun, including ombré varieties. The recent revival of bright colors, the celebration of hair artistry seen on social media and consumers’ desire for festival- worthy hair have helped propel Splat into the spotlight as DeveloPlus’ most suc- cessful line. “We really like to help people express themselves and it’s great to see everyone adopting this trend of bold, vibrant and colorful hair,” Steven says.

Kiran adds, “It’s all about techniques and multiple colors these days. People aren’t just wearing one or two colors. And it’s not just highlights; it’s highlights, lowlights and anything else. ... It’s mixing it up. It’s expression. That’s the fun part.”

“We consider our employees part of our family. We want everyone to be comfortable and happy. Take care of your employees.”

—Ann Agrey, cofounder, DeveloPlus

Kiran and Steven plan to continue providing consumers with unique solutions to various hair problems as DeveloPlus grows and moves forward. Product development always begins with going to the source of inspiration: the consumer. “With the customer service in-house, we get a lot of feedback consistently and we have a lot of customers that call us on a regular basis just to catch up and tell us what their ideas are. Social media helps as well,” Steven says. “We’re unique in that we make our own brands; there are people that do it, but not a lot of people, and not at this size.”

Being hands-on through every step of the process also ensures that DeveloPlus consistently maintains a high standard of excellence. “We do everything from our graphics, research and development all the way through manufacturing, filling and distribution. It helps us maintain the quality of the product as well. It keeps us agile,” Kiran says.

Steven adds, “We take that pride in what we’re making because we’re making it. It’s not third-party and it’s not just inventory we’re pushing. ... We want our customers to have the best price, but we also want our B2B customers to be in business.”

COLORS WITH A CONSCIENCE
Integrity is essential to DeveloPlus’ mission. The formulas are never tested on animals. “All the products are cruelty-free and everything is vegan–we embrace that. We’re female-led and -owned, and everyone in leadership positions here is vegetarian or vegan. It’s weird, it just happened that way!” Steven says. “We make sure we source our products, any raw materials, in line with our values. And we support a lot of charities.”

Those causes include the Sankara Eye Foundation, a nonprofit that strives to eradicate curable blindness by way of providing surgeries all over India and in remote areas around the world; United Way, a nonprofit that supports local community schools and attempts to increase graduation rates; and the MDS Foundation, which funds research for myelodysplastic syndrome, a chronic illness that is often misdiagnosed and can lead to a form of leukemia. “We have been affected by this disease in our family and want more people to know and under- stand about this disease,” Kiran says.

The Agreys care equally about customer satisfaction, staff satisfaction and helping others within their community. “We’re customer- and employee-driven, and we want everybody to be happy,” Kiran says. “That’s what it’s all about: happiness and expression.”

Ultimately, this family has a winning formula for success, and their future has never been brighter.

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Twitter: @satinhaircolor, @splathaircolor
Facebook: @coloroops, @satinhaircolor, @splathaircolor

PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS
DeveloPlus’ Kiran Agrey, Ann Agrey and Steven Barnes provide their tips for success

• Overall Satisfaction:“I think our strength is our employees,” Kiran says. “Keeping our employees happy is a big lesson. And also keeping our customers happy. Listening is big. It’s something we really need to do because if we don’t listen, we don’t know where we’re going to go from here.” Ann adds, “We consider our employees part of our family. We want everyone to be comfortable and happy. Take care of your employees.”
• Make It Happen: Though smaller, privately owned companies have certain limitations, they also have free rein to innovate. “If you can dream it, you can do it—with focus, hard work and perseverance, you will succeed,” Kiran says. “It’s like a baby; you want to birth that baby and you want to see it grow. I think in corporate America, you don’t necessarily have that opportunity.”
• March to Your Own Beat: The beauty of the beauty industry is that it’s constantly evolving and changing. “Even against these giant corporations who own the industry, there’s still room for all of us,” Steven says. “We’re still putting up the fight and we’re still succeeding. ... Family-owned or privately owned businesses are still viable in the beauty industry, and we’re changing the industry. We’re the ones driving the trends and driving the conversations, and I hope that more people do it and continue to do it. It’s a unique environment.”

[Photo by Corey Sorensen and courtesy of Developlus]

Beauty Store Business recently sat down with DeveloPlus COO Steven Barnes, who gave us a preview of the new Splat Singles line, which are out now! Press play to learn about how these vibrant hues, which are available in 16 bold, beautiful shades, are easy to use, affordable and how they'll give your beauty store a boost in sales.

[Photo by Armando Sanchez; video edited by Karen Wilhelmsen]

Born in a small city on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey called Antalya, Mehmet Kanar may seem an unlikely beauty business success story. In fact, the managing partner of Kanar Inc., in Carlstadt, New Jersey, Mehmet had a first career as a standout accountant. After relocating to the U.S., he founded his company in 2007, and has since built one of the largest B2B barber supply distributors in the market. He even delved into manufacturing his own successful brands. Mehmet maintains a hands-on, do-it-yourself approach, pinpointing solutions, fast-tracking new technology and always thinking ahead–all while retaining an approachable, customer-friendly attitude as a one-stop shop.

Despite his impressive track record, he still feels there’s a lot to learn. “The industry we find ourselves in definitely has a big learning curve and is constantly changing,” Mehmet muses. “Even now, though I’ve been in it for over 10 years, I constantly feel like I am missing something or am behind–but it definitely keeps me interested!”

Mehmet recently sat down with Beauty Store Business to talk about his unexpected shift into beauty, the strategies and philosophies that have fueled the skyrocketing success of his company and where he sees Kanar headed in the future.

TAKING THE LEAP
After excelling in math early on at Antalya Anatolian High School, Mehmet continued on that track, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bosphorus University in Istanbul in 2001. “I thought it was the best direction for me to take,” Mehmet recalls. His instinct was right: After graduation, he went to work for the Istanbul division of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the largest accounting service companies in the world, and quickly established his professional prowess. After only three years, in 2004, Mehmet was promoted and relocated to the firm’s New York City office.

“This was an exciting step for a 27-year-old who had just received his CPA license, and that’s how the U.S. chapter of my life began,” Mehmet says. “While working there, a family friend who worked for Derby, in Turkey, asked if I would sell their razor blades in my spare time. I hesitantly agreed and imported my first pallet, which sat in our attic for six months because I had no idea what to do with it!”

But, again, Mehmet would prove to be a quick learner–and the type who thrives on conquering new challenges. To familiarize himself with the new industry he suddenly found himself involved in, he attended the Northeast Beauty Rep Association trade show, while still testing the waters, keeping his safe accounting job at the forefront. However, boredom and a nagging entrepreneurial drive soon forced him to take the leap that would change his life’s direction. “I continued to work another three years for PwC before I became dissatisfied with what I found to be the not-so-dynamic ways of corporate life and felt ready to venture out on my own,” Mehmet says. “It was then that my wife and I decided to start our own family business in the professional beauty industry–with the one product I had. Looking back, this was the most irrational move I could have ever made, with the country being in the middle of an economic crisis. But there’s no better time than the present, so I took the risk.”

Mehmet made every attempt to grow his business, largely through grassroots tactics such as visiting barbershops to leave samples and collect feedback or traveling coast to coast to meet with distributors.

And his nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic paid off. Starting out in 2007 as an exclusive importer of Derby razor blades, Kanar concentrated on the barber supply and men’s grooming sector. But, as the company grew, it expanded its selection to reach all areas of the professional beauty industry. “With our early entry into the men’s category and an increasing demand, our work over the past 10 years gave us an opportunity to become recognized as one of the largest barber supply distributors in the market at the B2B level,” Mehmet says. “Even now, not a day goes by where I don’t learn something new. The beauty industry drew me in because it’s filled with endless opportunities–so much innovation from such a wide variety of people. There is plenty of room for all of us to grow in whichever direction we choose.”

“For me, technology is such a time-saver and has allowed us to grow by reaching more people with up-to-date information and collecting their feedback, which we can then process faster and more efficiently.”

And grow his company would. Mehmet began working as a distributor in 2011 and now does business with more than 200 domestic vendors. As other opportunities arose, he found himself becoming a manufacturer as well–a new and completely different experience that helps him “better understand and appreciate the trials and successes of the other brands we work with,” he says. “For example, as a distributor, you can return any defective product you have on hand; as a manufacturer, you can’t, so the risk is higher, and so is the investment–but it can also mean a higher return.” Luckily, in the face of this calculated risk, Mehmet again proved up to the challenge.

INSIDE THE COMPANY
Today, Kanar flourishes as a manufacturer, importer and master distributor of more than 200 brands and 20,000 SKUs of professional barber, beauty and personal care products. The company’s New Jersey office and warehouse complex hosts two sizable facilities–one clocking in at 45,000 square feet and the other at 30,000 square feet. The room needed to safely store a wide selection of products for rapid turnaround of each order.

And, while this location serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, there are additional Kanar outposts worldwide. “Through partnerships, we also have locations in the U.K., Australia and Italy, as well as production facilities in Turkey,” Mehmet says. “We also have a full team of independent sales reps and third-party service providers. Our sales are primarily for business-to-business exchanges, with a growing portion of our sales also directed to professionals, such as stylists, barbers, nail technicians, etc.”

Some of the key brands Kanar manu- factures include The Shave Factory, with men’s shaving products; Dream, which produces hygienic neck strips; Créé, a hair color line made in Italy; and K-Concept, a line of salon, barber and spa furniture. Kanar is also an exclusive importer for brands such as Derby, featuring double- and single-edge razor blades; Gummy, a line of men’s haircare and shaving products with top-selling hard-hold gels; and Marmara Barber Cologne, currently available in four fragrances.

This eclectic enterprise is streamlined significantly through the power of technology. With IT developers on staff, the company has created its own software to manage the warehouse. The software is integrated with a state-of-the-art conveyor system brought in late last year, which drastically speeds up the shipping and receiving processes, monitors the weight and dimensions of outgoing boxes and ensures swift sorting. Mehmet knew, when moving into a new building, it was the right time to invest in this equipment–another calculated risk that he believes will pay off. “It’s more than we need at this point, but it’s not something our competitors have, and I’m sure it will help us grow even more over the next 10 years,” he says. “And by developing everything ourselves, like the software, we have a lot of flexibility and greater ability to scale. I think this has been a key part of why we’ve been able to grow our product range from a couple of hundred to 20,000.”

Despite its amazing rate of expansion, Kanar continues to be family-owned– something Mehmet hopes will always hold true–with him and his wife, Ruya, running the U.S. location. She, too, is multitalented–helping with every aspect of the business, from staffing trade show booths to being a wise sounding board for her husband’s latest business ideas. “It’s a lot of work, a lot of traveling and keeping your focus constantly, but we enjoy it,” Mehmet says. “We also now have a daughter and hope this business becomes a good experience for her as well. I don’t know if this is what I will do for the rest of my life, but as long as I see it continue to grow and be a good choice for us, we will continue to run the business.”

That drive doesn’t seem to be diminishing anytime soon. Mehmet admits he was lured in by the fast-changing nature of the beauty industry–and his passion for it has yet to waver. “With new brands coming into the market, new technologies and trends surfacing every month, new categories to enter or niche markets to reach, it’s a great industry for me,” he says. “I am a growth seeker. And I believe not losing this desire is the biggest success anyone could have, including me.”

“My focus is on balance; we are not only an importer, distributor or manufacturer, and I think we have the right mix of brands, product categories and price points in our catalog.”

Though his eager-to-learn mindset has kept him entrenched in an ever-evolving industry, he believes the true secret to the company’s success is old-fashioned perseverance. “I’m always on the lookout for opportunities and am not afraid to try them when they arise,” Mehmet says. “We also have a great team of people across the globe who have allowed us to be efficient and make better use of technology, because we could never do this alone. Our partnerships are invaluable, and we are so thankful for the trust so many brands give us.”

WINNING WAYS
At a time of contraction or consolidation for some distributors, Kanar is rapidly expanding. How does this company buck the trend? “My focus is on balance; we are not only an importer, distributor or manufacturer, and I think we have the right mix of brands, product categories and price points in our catalog, which lets us reach a large pool of customers–more than most regional competitors,” Mehmet explains. “Plus, we really focus on customer care, so our customer retention rate is very high. Our customers can sell our products easily, and their margins are safe. We cater to accounts both small and large, meeting their demand through our confidential pricing, B2B e-commerce portal and quick shipping.”

And with that balance comes smart growth strategies, including taking on entirely new categories to strengthen the business’s portfolio. The company's newest addition, Créé is a line of hair colors made in Italy with a unique formulation that creates longer-lasting results while keeping hair exceptionally soft. It’s the company’s first hair color, so Mehmet started slow–by launching it locally and taking notes from user feedback. “I’m confident that we will grow slowly but surely in this category,” he says. “We are not in a rush.”

Kanar also opened a new division, salonsupply.com, to help the company directly serve beauty professionals. Mehmet notes that it’s still in the beginning phases, but he plans on having independent, part-time reps around the country take orders for Kanar using the company’s mobile app, already loaded with nearly 3,000 products from its catalog. “We are building it so that the app can work offline as well,” he adds. “Our distributors can use the same app and make drop-ship orders for us to ship to their customers directly, and the system is designed to prevent any zone violation conflict as well. For me, technology is such a time-saver and has allowed us to grow by reaching more people with up-to-date information and collecting their feedback, which we can then process faster and more efficiently.”

Growing smartly at a time when many are cutting back certainly is nothing new to Mehmet–after all, he still recalls the challenge of beginning his operation back in 2007, when the economy was in tatters and many businesses closed up shop altogether. But, as a former accountant, he also trusts in the natural cycles of economics. “A tumultuous economy always leaves people feeling uncertain, which typically causes companies to act conservatively with their decision- making,” he says. “It must be because of my beginnings–starting up my business in a down economy with little knowledge of the industry I was delving into and only one product to my name–but I have always pushed through it.

“History shows that everything cycles in and then cycles out again, so all we can do is move forward,” Mehmet concludes. “I give 110 percent of myself to each and every day. I know that every decision isn’t going to be the right one, but if my history repeats itself, in the end, I will have made more right decisions than wrong–and that is all I can ask!”

GET CONNECTED!
kanar.us
kanaronline.com
salonsupply.com

Beauty Store Business recently caught up with our October cover star Mehmet Kanar, the managing partner of Kanar, for a behind-the-scenes look at what makes his manufacturing and distributing business so successful. “With our early entry into the men’s category and an increasing demand, our work over the past 10 years gave us an opportunity to become recognized as one of the largest barber supply distributors in the market at the B2B level,” Mehmet says. To learn more, watch this video, read our October cover story here or visit kanar.us.

[Photo by Armando Sanchez; video edited by Karen Wilhelmsen]

Five years ago, when Jeffrey Davidson first signed on as a part-time consultant for a company then called “J&D Brush Co.,” in Hauppauge, New York, he had no idea that his career would take a whole new direction. Under the leadership of founder Jeff Rosenzweig, the company created the cult-favorite WetBrush line–a long way from the days when Rosenzweig sold brushes out of the trunk of his car at a local flea market decades earlier. Still, Rosenzweig was ready to rise to the next level. And Davidson knew that his strengths as a sales and marketing guru could help the company soar to new heights.

“When I met Jeff, we just fell in like, and I understood his trials and tribulations,” says Davidson, now CEO of JD Beauty Group. “With my entrepreneurial background spanning over 35 years in several businesses, I’ve been fortunate enough to raise hundreds of millions of dollars of capital, and we knew this company had tremendous potential.”

Of course, neither could have known how quickly the company would take off. Davidson has overseen a business boom in just the last five years: steady sales growth for the already established WetBrush line; a game-changing decision to expand to the consumer market; two major acquisitions in the electronic and liquid-line categories; and an employee base that grew by a factor of five. And he predicts an even more promising future.

Davidson recently sat down with Beauty Store Business to discuss what he brings to the table in his role as CEO, how he has defined company culture and the mechanics behind conjuring such a storm of success for an already beloved brand.

THE BRAND BUILDER
Davidson, a self-professed “serial entrepreneur,” didn’t always have his sights set on building businesses from the ground up. He instead undertook formal training to sell and market television airtime in the mid-’80s, but quickly realized it wasn’t his calling. Seeking a way to satisfy his “burning” entrepreneurial desires, he secured the rights to build and develop a Taco Bell franchise in New Jersey. From there, he built and operated nine additional highly profitable Taco Bell locations within five years, until then-parent company PepsiCo approached him to buy them back. “That was my first experience of growing a business and successfully exiting, and from there, I was off to the races,” Davidson says. “It took on a life of its own.”

Next, he would operate and lead a chain of movie theaters, securing venture capital from high-profile investors such as William Edward Simon, who was the treasury secretary under Nixon and Ford. Again, after five years, a bidding war broke out and Davidson sold to Regal Cinemas. He brought that “build, develop, grow, exit” formula to myriad industries, from hospitality to shoe and sandal manufacturing. But Davidson insists he’s no flip artist...he was simply approached with can’t-refuse offers thanks to a savvy business sense and an open-minded approach to hiring. “I’m an operations guy, and I know what I don’t know,” he says. “So I hire the best team of executives possible, surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me in other areas, then get out of their way and let them do their thing.”

“We’re very excited about having Ouidad because they have so many strengths we don’t.”

After building several businesses, he delved into the other side of the picture, becoming a principal at a private equity firm. Looking at a company’s strengths and weaknesses from this angle, he says, was one of his greatest learning experiences, with “eye-opening takeaways” as he watched over operations, offered guidance and developed a close rapport with the operators. As a former business operator himself, he knew that running a company goes beyond spreadsheets and black-and-white sales figures. Still, after another five years in private equity, he was ready to return to his original passion: growing brands.

Davidson had just exited one when his son called and said he knew someone whose parents owned a successful mom-and-pop company called J&D Brush Co., helmed by Jeff Rosenzweig. Rosenzweig’s business was expanding and he needed advice. So the pair connected by phone... a fateful call that would change the course of Davidson’s career trajectory and set the still-growing company on a path to greater success than previously imagined.

THE WETBRUSH BOOM
Davidson and Rosenzweig hit it off immediately, but the business mogul was especially impressed by the raving testimonials from the brand’s fans. “I knew this company had something really special; I had never seen a brand or product with a more impassioned user than the WetBrush consumer,” Davidson says. “Unsolicited, there were literally thousands of testimonials, and they all had the same theme: ‘This brush changed my life.’”

Davidson hopped on board as a consultant in 2013, expecting to contribute about 15 hours per week. But that soon turned into 30, then full-time. To take the business to the next level, he recommended selling the company to a private equity firm, allowing them to hire the best executives possible and take on intrepid investment bankers. Upon the sale of a majority stake to TopSpin Equity Partners in late 2015, Davidson officially joined the team as chief operating officer/chief strategy officer. About 18 months later, he assumed the CEO position as Rosenzweig moved to chairman.

“The business has flourished tremendously, and my focus as CEO is to grow and respect the WetBrush brand,” Davidson explains. “We always believed it had tremendous potential, but we’ve truly revolutionized the brush business. We’ve decommoditized the commodity of brushes.”

Of course, by the time Davidson joined the team, JD was already a well-established brand, in the market for decades. Back in 1977, Rosenzweig started selling brushes out of the trunk of his car at a flea market in Long Island, New York. From those humble beginnings, he became one of the first to manufacture brushes overseas, and in 2005 he founded what became the wildly popular WetBrush. “We were the first to market around and teach people about detangling,” Davidson says. “The heritage of our business is professional users, yet it’s our consumer group that’s now continuing to grow and thrive. But without that professional heritage, 300,000 to 400,000 hairdressers using the product every day, we’d be nowhere.”

Davidson insists that the company remain mindful of that pro focus; he believes it’s like a “permission slip” to cater to consumers. By focusing first on professionals ... giving them better, newer, sleeker solutions ... JD is able to take that technological knowhow and create patented products for the masses. And, by separating pro and consumer product development and marketing initiatives, Davidson believes the company can focus better on each channel, thereby strengthening both. “We’re now offering to pros and consumers in 35 countries, and it’s not just detangling brushes anymore; we have round, dry and styling brushes, too,” Davidson notes. “We have some formidable competitors, but nobody markets brushes like we do, including through digital and social media. And the brand is trusted throughout the world.”

“We’re very excited about having Ouidad because they have so many strengths we don’t.”

Fittingly, the man who was once trained to sell TV ad airtime recently launched an unprecedented marketing effort. In September, the company concluded a $1 million ad campaign with national television spots on large networks, which contributed to a significant sales lift while breaking brush-ad barriers. “To our knowledge, there’s never been a brush brand advertised on TV that way,” Davidson says. “Thanks to the campaign, we saw a 30 to 50 percent growth over last year in just the month of August.”

A PLATFORM COMPANY
With the brush business booming, Davidson and his team soon set out to expand further, their sights trained on becoming a platform company with diversified offerings. They identified two areas of desired growth: the electronic appliance and liquid spaces. To that end, in 2017 the company purchased Bio Ionic, a professional-only brand (and the No. 1 seller in SalonCentric stores) with electronic hair tools such as blowdryers and flat irons.

“We’ve grown the brand further since taking it over; one year later, business is up 28 percent, year over year,” Davidson reports. “And we now have the formula down for how to integrate a new brand seamlessly, because acquisitions can easily fail if they aren’t integrated properly.”

Continuing its quest for diversification–this time in search of a star liquid line–brought the company to Ouidad, a decades-old brand known worldwide for its natural and curly hair products, acquired in August 2018. Beyond its robust product portfolio, the brand boasts three salons across the country, which can function not only as spaces to serve the public but as “test kitchens” for product development. And, though the Ouidad customer list is virtually identical to JD’s other brands–retailers such as Ulta, SalonCentric and Amazon–the curly-hair kingpin brings a different set of assets to its new parent company. “We’re very excited about having Ouidad because they have so many strengths we don’t: e-commerce, digital reach and integrated educational teams, as well as the salons/test kitchens,” Davidson says. “We believe we’ve now proven that we can be a platform company, to buy and integrate other brands that are synergistic with our brands.”

Amid this transformation, there also remains the intense focus on growing and catering to both consumer and professional markets without one harming the other, and sales trends have been overwhelmingly positive. In just a few years within mass-market stores, Davidson reports “phenomenal” results, with WetBrush gaining market share over competitors, despite being on the higher end of the pricing scale. In SalonCentric, the company is enjoying nearly 30 percent growth year over year. “As far as our future, we want to continue to use our synergies well and find smart opportunities,” Davidson says. “We want to be as strong as we can be as a platform company.”

TEAM SPIRIT
As Davidson learned early on in his own career, a good team is the cornerstone of every successful company. Therefore, he has tapped some top minds–both from the beauty space and other industries–to help lead the company to the extraordinary growth it has experienced in the past few years. Francesca Raminella, coming from the pro beauty world with previous stints at GHD North America, L’Oreal and P&G, serves as chief commercial officer, overseeing sales, marketing and product development for all three brands. Gary Dailey, with a background that includes time at brands such as Hain Celestial and Everlast, runs everything logistical as chief financial and operations officer. Davidson says, “I don’t come from the beauty business, and I think we have a good mix of employees who come from beauty and those who don’t. I think there are great lessons to be learned from other types of businesses, and as we moved into consumer products especially, that mix has really helped us. You’re only as good as your people, and the proof is in the pudding.”

Likewise, top execs from beauty and beyond are no doubt attracted by JD’s company culture–one that Davidson describes as fun and exciting rather than corporate and drab. For example, Davidson created what he calls the Culture Club. He allots a certain amount of cash to a group of employees (six are selected each round) to use as they see fit. His team has hosted everything from lavish lunches to parties and picnics. Meanwhile, at quarterly “town hall meetings,” employees will take over a bar and talk about the company’s growth and direction in an informal setting. The attention to a fun yet focused work environment has certainly been successful, which has been especially important as the group expanded from 24 to 124 just in the years since Davidson came on board.

And, with the acquisition of Ouidad, the company now enjoys a strategically placed office in the heart of New York City. “We could not be more pleased with the early success of our integration with Ouidad; we’re already experiencing the synergies, and sales and marketing have been realigned to better serve our customers,” Davidson says. “We will also be looking at how we can leverage cross-pollination opportunities between our brands where applicable.”

Of course, the JD team extends farther still. The brand connects with a broad range of professionals and customers to sharpen product development and testing–brainstorming with laboratories, tapping stylists, rounding up consumer focus groups both online and off, and testing in salons. Meanwhile, Davidson continues to seek acquisitions like Ouidad: brands that will work synergistically with its current portfolio, and that JD, in turn, can help to grow.

It’s all part of the grand plan for JD Beauty Group, a flourishing platform company that seems well on its way to reaching the very ambitious goals that Davidson has set for it. “The company’s first focus is to have each brand become the best and most coveted in each of their particular channels,” Davidson concludes. “We’re laser-focused on being the best and most innovative product development and marketing organization in the entire beauty industry!” ■

LESSONS LEARNED
Jeffrey Davidson shares his top business lessons gleaned from decades of entrepreneurial success.

1. Davidson advises beauty store owners to look at what other beauty businesses are doing. “Look at other retailers, too,” he says. “How do they think about their customers and services? Don’t be afraid to look outside and learn from the rest of the world.”
2. “Let great people have the leeway and tools to make decisions and grow their groups,” he says.
3. “Take chances. It’s OK to fail. Get back up and try again!”
4. “Coaching is great, but don’t expect to change people and their beliefs or business practices.”

AT A GLANCE: JD BEAUTY GROUP

• Founded: 1977
• Signature Product: The WetBrush, launched in 2005 and now sold in 35 countries
• Best-Sellers: Original Detangler, Flex Collection and Plush Brush
• New Acquisitions: Bio Ionic (2017) and Ouidad (2018)

GET CONNECTED!
wetbrush.com, bioionic.com, ouidad.com
@thewetbrush, @bioionic, @ouidad

Beauty Store Business recently caught up with our November cover star, JD Beauty Group CEO Jeffrey Davidson, about his latest acquisition of Ouidad, his plans to grow WetBrush and his predictions for the future of the beauty industry. for To learn more, watch this video, read our November cover story here or visit jdbeauty.com.

[Photo by Armando Sanchez; video edited by Karen Wilhelmsen]

Jin Choi, president of hair tool manufacturer Izutech, embodies the American Dream. His journey started 31 years ago, when his parents brought him to the United States from Korea as a 10-year-old child. "It was a really windy and cold November stepping out of JFK [airport],” Choi recalls. “With merely $3,000 in their hands and without speaking a word of English, they’ve taught me what hard work is all about.”

A former graphic designer and now business-savvy entrepreneur, Choi works day and night at Izutech to ensure that consumers and salon professionals have hot tools that are equal parts innovative technology and superior design. Here’s the tale of how Izutech began–and what’s in store for one of the top tool manufacturers in the beauty industry.

A RISK WORTH TAKING
In 2002, Choi graduated from St. John’s University with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, and then immediately began seeking a summer job for the interim before starting graduate school at Pratt Institute. After combing the newspaper for opportunities, he found an opening at Shake-N-Go, one the top makers of hair extensions in the ethnic beauty sector. As luck would have it, he got hired the next day.

Over the course of his stint at Shake-N-Go, Choi developed a strong rapport with the company’s founder and vice president, Mike Kim. Kim grew so fond of Choi that he rehired him once Choi completed graduate school with a degree in industrial design. Choi would work at Shake-N-Go for three years, absorbing as much knowledge from Kim as he could while moving up the corporate ladder.

“The biggest asset in business is relationships,” Choi says. “After working at a few places in my life, I’ve realized that it’s not where you work, but who you work with. Perhaps this is why I’ve hung around with Mike Kim, my previous boss and mentor, for nearly 20 years. Although he was never an easy boss to work with, he gave me so much opportunity and experience, which led me to be confident in who I am today. He is my personal mentor–energetic, funny, fun and a great friend.”

In 2007, Mike Kim and his brother, James Kim, CEO of Shake-N-Go, decided to expand their company by founding a new tool brand called Izunami. And they wanted Choi at the helm as director. The brand launched with flat irons the following year, which happened to be the start of the Great Recession. “We tried very hard to get the brand into the market, but one of our biggest challenges wasn’t the recession; it was the fact that we had so much experience in the ethnic beauty sector, which is totally different from the general and professional markets, that it was very difficult to understand our consumers’ needs,” Choi says.

“It was a huge risk, but I believed in the company so much that I was willing to take a big risk.”

Over the next five years, the Kim brothers grew increasingly dissatisfied with Izunami’s sales and decided it was time to revert their full attention to their fruitful wigs and extensions business. But Choi’s period at Izunami proved to be a tremendous learning opportunity–one he wasn’t ready to give up on just yet.

“It was heartbreaking to see my baby discontinued. It hurt a lot, very personally,” Choi reveals. “Starting Izunami from the very beginning and seeing the big potential the brand had, I couldn’t let it go into thin air. My investors may have thought I was in it for the short profit game, but I saw this as long-term.”

So, Choi took a huge leap of faith and went all in, cashing out his personal savings and 401K to invest, persuading outside investors to join him and scrounging up as much money as he could to purchase and rebrand Izunami in January 2014.

“I adjusted the name because people had a hard time recognizing and remembering it, a foreign name. When I first relaunched our brand, I kept the essence of the logo and changed the name to Izutech so that people understood what kind of company we were and it didn’t hurt the essential look of the brand itself,” he says. That marked the founding of ESD Professional, Izutech’s parent company based in Paterson, New Jersey.

Great risks can produce great rewards, and Choi was banking on Izutech’s success because there was a lot at stake: He had recently married and had a 1-year-old son to support. “It was a huge risk, but I believed in the company so much that I was willing to take a big risk. Throughout the Izunami days, not only did I work on the design and marketing; I also naturally became an educator to our distributors, which led me to sales. All the independent distributors who had a personal connection with me stood by me and were thankful I continued the brand. It was a humbling experience to connect with people who really believed in me and supported me.” That support system proved to be invaluable, and since the company rebranded, Choi has grown Izutech 20 percent year over year.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
Choi says he’s done a lot of soul-searching over the years and has come to the conclusion that his educational and professional careers have revolved around solving one important question: What makes a design good? “That one question led me to where I’m standing now,” he says. “To really understand that question, I had to run a business myself. That question and that philosophy led to all of my products. Design is not just about the beautification of a product; it’s truly a solution to all levels of the process.” For example, Izutech’s bare-bones packaging minimizes waste both to be aesthetically pleasing and to reduce logistical and shipping costs–resulting in lower prices for the consumer.

In addition to his thoughtful approach to design, Choi methodically studies the market and elicits customer feedback to gauge what beauty professionals actually want. When Izutech started in 2008, he noticed a boom in the popularity of keratin treatments, and soon stylists were requesting a flat iron specifically catering to the service. By partnering with a factory in Korea, Choi developed the fastest heating technology on the market and integrated it into his KTX450 (short for Keratin Treatment Express 450 F) series of flat irons for professionals, which continues to be the brand’s bread and butter. “Other tool companies at that time had short plates, typically 3 1/2-inches in length, but what we did was expand them to 4 1/4 by 1 1/4 inches–extra-long and -wide plates. That really catered to professionals’ needs because they could work on bigger sections of hair, saving time and money.”

Through word of mouth, the KTX line became a hit in the Middle East and South America. Clients with coarse, thick, wavy and long hair particularly cherished the flat irons because they straighten unruly locks without causing damage. “The flat irons were our firstborn children. Those were the products that really gave us credibility with our users and the ability to expand to dryers and lower-tier products.”

“Design is not just about the beautification of a product; it’s truly a solution to all levels of the process.”

The KTX flat irons feature titanium plates, but Izutech also offers ceramic varieties. “A lot of companies say titanium heats up faster than ceramic; I don’t believe that’s true. It’s the heater underneath the plates that makes it unique,” he says. The main difference between the two types of plates is that titanium won’t erode from the chemicals used in keratin or straightening treatments, but ceramic plates will gradually grind down when they come into contact with harsh chemicals. “For natural hair, I’d recommend ceramic flat irons because ceramic and tourmaline naturally release negative ions, so they seal the cuticles.”

One of Choi’s biggest career highlights came at last year’s Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas, which marked the launch of Izutech’s color line of tools. Made in China, the line includes travel-friendly flat irons affordably priced at $49.95 and mini blowdryers for $59.95–available in Cotton Pink, Lilac Purple, Turquoise and Sky Blue. They became instant best-sellers. “I couldn’t keep up with the demand. The very attractive price point, colors, technology, packaging and way they were being displayed–our customers loved it. It was the product line that made Izutech known to the mass market. And since then, we started rolling out other products that would stand side by side with the flat irons,” he says.

Because many hairstylists and salon owners to this day haven’t fully recovered from the recession, it was imperative for Choi that the color line be effortlessly salable for salon professionals. “As the solution to that, what I did was design a six-pack display so salon professionals could buy it wholesale and sell them to customers to make up some of what they’ve lost. That has been very successful and led us to bigger sales channels and buyers,” Choi says.

MORE INNOVATION TO COME
Choi currently runs what he calls a “lean company,” with five full-time employees. When it comes to the company culture, he says it’s all about trust, open communication and relationships. He has also placed a great deal of that trust in the manufacturer reps he’s worked with since the early days of Izunami, with The Kirschner Group representing the northeast and VNC Sales covering the rest of the country, Canada and South America. “People have been very loyal to me, and I’ve been very loyal to them–small or big,” he notes.

Choi’s calculated growth strategy and hands-on approach for executing his full vision have driven Izutech’s success. He has a hand in everything from packaging and product development to creating educational materials and sales flyers. Instead of offering hundreds of SKUs, Choi prefers to slowly roll out new products after receiving critique from a test audience. “We have a three-step strategy where we test the product and get feedback, refine it a little bit more and then launch and push it as a regular, steady product,” he says.

In January 2019, at the International Beauty Exposition in Las Vegas, Izutech will unveil a brand-new category to its lineup: curling irons. “Izutech is not just a flat iron company; our mission is for Izutech to be a styling company, with tools to create all types of styles,” Choi says. “Eventually, we’re going to not just do tools–because there are many ideas sitting in the back of my head right now. But we have to get the most essential tools out first before coming out with more innovative things.”

Putting the utmost care into all he touches, there’s no doubt that Choi will continue to maintain a high standard of quality for future products, ensuring that all items are attractive, easy to use for consumers and merchandisable for retailers. By nurturing his attention to detail and artistic sensibility over the last two decades, Choi has already taken Izutech to greater heights than he could’ve ever imagined– and he has no plans on stopping anytime soon.

“I never had business experience in the past. What I did have was experience in product design and development, marketing and sales. But business is a different animal because you have to understand cash flow, finances and accounting, so there was a big learning curve. That made it more challenging and fun for me. I’m always looking for challenges and I get bored easily. Running a business is the right forte for me,” he concludes. Using his aptitude for picking up new skills and learning through good, old-fashioned trial and error, there’s no telling how high this savvy entrepreneur will soar.

6 BUSINESS TIPS FROM JIN CHOI
Izutech’s president shares his advice for burgeoning beauty entrepreneurs.

1. Quality Comes First: “There are many ways to cut corners to make the product cheaper, but we don’t choose this way. We bring maximum value and quality to
2. our customers at a competitive price point.”
3. Build a Rapport with Manufacturer Reps: “The Kirschner Group and VNC Sales & Marketing have been with us since the day Izunami was born, back in 2008. Without them, Izutech couldn’t be here today. It was their dedication and loyalty to our brand that got us here.”
4. Get Feedback from Distributors: “Their feedback has been what shaped Izutech’s products. It is so much fun listening to them because it gives us the opportunity to change.”
5. Be Passionate: “You have to really love something to risk it all, which I did. I literally put ‘all in’ to this business. It’s very difficult, but if you don’t love something that much, it’s not going to happen. Owning a business is not a fantasy; it takes real dedication, resiliency and creativity.”
6. Listen to Your Customers: “A lot of our customers were satisfied because what they’ve suggested has been reflected in our products, so they feel it’s customized to their needs. That’s been a part of our success.”
7. Learn from Your Mentors: “Beauty is changing with online and Amazon, and the way we distribute has changed a lot over the years. First, start by getting experience at a company you admire before jumping into your own business.”

GET CONNECTED!
izutechpro.com
Instagram: @izutechpro
Facebook: @izutechpro
Twitter: @izutechpro

Download our 2019 Holiday Retail Guide so that you can keep up on all the uncommon holidays throughout the year and do special promotions in your store! Click the link here to download it: drive.google.com.

It’s no secret that Ulta Beauty dominates the specialty retail market for beauty. Founded in 1990, Ulta currently operates 1,163 stores in 50 states, with a full-service salon in every shop. Ninety percent are off-mall locations, and its products range in price points, from affordable drugstore staples to high-end luxury offerings, appealing to consumers of all ages–a comprehensive variety that also helps Ulta differentiate itself from its biggest competitor, LVMH-owned Sephora. Under the leadership of CEO Mary Dillon, Ulta’s 2017 fiscal year sales were $5.9 billion (up 21.2 percent from the previous year), with $569 million in e-commerce sales. Forbes predicts 2018 sales to be roughly $6.6 billion, with earnings per share hovering at $4.25 (up from $3.40 last year).

What's Ulta's secret for success? For such a large company with with so many moving parts, the answer is complex. However, one area is certainly Ulta's in-store offerings and salon services, which allow the retail giant to live up to its slogan: “All Things Beauty. All in One Place.”

We spoke to three Ulta Beauty executives responsible for these areas. Here, they share strategy, plans for future growth and their individual “crystal ball” beauty industry predictions for 2019!

THE SECRETS TO PRODUCT SELECTION
Penny Coy, vice president of merchandising, prestige skincare and fragrance, has more than 30 years of retail industry experience, including a five-year stint as a planner for Claire’s. “I have an amazing merchant team [with nine people] that really knows two things to look for,” she says. “They’re looking for trailblazing ingredients and they’re looking for products that have proven results–especially those that have really strong clinical claims.” Coy adds that it’s also critical for her team to discover emerging indie brands that amass large followings by resonating with consumers online. Her team is constantly combing product reviews and comments on Instagram to try to find the next hot brand. She cites coconut oil-based skincare line Kopari and Tula, a probiotic skincare line, as two recent examples.

“Our guests want newness, they want innovation, they want technology and efficacy—and we want brands that bring that to the table.”

—Sandy Ovington, VP of merchandise

Sandy Ovington, vice president of merchandise, has a career spanning decades in retail as a corporate buyer and division vice president for Kmart Footwear prior to joining Ulta Beauty in 2010. She partially credits the retailer’s success to its “unmatched assortment” of more than 25,000 products from 500 brands. “Our guests want newness, they want innovation, they want technology and efficacy–and we want brands that bring that to the table. And we want brands that are willing to work really hard with Ulta,” she says.

While Ovington admits that selecting a winning product “is not really an exact science,” she stays ahead of the curve by relying on facts, data and research and depending on tools that yield quantifiable results, including consumer analytics, market trends, customer surveys and sales data history. But that’s not all. She and her team of 18 merchants do competitive shopping–analyzing what direct competitors are doing–and diligently attend key industry trade shows throughout the year, including Cosmoprof North America and Bologna, to discover new products.

Data reveals specific qualities that make a product worthy of strong consideration for Ovington–and Ulta buyers in general. “One of the stats we have from consumer analytics is that seven out of 10 guests are open to trying something new. Some of the things we think of as strengths for a brand are if they provide a solution to the guest, showcase a point of difference, have authenticity, bring newness to the table and have a strong brand identity,” Ovington reveals. But sometimes the best tips for selecting winning products come from the customers themselves. Ulta’s merchandising teams work closely with the stores’ own roughly 40,000 sales associates and brand partners to find out what shoppers are requesting and suggesting in-store and online.

Another important factor in product selection, Coy notes, is inclusivity–a value the company holds dear. “We look to have a continuum of products that appeal and are inclusive across all ages, all ethnicities and gender in all its forms. ... We’re also being very cognizant to really appeal to the 40 and over guest with our marketing and who we are using for our photo shoots," she says. Of course, it pays to be inclusive, casting a wider net to bring in customers of all kinds. According to Nielsen, multicultural consumer spending power is valued at $3.2 trillion, while Euromonitor predicts that baby boomers’ spending power will reach $15 trillion by the end of 2019.

Ovington compares Ulta’s product selection to what’s in the average woman’s purse. “If you look at the way people shop, it mirrors their beauty bag; they have a mix of prestige and mass all in their closet or handbag. We approach our products the same way.”

Smart, in-store merchandising further supports sales. Ulta entices customers as they meander the aisles with Travel and Trial end caps featuring on-the-go beauty and its curated sections such as New and Notable. At the close of the shopping experience, impulse-buy fixtures at checkout inspire last-minute additions to consumers’ hauls.

LOYALTY PAYS
With Ulta's loyalty program, Ultamate Rewards, generating roughly 90 percent of its overall sales, the company understands its nearly 30 million active members are one of its greatest assets. As such, they provide great value to its participants who accrue points for their spending, with 100 points equal to $3 off a purchase. The program also features two tiers for big spenders: Platinum, for those who spend $450 or more annually, and Diamond, for those who drop $1,200 a year. There’s even an Ulta Beauty credit card–which incentivizes shoppers with two points per every dollar spent. The loyalty program is a win-win; customers rake in discounts and Ulta Beauty collects crucial data.

“The opportunity it provides us is that we can personalize communication to our guests. We can sample based on their preferences and their past purchases, and we can give them exciting newness or hero items,” Ovington says. This approach is vastly more effective than offering a simple coupon. For example, Ulta recently did a “smart sampling” of Pureology products specifically for those who had purchased from that brand in the past. True to its data-driven approach, the retailer monitored repurchase rates.

Coy adds that guests who shop in-store or online can also choose samples at checkout. “Our brands love to sample to our guests. They’re very generous when it comes to doing so,” she says. These personalized gifts strengthen the emotional connection members have with the Ulta Beauty brand.

Multiple unique sales events throughout the year provide another way for Ulta to serve all of their beauty enthusiasts and to stay competitive. The events are well thought-out and timed to boost sales during slower periods. Examples include the 21 Days of Beauty, three weeks in September when shoppers receive new discounts on various items each day, as well as the Spring Haul, Fall Haul, Cut for a Cause, the Gorgeous Hair Event and the Love Your Skin Event–and Diamond and Platinum Appreciation Days for loyalty members. “These value events really encourage shoppers to try new brands, products or services,” Ovington says.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
Ulta Beauty differentiates itself by infusing each location with the vibrant energy and activity of its in-store beauty services, including The Salon at Ulta Beauty, the Dermalogica Skin Bar, the Benefit Brow Bar and MAC Cosmetics makeup applications and lessons. Guests can experience an array of services varying from 10 to 90 minutes in length at a wide range of price points–covering all their haircare, skincare, brow, makeup and face-waxing needs.

“We look to have a continuum of products that appeal and are inclusive across all ages, all ethnicities, and gender in all its forms.”

—Penny Coy, VP of merchandising, prestige skincare and fragrance

Nick Stenson, vice president of salon services and trend, has spent his career building a clientele at salons. He owned Caviar Salon in Chicago, served as an artistic director for JCPenney Salons and Matrix, and most recently helped Ulta Beauty revamp its salon by forming the Ulta Beauty Pro Hair Team when he joined as chief artistic director in 2016. The team consists of six hairstylists, each supported by a different brand such as Matrix, L’anza or Redken. Stenson also oversees 57 employees on his corporate team and 230 on his salon services field team. “It’s all about coming together to support each other–and to support our over 8,000 stylists,” he says.

Stenson’s goal for Ulta Beauty is to eliminate anxiety for customers who feel overwhelmed by thousands of products they don't know how to use. He says, “We have experts from hairstylists, beauty skin experts and brow specialists to makeup artists who can really help people on their retail journey, bring it to life by using products on them or by giving them a completely different look in The Salon.”

Of course, to offer these services and keep customers coming back, Ulta must be attractive to top talent. So, Stenson revamped Ulta’s educational program for stylists. Different educational programs serve different skill sets, whether hair- dressers need to learn more of the basics or have decades of experience under their belt. Stenson also instituted a new program called services optimization. A new stylist can start as an entry-level designer stylist, pass an educational program and then advance to master stylist. To become an elite stylist requires yet another level of education. “No matter where you are in your journey in the beauty business, we can help support your career,” Stenson says. Brand partners also help educate stylists through programs such as Empower You, which provides select master stylists with immersive brand and product training over several days.

The salon services help to move product, too. Of all the in-store services, The Salon gets the most traffic, with hair color being the most-used service overall. “We have our pro hair products placed right next to our salon,” Ovington says. “We’ve done that so that it makes it easy for our experts to walk someone over and provide customized recommendations.”

Guests who use Ulta’s various hair, skin and makeup services end up spending more than casual shoppers–a lot more. “Our guest that gets any type of service done spends, on average, three times more and shops twice as much as a guest who just comes in for retail. They are definitely, needless to say, our most valued guests,” Stenson affirms.

The Skin Bar, added to stores in 2018, features everything from 10-minute express facials to 20- and 30-minute options like microdermabrasion or skin resurfacing. With two chairs placed on the floor, the spa helps attract curious onlookers. In select locations, there are Dermalogica pods and back rooms where full-time, licensed estheticians perform services up to 90 minutes in length. Ulta’s sales associates and estheticians are crucial for drawing in new customers. When they’re not performing a service, estheticians walk the floor, answer questions, recommend products and provide free skincare consultations.

Stenson says the sale of pro products and haircare services go hand in hand. Surprisingly, 54 percent of people who come in for a hair service end up purchasing a pro hair product that same day. “The statistics in the industry are sitting at around 7 percent for an average salon, so our penetration into retail is huge,” he adds. “It’s because we have these beauty enthusiasts that live for product, they love being beautiful, they love discovering ways they can play with beauty–and they make beauty a hobby as well as an accessory for them.”

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH
Despite Ulta Beauty’s unprecedented success, several categories offer opportunities for growth. With the demand for natural products rising, Coy is continuing efforts to appeal to clean-beauty consumers–whether they’re seeking 100 percent organic items, vegan beauty, gluten-free skin care, cruelty-free products or all of the above. Ulta also aims to be more transparent by spotlighting brands that don’t use certain harmful components such as sulfates. “We’re working with our brand partners to be very transparent about what their brand provides in that space and giving our guest full disclosure,” Coy says.

Ovington believes that the textured-hair category will grow in 2019. She has witnessed several of Ulta’s core textured- hair brands demonstrate double-digit growth, as well as many new launches for curly haired consumers. “Color care has always been strong for us too, but we see it continuing to grow, especially with the new color depositing shampoos and conditioners,” she adds. Prestige hair brands such as Living Proof and Bumble and Bumble are driving growth in this sector.

Stenson's main focus is ensuring that shoppers know about all the services Ulta offers. Part of making this idea happen is to shine a light on talented employees and partners. “We haven’t gotten this far without really fostering the relationships with the people who work inside our stores every single day. We realize they’re on the front lines, and the only way we can be successful is by having the right people in our stores and investing in them.” The company will roll out revised educational plans for stylists (currently available in only two of its seven markets) nationwide and industry-leading compensation plans for sales associates.

Stenson also plans to streamline the salon services Ulta currently offers. He says, “We have new menus coming out that simplify all the different types of services that we do and all the different categories we offer. It will really target the needs of all the male and female guests that come into our stores. That's No. 1.” Once that is done, new services may be added. “We’ll continue to look at different service assortments and what categories we do not have that maybe we should, so something like eyelash extensions–maybe that’s an area we need to focus more on and add to the service portfolio,” Stenson adds.

“Our guest that gets any type of service done spends, on average, three times more and shops twice as much as a guest who just comes in for retail.”

—Nick Stenson, VP of salon services and trend

A third Ulta Beauty location recently opened in Hawaii, and more stores are in the works, with an estimated 70-80 new shops planned each year for the next three years.

As of the time of publication, Coy revealed that the team was in early talks for holiday 2019 exclusives and leads. (Ulta recently started carrying Kylie Cosmetics and KKW Fragrance for the 2018 holiday season.) “What you see on our floor today for prestige skin care will certainly be evolving in 2019,” she says. “We’re always looking at how we can make that skincare menu more impactful for her. Right now we’ve got a minimum of seven protocols on the Skin Bar menu, and we’re always looking at how we can further fine-tune and make them more multibranded in select stores.”

BETTER TOGETHER
Ultimately (pun intended), the Ulta Beauty team relies on collaboration among its internal network of experts to deliver the best in-store experience possible. “It’s great to have great partners on the retail and merchandising sides of the business like Penny and Sandy because they’re looking at it through the lens of product innovation and what our guest needs and wants,” Stenson says. “They’re digging into those analytics and I’m digging into what she or he needs, to really make sure that customers feel their best and look their best.”

Ovington agrees, adding, “Nick and I feel that it’s important for us to be partners both to give us a competitive advantage and so that our teams work together to win.”

Penny says, “Nick’s team members are truly authorities regarding skincare services and haircare services ... and my amazing merchant team really hits it out of the park in understanding what’s important in the category. That allows Nick’s team to really help sell it to the guest.”

One thing is clear: Ulta excels at recruiting skilled talent to implement every competitive edge possible in the specialty retail beauty space–whether that's with product selection, salon services, employee development or a loyalty program that fosters an emotional connection with customers. They truly can meet every beauty need in one place. With so many avenues for consumers to buy beauty products today, Ulta is successfully delivering a rich and varied in-store experience that keeps beauty enthusiasts of all ages coming back.

TREND WATCH 2019
Ulta Beauty executives provide their predictions for the coming year.

Penny Coy, Vice President of Merchandising, Prestige Skincare and Fragrance
“‘Natural’ is pretty broadly defined. We’re looking for products that offer both inner and outer well-being. Customers are definitely interested in K-beauty from Korea and, even moreso than ever, J-beauty from Japan. Chemical, cellular-driven solutions too—we have several brands that say their products are ‘where nature meets science.’ And then there are certain ingredients that are just a must-have: for instance, SPF in your moisturizer; I always recommend a vitamin C in the morning and a retinol at night regimen for anyone that’s a millennial or older.”

Sandy Ovington, Vice President of Merchandise
“We do see scalp care as an emerging trend, with detox shampoos and conditioners. There’s potential for a lot more growth in that. Natural and/or clean products we’re seeing as a trend, and that’s going across all categories, including hair care. Dry shampoo is still gaining momentum in 2019, but I think it’s going to evolve in the way that people use it. I think they’re using it for texture as well as a direct, pure dry shampoo. And, we also see that guests are embracing their natural texture. So, you’re seeing guests have curly hair one day, straight hair the next day—she wants to change up her hair.”

Nick Stenson, Vice President, Salon Services and Trend
“We are going to have a huge focus on embracing natural texture for this year. Styling in general has gone to a lived-in, natural kind of realm. And its really about all the new product innovation out there that’s helping guests understand how to use things like a texture spray or how to use a dry shampoo as a styling product because the products have changed. … It’s really about building a foundation—whether it’s in hair, skin or in makeup—so that people understand that there’s tons of options out there, but what’s the right one for you?”

[Photography by Scott Bell; Store images courtesy of Ulta Beauty]

Ron Robinson has a knack for knowing what’s next. Forty years after launching his brand, he is the owner of two eponymous stores in the Los Angeles area–one on iconic thoroughfare Melrose Avenue and a flagship in coastal enclave Santa Monica–as well as ronrobinson.com. Robinson constantly keeps his finger on the pulse of various categories, including fashion apparel for men, women and children; home accessories; and, of course, beauty. As a result, he has developed a passionate fan base and booming brick-and-mortar success.

So what’s his secret? The legendary retailer consistently anticipates and creates trends, bottling the unique elements his customers crave in-store: a carefully curated product collection that even seen-it–all L.A. natives flock to–all painstakingly presented against an artsy, community-building backdrop. “Product is the key to everything. It’s always necessary to select the right product. But you also want the right canvas or platform so it expresses exactly what we want, and what the manufacturers intended to express,” Robinson explains. “When you see the stores, you get a clear idea of what we do and how we do it; everything has a very selective, curated approach.” Here, Robinson discusses how he lays down the successful strokes of his brick-and-mortar and online outposts like a true artist.

LIFELONG LEARNING
Robinson has spent his life in retail, but his path was perhaps predestined: His mother, father and both grandfathers were in the business, and his on-the-job education commenced while working
for his parents. Harboring a pronounced interest in fashion, Robinson landed a sales position at the elite Fred Segal store in Los Angeles in 1968. He rose from manager to buyer to executive vice president before taking the leap and leasing space within the store for his own retail selection in 1978. “I don’t know if it was in the DNA or what–maybe so–but retail wasn’t something I intended to do,” Robinson confesses. “It’s just something I happened to be good at and, thankfully, became successful with.”

He also soon found himself exploring the vibrant world of beauty. As a buyer at Fred Segal, he was the first to bring color cosmetics to the store around 1975. In his own space, he expanded the collection of fashion apparel to later include, at the outset of the ’80s, a cosmetic and beauty area called Apothia–a mash-up moniker blending “apothecary” and “utopia.” It was a bold move for the time. Consumers bought either luxury beauty at department stores, specialty beauty at beauty supply stores or mass products at drugstores. That was it. Yet his retail store offered a robust beauty selection of innovative, unique luxury products.

RELATED: The 'Ulta'-mate Experence

And, despite having years of experience, he admits that ownership was a very different game. “The most important learning happens once you own a store, and all of the responsibilities fall on you,” Robinson says. “You have to make sure things are going right and you’re progressing and you’re taking care of your people and you’re finding new product. Then you know what it’s all about. I didn’t know diddly about cosmetics and beauty, but I learn what I know I have to learn.”

“Because of online business, we’re told this idea that brick and mortar is dead. Well, I’m here to say, it’s not dead. Our business is flourishing.”

Robinson also had to know his customers: a forward-thinking bunch in the heart of the nation’s entertainment capital, always on the lookout for new, one-of-a-kind items from around the world. As he built a reputation for stocking trendsetting products, budding brands sought placement on his shelves. Indie beauty may have soared in recent years among the general public, but Robinson tapped into that spirit decades ago. “I could give small entrepreneurs a platform if I deemed their product was right for us–and, in many cases, helped build and launch them,” he says. “Over the years, it became clear that if you’re a unique and up-and-coming brand, this is one of the places you’ve got to go.”

Carefully curating product remains a cornerstone of Robinson’s success, and he credits that ability for his longevity in the business. He committed to exploring multiple avenues to discover the next big thing–whether it’s a local packager tipping him off to a new manufacturer or by-chance meetings with small apothecary owners in New York. (Robinson was the first L.A.-based boutique, for example, to carry a then-little-known brand called Kiehl’s in the early ’80s.) Shunning mass-distributed and department-store labels, he instead mined esoteric brands like Creed and Diptyque. He’d scout out trade shows from Europe to Japan to score the coolest finds for customers.

RELATED: Retailing in the Age of Amazon

Of course, the modern world moves at a much faster clip than before, but Robinson rolls with the punches–and his longtime approach resonates perfectly with today’s consumers. “Today, I can go to a show [and discover a product], come back and already four people have published it in a magazine, and two have knocked it off,” Robinson says with a chuckle. “You can go on Instagram and find things you never knew about; information is so rapid. Because of online business, we’re told this idea that brick and mortar is dead. Well, I’m here to say, it’s not dead. Our business is flourishing.” To this day, the beauty section at Ron Robinson–whether online or in-store– remains a place of discovery, where the consumer can find new and exciting skin care, fragrances and cosmetics from both domestic and international brands.

A CURATED COMMUNITY
Successful mass-market retailers now know the importance of drawing online shoppers away from their computers via in-store events, but happenings for consumers and industry insiders have been a part of the Ron Robinson ethos for decades. In the early 2000s, its Fashion Fragrance gathering drew a sold-out crowd for a breakfast with speakers from Givaudan, the world’s largest fragrance house, and a tour through the store’s unique collection. In 2018, Cosmoprof North America chose Ron Robinson's flagship to host a preview of exciting, trending beauty products scheduled to exhibit at its Las Vegas trade show. Hundreds of professionals from the West Coast's vibrant and bustling beauty industry attended and networked. “These events bring new people into our store, but, more importantly, they connect us to the fragrance and beauty industries in a new way and at a much higher level,” Robinson notes. “You’re not just talking the talk–buying product and putting it on the shelves–but you’re walking the walk, doing something that makes a difference and connects people. And those connections pay off for us in the long term.”

In-store events have turned Robinson’s Santa Monica flagship store, entering its fifth year in 2019, into a community touchstone. Soaring ceilings allow plenty of space for a rotating art gallery, with receptions ushering in new artists every six to eight weeks. In the courtyard, Saturday morning yoga classes bring together dozens of devotees and visiting instructors from Southern California for a free workout session followed by healthy drinks and snacks. “It’s all part of the environment I built in retail: creating that place where people want to be,” Robinson explains. “When I was growing up, a cool, vibrant boutique was a great social experience, a community experience. You’d see a hot guy or girl, a cool new fashion. That’s gone away from retailing, but we still have it.”

“When I was growing up, a cool, vibrant boutique was a great social experience, a community experience. ... That’s gone away from retailing, but we still have it.”

Ultimately, Robinson believes that shopping for beauty products is better in-store where customers can feel, smell and apply them–an “immediate and accessible” experience, he says. But for those who can’t visit in person, ronrobinson.com offers that curated, intimate feel to fans across the globe. Back in the late ’90s, when Robinson created his online space, he never imagined sales would skyrocket as they have. “We’re focused on the brick-and-mortar experience, and we try to portray that experience online as well,” he says. “We’re a privately owned boutique doing everything ourselves, so it’s a balance, but we spend a great amount of money to make sure we get seen online. And, for the amazing amount of customers we’ve developed over years in-store, they can access us anywhere, so it’s a very important part of what we’re doing. We still do more business out of the retail stores, but the website is growing at quite a fast pace.”

THE SMELL OF SUCCESS
Robinson's early online presence and digital community played a key role when he decided to venture into fragrance as both a retailer and a new manufacturer. Having a natural affinity for fragrance and packaging (which he developed as a youngster from admiring his grandfather’s cologne collection), Robinson decided to add a single fragrance to his beauty offerings. It was an unknown brand, which initially sold, one bottle at a time, through word of mouth. But when a major celeb mentioned it in a magazine article, phones rang off the hook!

Luckily, Robinson had the foresight to get online in late ’98–never dreaming it’d be a viable avenue for selling fragrance. But amid the celeb-induced frenzy, staff members were able to direct wannabe buyers to the site, generating orders from around the country.

Suddenly (long before crowdsourcing was de rigueur), Robinson had an idea: Why not tap into this group of customers who clearly appreciate and purchase unique fragrances? “So I wrote 100 of them a letter: ‘How would you like to be part of a group that helps me create our own signature fragrance?’” Robinson recalls. “Back then, I wasn’t thinking of using the internet to generate business, but to communicate with my customer–not knowing that that was the future. Today, everybody wants to communicate with the customer, create community and create ideas together.”

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Within days, Robinson received 100 yeses. He also reached out to some celebrity fans, such as Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Garner, to pitch in. With help from a perfumer and a clinical psychologist, he assembled survey questions, created a dozen fragrances and selected three labeled A, B and C to be sent out to the test group. After several rounds of reading and interpreting responses, then tweaking accordingly, they landed on a scent that eight of 10 participants agreed upon. The fragrance, also called Apothia “If”, launched in Ron Robinson stores in 1999, soon surging across the States and finally overseas to Europe and Japan in the early 2000s. “We now have about 50 accounts in the United States and a huge market in Japan, where people said we wouldn’t sell; we can’t keep it supplied fast enough there,” Robinson says. “We created Apothia in a way that was much different than anyone else ever had–and I don’t know of anyone who’s created a fragrance like that ever since.”

“Things change, and are changing more rapidly today than ever before. But as retailers, we have to be challenged by that change, anticipate it and direct ourselves to a place where we can be activists of change.”

The Apothia fragrance business has since expanded to candles (winning an award for Interior Scent of the Year from The Fragrance Foundation); new formats for its first scent, If (including roll-on, aromatic diffuser, candle, body wash and lotion); and three additional fragrances. The retailer has made sure to reflect its in-house ethics in the manufacturing process. For example, when making Apothia Hand & Body Wash, Robinson shunned sodium lauryl sulfate for apricot kernel oil, a much pricier but healthier alternative. “I learned over time that we have to be honest and true to who we are and what we’re doing,” he says. “If we’re going to talk about being forward thinkers and progressive people, we have to deliver that in the product we produce. And I learned that if you believe in something, put it out there. Say it, stand behind it, let everyone know you believe in it. Don’t assume everybody knows everything you’re thinking or doing–because they don’t!”

Finally, when it comes to fragrance as a whole, Robinson follows his customers’ shopping habits. For example, he doesn’t carry anything labeled “for men” or “for women,” noting that fragrance is highly personal and the dichotomy of male/ woodsy and female/floral is now passé. “It’s an independent decision; they buy based on what they like or don’t like,” he explains. “We’re not judges, we’re fragrance people. You decide what you want.”

UNIFYING THEMES
Robinson looks at everything he does, from beauty to home accessories, under the lens of art and fashion. That translates to putting a premium on design, from beautiful bottles to eye-catching graphics. He’s also able to cross-pollinate his knowledge, with ideas garnered from one category informing another. And, like any successful entrepreneur, he knows that on-the-job learning never stops. “It’s amazing that 40 years have passed so quickly, and I can’t believe that I’m still learning stuff today,” he marvels. “But it’s all about good product. It’s efficacy and whether I provide something that’s cool, as well as the customer and how they’re treated.”

For Robinson, juggling multiple categories, omnichannel success and a still-growing legion of fans from around the world are all in a day’s work–and all part of the ever-changing retail landscape. “Things change, and are changing more rapidly today than ever before, but as retailers we have to be challenged by that change, anticipate it and direct ourselves to a place where we can be activists of change,” he says. “That way, we’re not only prepared, but we can say, ‘Here’s where we think you’re going to be.’ That keeps us fresh and on top of things. It’s a difficult task, but what choice do we have?”

Coming from a legendary retailer with true staying power, this is wisdom to heed.

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Instagram: @ronrobinson
Twitter: @ronrobinson78

Retailer Ron Robinson shares key advice that he has gleaned from more than 50 years in the business.

• “We all love the creative part of what we do, but if you’re not running a successful business behind it, it’s a hobby. I love creativity and design—it’s a life-changer. But I also have to pay the rent. Artists who are most successful understand art from a business standpoint.”
• “Getting the right employees is a major challenge everywhere. I look for someone with an open mind who understands our ethos and character, and how we want to deliver it, even as they have the freedom to deliver it with their own personal character.”
• “The four-letter word is care. That’s what makes the difference. Sometimes we need only one customer. Did we do what we intended, did we care for that customer, did we deliver our experience 100 percent to whoever came in that door? When that happens, it doesn’t matter if there’s one or 100 customers; you’ll get results.”

[Top photo by Armando Sanchez; others courtesy of Ron Robinson]

Try out an 18.21 Man Made product and you might be tempted to praise it as the bee’s knees to your customers. The Texas-based brand is famous for grooming goods formulated to meet the needs of modern men, but which look like they time-traveled from 1920. From packaging to aroma, the products evoke a sense of effortless cool. Man Made Wash comes in what looks like a glass whisky bottle, complete with a sepia-toned label. Beard Balm smells of French vanilla bean and spicy pipe tobacco, conjuring images of speakeasies with flappers on the arms of dapper dandies.

None of this is accidental. Cofounders Aston LaFon, Angel del Solar and David del Solar didn’t stumble onto the concept of premium, Prohibition-inspired offerings by chance. This is not a tale of luck, but rather one of grit. From the jump, the trio deliberately set out to correct a deficit they saw in the male grooming market–and do so with a dash of class.

RELATED: Retailing Wisdom from Ron Robinson

AUSPICIOUS ENCOUNTER
Although Michigan-born LaFon is the only company cofounder who didn’t study cosmetology, he grew up in the industry, with a stylist mother who sometimes worked on clients in their home. “Occasionally I’d help her with foils or perm rods, so from an early age I had a sense of how happy people felt after getting their hair done,” he recalls. LaFon’s mother eventually transitioned to working as a distributor for Joico, a professional salon brand few in their town had heard of at the time. Young Aston watched her earn a competitive wage while gaining business acumen–and in his late teens, the budding entrepreneur got his own idea for a new hair product.

“With zero knowledge regarding inventory or distribution, I handmade a few samples in my kitchen, and eventually started receiving product orders,” he says. At age 23, he sold his small business to American International Industries and moved to Texas to escape the cold. “After meeting my wife and taking a few years to travel, I came to realize that the more you spend money, the more it goes away,” LaFon says, laughing. Needing income, he returned to the beauty industry, this time following in his mother’s footsteps as a distributor for Lakmé haircare products. The Lakmé gig led to a stint working with San Antonio-based Princess Beauty, an independent distributor of top brands including Aloxxi, Brazilian Professionals, GKhair and more. As a rep who serviced salons and spas in Texas, he learned how to support hair professionals by first uncovering their missing needs, then finding the ideal items to fit those specific niches. He was recruited by Enjoy, and came to be ranked among the haircare line’s top consultants. While cultivating elite salons throughout the Lone Star State, LaFon found himself repeatedly searching for educators who could speak with knowledge and passion about how to best use prestige products. That’s when he met Angel del Solar.

PERFECT PAIRING
Born in Pamplona, the northern Spain city famous for its annual running of the bulls, Angel del Solar started styling hair at age 15. During the day he went to high school and every evening he apprenticed in a local shop. Mandatory military service (abolished in Spain in 2001) conscripted him to the army after graduation, where he worked as a barber. After returning to the civilian salon world, the young artist met a Revlon art director named Luis Romero Colás (the current president of Intercoiffure Spain).

“Luis took me under his wing, and as my mentor he provided invaluable insight into hair,” del Solar says. The student soon became a teacher himself, serving as one of Pivot Point International’s first instructors both in his country and abroad, from Portugal to Argentina. He says, “I was mastering and sharing the fundamentals of precision-cutting, three-point cutting and other advanced techniques that would prove instrumental to my career.” Along his journey, he met and married an American woman when he was 26, and the two moved to Seattle to be close to her family.

This was during the dot-com era; everything was booming. Del Solar went to work for Gene Juarez Salon & Spa in Washington’s upscale Bellevue neighborhood, and he skyrocketed in a short time from novice to star employee. He then broke out on his own, opening two Angelo Mendi (for Asurmendi, his second surname, as per traditional Spanish naming custom) boutique salons in Bellevue and Tacoma, and then worked on Pureology’s creative team before fatefully joining Enjoy as an art director. “I traveled with the brand for nearly five years, training stylists on a method I developed after decades behind the chair,” del Solar says. His personalized system is based on the idea of deconstruction: The elements of a pixie, bob or other fundamental cut are broken down and examined to determine how they might be best reassembled for both efficiency of execution and superiority of appearance.

As it happens, LaFon was likewise energized by this same concept. “I was pulling apart the business side of hair, then giving it back to stylists in a way that aimed to be more nurturing,” LaFon shares. “When I met Angel, I realized we were speaking the same language–the only difference was he had a Spanish accent.”

The two quickly became colleagues, then fast friends. “I supported Aston’s work as a consultant by serving as an educator for his classes,” says del Solar. “We got along, and he soon began inviting me to dinner at his house with the family.” After collaborating for several years via Enjoy, the duo decided to kick-start their own business. Del Solar relocated to Texas, where they founded a distribution group called Credible Culture. “The idea was to provide custom education and prestigious products to premium salons,” LaFon says. Their company took off, serving at its peak more than 100 top salons throughout the state. The pair realized they needed one more set of helping hands.

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FROM DUO TO TRIO
“I’m close to my brother David, so I always dreamed we might work together professionally in some way,” Angel says. But as a kid, his brother’s own desires tended more toward science than beauty. “I wanted to be a doctor,” David del Solar says. That changed after his army consignment, when he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by applying to culinary school. “My father was a chef and I’d always loved cooking–and especially eating–food,” he says. David studied in Spain and France and then spent time mastering skills at preeminent European kitchens. All the stars aligned after he found himself captivated by the deconstructed food movement. “I became fascinated by the concept of paring a dish down to its core idea, then rebuilding it back up using my own creativity and techniques,” he explains. “I also loved the chemical aspects of that process, which relate to my enthusiasm for medicine.”

When Angel asked his brother to join the Credible Culture crew, David immediately saw how beauty was the next natural step for him. “Look at emerging food-industry trends and you’ll be able to predict what’s coming next for beauty,” he says. Case in point: While living in Morocco in his early 20s, the young cook was introduced to an avant-garde emol- lient touted as olive oil’s superior counterpart. Every chef suddenly had to lay hands on that groundbreaking ingredient. It was called Moroccan oil–also known as argan oil, which has since risen to prominence in
the beauty world as “liquid gold” for hair care. David accepted Angel’s offer and signed up for evening cosmetology classes so as to master the basics and weave together his chemical, culinary and creative skills.

LIFTING THE PROHIBITION
Soon after joining forces, the trio noticed something curious: a new movement stirring among men who were seeking, yet not finding, elevated grooming products. Many thus found themselves turning to salons and to hair- and skincare items marketed to women, for lack of better options. “Existing market choices seemed limited to inexpensive cosmetics that came in black-and-chrome packages and smelled of either peppermint or tea tree,” LaFon recalls. “It felt like a prohibition had been declared on quality men’s goods.”

In response, he and the del Solar brothers set out to create a distinctly masculine line that gentlemen could own with pride. “Spoil him” became the call to action, while three rules guided decisions from the start: Each product had to look cool, smell great and function impeccably. “We understood that following this law of threes would help us make an emotional connection with consumers,” LaFon explains. Launch- ing without investors, the team pooled their savings and debuted in 2014 with products sold from the back of Angel’s car. “We drove his Prius to the ground,” LaFon recalls. The passion project soon expanded from the garage to a warehouse that could handle the booming sales of 18.21 Man Made, a name referencing two amendments to the U.S. Constitution–the 18th, which initiated Prohibition, and the 21st, which ended the national ban on alcohol. LaFon says, “Because we couldn’t find the uncommon men’s goods we’d been searching for, we decided to bootleg our own.”

Materials felt more substantial a century ago, so the creators opted for glass jars and bottles as opposed to plastic. Packaging hairspray in a riff on an old-time beer can or body wash in what looks like a whisky flask brings the theme full circle. “I buy and study antiques from the 1920s not only because I love them but because it adds value to our brand when we incorporate durable designs from the past,” David says. As an immigrant, he finds resonance in the very American story of restriction, rebellion and repeal–and customers seem to agree. As consumers embrace the allure of this compelling story, 18.21 Man Made continues its skyrocketing growth, with plans to expand into Macy’s and Ulta stores this year.

The packaging may look old, but the ingredients are fresh and natural. Quinoa, jojoba seed oil, organic shea butter and macadamia are among the top components constituting each concoction. Many are first tested by David in his at-home lab before getting mass-mixed. While Aston spearheads sales, Angel is responsible for education, photo shoots and shows. “We come from different backgrounds, but add us up and we make one solid men’s grooming expert,” LaFon muses.

Angel adds, “We’re all experts with strong opinions, and often we have more solutions than can be applied and more planned products than can be launched.” All three agree on the most challenging aspect of working with friends and family: having a wealth of great ideas to draw from!

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Can you imagine what life would be like if your children worked for you? Whether it sounds like a dream scenario or a nightmare, these highly successful beauty brand entrepreneurs have made it a reality. We reached out to the parents and CEOs who have kept their business in the family to find out how they do it–and what you need to know if you’re considering it too. From taking a step back to adapting to new trends, here are their words of wisdom on building a family enterprise.

Bass Brushes
Ron Weinstein, founder and CEO
“The main advantage of working with your children in business is trust–you know you can trust your children. Sometimes they think my ideas are old-school, and they have newer, hipper ideas, so I tend to side with them more on that and say, ‘OK, try it.’ You have to bite your tongue sometimes and let your kids do it their way; you have to have confidence in them. There’s going to be ups and downs no matter what, but you can guide them. I think one of the nicest things is when they ask my opinion–80 percent of the time they don’t, but 20 percent of the time they will. My sons are 34 and 40 years old. You have to remind yourself they’re not 15 anymore (and they’ll say that when I’m talking to them), but there’s a whole different way you can communicate with your children versus an employee. I’d say working with your kids is a good thing, as long as you keep some control as you step back.”

Fisk Industries
Stephen Adler, CEO
“By no means am I an authority on this very delicate subject. In my opinion, the most important piece of a family business is that you never lose sight of the fact that you want the family aspect to be ingrained in the culture. The way we have chosen to run Fisk Industries is not only to recognize the ‘actual’ family, but to treat others in the business as part of the ‘extended’ family. We have managers who we rely on to run the business. Some of these managers are actual family and others, extended family. They are responsible for their own areas and they make their own decisions. There is mutual respect, tolerance and acceptance, which are at the core of any good relationship, whether it be a family business, marriage or friendship.”

Gamma+ Italia and StyleCraft
Ken Russo, president
“We have worked as a father/son combo for over 10 years. Not only is there an unbelievable level of mutual respect and trust, but we have found an excellent balance of skill sets and strengths/weaknesses that complement each other. Our partnership is unique, in a sense, because it is a true partnership. In many family businesses, the patriarchal figure calls the shots and dictates the direction. For us, we work completely as a cohesive team. The best advice would be to have a mutual respect for each other and a deep understanding of one another’s strengths and weaknesses–not only to operate as efficiently as possible but also (for the most part) to work in complete harmony.”

RELATED: Retailing Wisdom from Ron Robinson

Spornette International
Alan Sporn, CEO
“I worked for my father, Walter, for decades and I can now see how working for him has made me the ‘boss’ I am to my children. Working with family
is very difficult. ... A parent has to be both firm and accommodating at the same time so you do not stifle one’s thought processes, growth, motivation or opinions. Sometimes a parent has to let their children make errors; learning from experience is often the best education. A parent has to make sure, however, that something learned is remembered permanently and not just temporarily; don’t pay lip service if something important comes up.
“At the same time, a parent has to try their hardest to make sure that a decision made by their children is not severely damaging or catastrophic. There are mistakes and then there are mistakes! A parent has to realize that this is a new generation. What the parent grew up knowing about media, correspondence and the way things are done are not the way they’re done now. A parent has to trust that their children know more than they do about many things and give them leeway to prove a point. Learn to listen. ... Our industry is full of families who no longer work together and, in some instances, no longer speak with each other. What a shame!”

Jatai International
Dean Wada, president
“Having family members in your business is a challenge because family relationships add a unique dimension to employment. My word of advice is to have patience and keep an open mind when it comes to your family members’ thoughts and opinions. You cannot get away from the family dynamics, but you must find ways to act as the employer–and not the parent. Treat your family members as valued employees and you will be respected as the employer.”

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Joan Ross,
marketing director
“‘What!? You want me to work for you?’ That’s the line we heard from our three daughters. Finally, our daughter Marybeth and son-in-law John joined our business. What a happy day that was! When children decide to join the family business, it has to be because they want to. It is most important that children have the same passion and drive as you do in order to keep the business growing. We constantly try to set the example that we work harder and longer, and that they should too. Plus, a little humor and fun go a long way!”

Olivia Garden
Jean Rennette, cofounder
“Give your children the freedom to run the business as they see fit; they can do what they want but also have to assume the consequences of their decisions, be it positive or negative. They will learn from their mistakes, as well as their successes, which will help them grow into their leadership roles and contribute to their decision-making abilities, as well as help build their confidence. I recommend that you do not interfere with their running of the business; however, that you do remain available for advice and consultation when your children feel it’s necessary.”

Xtreme Beauty International
Ali Mithavayani, CEO
“It’s good to have your family involved in your business. If, God forbid, something happens to you, they can take over the business. You can trust your own family and if they are able to manage and run the business, then that’s good for you because you want to leave it to your children. You want to have a family member who is reliable and knows what they’re doing.”

Denman Brush
Dr. John Rainey, MBE, chairman
“It’s almost impossible to give others advice because everyone’s expec- tations and aspirations will be different. When I was a young man, our American distributor (Bud Feder of I. Sekine Corporation) told me that running a family business places you in a very privileged position. What he meant, I found out, was that you could work as hard as you like and no one can stop you. This I did and had a great working relationship with my father. It is important that everyone understands that working in your own business can take over your life. Therefore, you rely on a supportive family to allow you to do this. That is why it is extremely important to try to find some sort of balance between work and family life. However, we must lead by example and ensure that a culture is created in which everyone understands the importance of the individual’s contribution and how this forms the basis of a productive team. In anything you choose to do, if you work hard and relentlessly, you should be able to look back on something worthwhile.”

Giveaways present lucrative opportunities for beauty brands and stores. When executed well, they allow a business to meaningfully engage with existing customers while simultaneously attracting new clientele. A good promotional event has the power to grow both brand awareness and company coffers. Contests are inherently malleable: They can be small and straightforward or extensively grandiose. Prizes run the gamut, limited only by an organizer’s imagination. Given this flexibility and potential for great payoff, it’s no wonder sweepstakes are sweeping beauty stores and social media sites. But here’s the catch: It takes a lot of work to pull off a seemingly simple giveaway. Here are expert tips for success, including pitfalls to avoid.

ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS
Before jumping in, carefully consider this query: Should we even do a giveaway? It may smack as counterintuitive, but the question will, in fact, kick-start an essential conversation regarding your means and motivation. “You ultimately must determine whether the juice will be worth the squeeze,” says Allyson King, CEO of Beauty 360 Consulting Group and the cofounder of New York’s Hair & Co. BKLYN salons. Ask yourself or your team what the ultimate goal of the giveaway is.

Here are some examples:
• Increase overall brand awareness
• Drive foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar store
• Email and phone capture for future marketing
• Gain followers, page likes and boost social-media presence
• Garner positive feedback about a freshly introduced product

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The ultimate goal should be clearly defined; it’s important to know what it is in order to create an effective setup. “Determining the objective of a giveaway will dictate the kind of event you hold, thus setting organizers up for early success,” explains Joanna Mariani, senior manager of digital marketing communication at Jane Iredale. And when crafting the event, target only those individuals your brand ultimately hopes to attract as clients.

For example, a single cash prize meant to entice non-brand loyalists might be ideal for an event aiming to boost general familiarity with a brand or store, while specific product sampling targeted to existing devotees makes more sense if the goal is to drum up glowing reviews about a line’s newest item launch.

The second building block is budget. Draft a plan projecting the approximate amount you’d need to earn to counter giveaway costs and make the incentive worthwhile. “Let’s say I want to raffle off an iPad,” King proposes. “The basic factors to plug in my monetary equation are X) how much does it cost me and Y) how much revenue must I generate to break even?” Of course, returns on investment need not be limited to cold hard cash, but may also be counted via less quantifiable currency including Instagram followers or Facebook likes.

Lastly, make the payoff irresistible to your target audience. “Suitability for the audience is the primary criterion because you want the bull’s-eye group to be excited about and interested in a prize in order to complete the necessary contest-entry steps and stand a chance of winning it,” says Paul Deacon, vice president of marketing at Juice Beauty.

DETERMINING THE PRIZE
A giveaway prize could be a limited-edition item or an entire product collection. It might be something more meaningful, like travel to a store’s grand opening or a once-in-a-lifetime experience with a top brand educator. “Though less visually alluring, we do find that gift cards work as the best incentives,” King reveals. “They allow winners to purchase items of their choice, while also giving you the chance to potentially feature a large, splashy dollar amount on a giveaway homepage, which is a conversation-sparker.” Products may also be combined. “My favorite giveaways are those featuring more than one prize, or those where opportunities exist to increase the odds of winning if you follow a brand on social media–all of which boost an entrant’s chance of emerging victorious,” Deacon notes.

Timing: Timing matters, too. Aligning an event with an existing holiday is an easy way to make it thematic. Think girlfriend spa events for Mother’s Day or red-hot makeup awarded in the weeks leading to Valentine’s Day. Tap into the national conversation by coinciding contests with special holidays. Pop culture moments likewise build fast interest. “I would recommend against running giveaways during heavy sales periods like Cyber Monday,” Deacon says. Conversely, as January and February tend to be slow retail months, King suggests building a contest into that leaner time of year.

Duration: Considering your giveaway’s duration is likewise key. “Two to four weeks is the sweet spot because people–particularly millennials– tend to lose focus during longer incentives,” King explains. If you do aim for a long-term contest, get smart by breaking it into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle in a related small prize at the start of every month so entrants can grasp a visual of how the whole journey will come together.

Campaigns:“Schedule giveaways around brand newness whenever possible,” advises Edward Valentine, managing director of NatureLab Tokyo. “This excites both consumers and influencers to vie for first access.” As a group new to the U.S. market, this brand’s foremost goal centers around gaining new social-media followers, particularly within its Instagram community. NatureLab Tokyo decided to anchor a recent giveaway around entrance into Urban Outfitters, both in stores and online. “Our prizes featured items sold at the retailer and we had five influencers home in on their favorite offerings, which for many was our best-selling Repair Treatment Masque,” Valentine explains. Seven total products were awarded to up to three winners per influencer, depending on what each talent preferred. “I find giveaways that offer a prize to more than a single winner typically perform better,” Valentine says. Results were a smash success: New entrants followed the brand account, engaging with giveaway content and incentivizing friends to also participate. “We garnered a follower percentage increase that was double our monthly average
over the course of this giveaway’s runtime,” Valentine marvels. Urban Outfitters likewise benefitted. “Given our similar target customers, we were able to effectively communicate the value proposition of our brand within this manufacturer’s assortment, which was one of the things they were most excited about,” he says.

On a larger scale, Benefit Cosmetics hosted its “Brow Search” campaign by asking entrants to submit Instagram posts recreating two Benefit brow styles. Twenty finalists were selected from a whopping 17,000 entries received. Winners were brought to Camp Benefit, where top beauty influencers like Patrick Starrr and Nicol Concilio shared singular beauty experiences. “The campaign was interesting because it was multifaceted, and it bridged the gap between influencer and consumer marketing on a social platform,” Valentine says. “Partnering with beauty creators lent the project clout, and by opening up to consumers, Benefit gained significant traction plus interest.”

Contests are a terrific way to garner visibility on social media. Engagement may come in the form of comments, posts and reposts, likes, shares, follows and mentions. A giveaway on Facebook or Instagram can yield the same return as scores of hours spent conceptualizing posts or hundreds of dollars invested in advertising. The perks of in-store events include lots of foot traffic, plus buzzworthy word of mouth–but they require extra planning, as driving consumers through a door can be labor-intensive.

BUDDY UP
It’s true that power exists in numbers, which is why many brands choose to work in tandem on giveaways. “Finding like-minded brands that aren’t rivals is a great way to introduce your company to new audiences, and therefore increase reach,” Deacon points out. The partner selected should be a natural match; one that doesn’t compete but rather complements, with similar branding and a comparable customer-demographic profile. “This allows you the opportunity to get your product in front of a group that’s already receptive because of their loyalty to the other brand, and will likely engage with you from that point due to similarities,” Mariani reports. “The drawback, like in any relationship, is that compromise will be required.” She recommends outlining clear objectives, timelines and key performance indicators in advance to ensure that the participants are in agreement. “Beauty is becoming a much more shared experience, so a joint giveaway is a great opportunity for affinity brands to tap into each other’s audiences,” Valentine adds. Deacon explains that the best Juice Beauty events have been those hosted by far larger brands, which then introduced their company to the biggest audience possible.

But partners need not be limited to analogous companies. Beauty influencers wield enormous power in the social stratosphere and can make formidable allies when it comes to promoting your voice on their social-media sites or linking products back to your own page. “We like
to work with micro-influencers who can sample our products through giveaways, and incentivize them to share socially and increase awareness,” Mariani says. “Another idea might include hosting a giveaway on influencers’ channels to drive awareness, engagement and trial directly with their followers.”

RELATED: Retailing Wisdom from Ron Robinson

GET IN TOUCH
Along with brand awareness, audience engagement and social media exposure, an additional top benefit of giveaways includes the capturing of consumer data, such as email addresses or key demographic touchpoints. These can serve as important foundations for constructing the framework of a solid client base and can be invaluable to future marketing endeavors. But again, there exists a caveat. “Know that every question you ask is one more opportunity for drop-off, so give careful consideration to how you will use your data and how important it might be before attempting to acquire it,” Mariani cautions.

Most pros agree that phone numbers are no longer relevant. “In order to avoid deterring entrants from participating, refrain from requiring more than a few contact items before entry,” Valentine suggests. Mariani recommends starting with an email–today’s best way to target consumers. “Subsequent interactions can be used as opportunities to gather additional data, such as likes and dislikes, product interests and personal preferences,” she says.

And don’t forget to enjoy the experience. “Our giveaways on Instagram and Facebook give both clients and staff something fun to talk about because we’re making an impact in a way that’s slightly different,” King shares. “One year we got picked up by local media–which was unplanned, but awesome.” After each campaign, consider how you could improve your giveaways in the future, and make tweaks before the next event to truly hit your target audience and grow your following.

When Jason Ross, an entrepreneur and the founder of TSM Studio, teamed up with Bennet Parke, a hairstylist and the co-owner of Xander Blue Salon in Orlando, Florida, magic happened. The duo runs Modifi Products, makers of the Mod Clean Disinfectant Pods, which help stylists save money, time and even the environment by replacing the need for large plastic bottles filled with disinfectant. Here, we take a look at how their business venture came about, and what plans they have in store for the future.

Beauty Store Business: Tell us how your background in marketing prepared you for running your own company.
Jason Ross: In 2004, I started a media/marketing company, and throughout the last 15 years was fortunate enough to work with a variety of clients across many different industries. I was able to learn about what really appealed to people. All these experiences over the years helped with launching Mod Clean.

How did the idea for the premeasured disinfectant pods come about?
My business partner, Bennet Parke, has been a hairstylist for 25 years. He initially tried to develop different color variations for liquid disinfectants for a more interesting look. He realized, however, that the weight of the liquid could not make this operation cost-effective. More research was done, which eventually led to a premeasured powder formulation,
12 times lighter and much smaller: the pod.

What was the formulation process like?
Disinfectants are heavily regulated by the EPA, which imposes stringent codes for packaging, marketing and distributing. It took several years before we were able to offer Mod Clean to the public.

What would you like salon owners and stylists to know about your product?
Mod Clean has many advantages: The pods are premeasured. Just drop it in 32 ounces of water and it will 100 percent dissolve on its own. Compared to heavy, 4-pound liquid bottle disinfectants, one 32-count bag of Mod Clean weighs just 5 ounces. Our pods come in small, space-saving bags; they fit almost anywhere and free up space for the user. Our packaging is eco-friendly. Mod Clean’s small bags contribute to far less plastic waste than the usual large plastic bottles. Pods are cost-effective because they are premeasured and do not spill–you truly get 32 uses out of one bag. Mod Clean can be used in many different ways: Just dissolve a pod in a 32-ounce spray bottle and use it to disinfect sinks, countertops, shampoo bowls and more.

Can you tell us about your recyclable packaging?
In this day and age, it's very important that we all do our best to help save our environment and be proactive in making the best choices to preserve our planet. Our bags are made from recyclable materials and, because of their small size, create far less waste than big plastic bottles (in volume).

What are your long-term goals for Modifi Products?
Growth. Now that the disinfectant pods are gaining popularity in the industry, we need to continue educating people on the product and its advantages, hopefully capturing an always-larger slice of the market.

Are you currently developing any new products?
We cannot really talk about that, but yes–we are always working on developing new products based on trends and the needs of the market. However, we just launched Mod Clean jars to complement the pods and are excited to have people use them with our product.

What advice can you offer other entrepreneurs in the beauty industry?
Study, research and network. It is important to talk to people in the industry to understand their needs and develop products that can make their lives easier. They know best. Styles change, trends update and the people in the industry are the ones who can tell you what would work or why it would not. It takes all of our knowledge and all of their input to create a long-lasting and successful brand.

GET CONNECTED
Facebook: @modcleandisinfectant
Instagram: @modclean

Skin exfoliation is a naturally occurring physiological process in which dead surface skin cells organically slough off. This is often referred to as cellular turnover and it involves removing the top layer of dead skin cells. While our skin has a natural cellular turnover system, it is helpful to move this process along–because like most naturally occurring physiological processes, this one slows as we age. Thus, manual exfoliation (whether that’s with products or devices) should be incorporated into one’s skincare routine, especially once middle age is reached.

The benefits of exfoliation are numerous and include promoting epidermal regeneration; enhancing the softness and smoothness of the skin; helping to give the skin a more uniform texture; brightening the overall complexion; deep-cleansing pores; and helping to minimize breakouts, blackheads and whiteheads. In addition, exfoliation will make all other skincare products work better, as they can more easily penetrate the skin once the dead skin barrier is removed. Finally, over the long-term, regular exfoliation may lead to increased collagen production–resulting in younger-looking skin.

There are two types of exfoliation: mechanical (also known as physical) and chemical (also known as enzymatic). Here, we take an in-depth look at each.

MECHANICAL EXFOLIATION
Mechanical exfoliation is the process of using fine, solid particles to remove dead skin cells by physical abrasion, leaving behind smoother skin. These types of exfoliating scrubs contain small particles of natural or polymeric ingredients and are intended to provide a deep-cleansing experience, including a higher level of skin exfoliation due to abrasion with the particles.

Typically, mechanical exfoliation is known to improve the appearance of aging or discolored skin and enhance the penetration of topical products. Mechanical exfoliation can be performed in a professional setting, such as microdermabrasion, and at home with the use of topical products or at-home devices.

Mechanical exfoliation is not usually recommended on very sensitive, reactive or in lamed skin. It is also typically to be avoided on acne-prone skin experiencing active breakouts. The most common ingredients used for mechanical exfoliation include: nut and walnut shells or powder, apricot and peach seeds or powder, jojoba beads, polyethylene/styrene beads (see sidebar on right) and almond meal. No matter which ingredient is used, it is important that the particles be fine, smooth and without sharp edges, so that no micro-wounds are created in the skin.

Another form of mechanical exfoliation is the use of at-home devices, ranging from at-home microdermabrasion machines to sonic cleansing brushes. These deep-cleansing devices are an easy way for customers to unclog pores, minimize blackheads and facilitate extractions. The key with any at-home device or sonic brush is to ensure its cleanliness–advise your customers to frequently replace their brush heads to avoid the growth of unwanted bacteria.

CHEMICAL EXFOLIATION
Chemical exfoliation happens with the use of substances that cause dead skin cells to desquamate at an increased rate as a result of a disruption in the intercellular bonding within the outer layer of skin called the stratum corneum. This means that the bond between our dead skin cells and our healthy skin breaks down as a result of a chemical reaction.

There are various levels of chemical exfoliation: light, medium and deep. Typically, topical products enable light chemical exfoliation, with limited side effects. Medium and deep exfoliation treatments happen in a professional skincare setting and are typically associated with side effects such as redness, inflammation, flaking and peeling.

Light chemical exfoliation is usually preferred over mechanical exfoliation for more sensitive skin types, as well as for inflamed, acne-prone skin. An example of superficial chemical exfoliation would be a light chemical peel, such as an enzymatic peel–in which enzymes are used to dissolve the keratin in the skin, thereby removing dead cells and enhancing the natural process of exfoliation. A common enzyme used in chemical exfoliators is papain from the papaya fruit.

In addition to enzymes, other ingredients used for light chemical exfoliation include alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as glycolic, malic or lactic acids. Indeed, the cosmetic benefits attributed to skin exfoliation have been known since the era of ancient Egyptians, who liked to bathe in milk because it led to softer, smoother skin. Today, it is a well-known fact that milk contains the bioactive ingredient lactic acid. AHAs are useful to treat dry skin, seborrheic dermatitis, callosities, acne, scarring and actinic and seborrheic keratosis.

There are also polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) for light chemical exfoliation, which include gluconolactone and lactobionic acid. In addition to the antiaging and cellular turnover benefits of PHAs, they have humectant properties not provided by AHAs, and thus help the skin attract water and increase skin hydration levels. PHAs are also typically less irritating than AHAs.

Lastly, beta-hydroxy acids (BHA), such as salicylic acid, are gentle exfoliators. This acid works on breakouts, whiteheads and blackheads, and is contraindicated for pregnant and nursing women. It is a favorite for oily, acne-prone skin types.

Whether you recommend that your customer exfoliates on his or her own twice a week or with a professional esthetician every so often, this vital part of a successtul skincare regimen shouldn’t be overlooked.