Wahl Clipper Corporation celebrates its 100th anniversary this year–and it has a lot to commemorate. With more than 3,500 employees, seven global manufacturing plants and distribution in over 165 countries, it’s come a long way in the last century. Today the company is vertically integrated, meaning it owns every product and component produced in every one of its worldwide plants. It can also lay claim to an impressive 274-plus patents related to the barbering, salon and pet-grooming fields. Yet, it remains humble in its character–perhaps because it started humbly, with one immigrant and a dream.

Run by the Wahl family, this company prefers to keep the spotlight away from any single personality, focusing instead on the innovative, high-performing, stylish products the company has created. As such, Anne Marie Kollias, Wahl’s national sales manager (pictured above), assumed the more public role of telling the Wahl story when Beauty Store Business recently sat down with her. Here is the tale of this unique American brand.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Leo Wahl left his native Germany as a child and moved to the town of Sterling, Illinois, at the turn of the 20th century. While in his junior year at Sterling High School, the natural-born inventor started playing with designs for an electro- magnetic motor. He went on to study engineering at the University of Illinois, where he matured that concept into a vibrating medical massager.

Leo’s uncle Frank soon began manufacturing the gadgets at a local plant. When Leo went out to sell the massagers, he found most success with doctors’ offices and barbershops–both establishments comprising patients and clients with sore joints and aching backs. That’s how he recognized another problem: Barbers of the time were encumbered by the use of large, unwieldy clippers, which were also manually operated as opposed to mechanized. Leo wondered if he could create a smaller, user-friendly tool. “From the start, his goal was to make the cutting process more efficient,” says Kollias.

On October 14, 1919, Wahl applied for his first patent. The electromagnetic hair clipper he introduced was revolutionary as the first to put the motor in a barber’s hand, rather than having it connect via a cable. “Previous motors on clippers had been housed on the outside of the unit,” Kollias explains. “Leo patented the first electromagnetic motor for clippers that was contained inside the machine.” This innovation was an instant hit. By the end of 1920, his family’s factory had produced and distributed thousands of clippers to groomers across the country. A second significant advancement occurred one year later, when Wahl bought 100 percent of the stock and officially incorporated his private company. The stage was set for what would prove to be a century of unimpeded growth.

BARBERING BOOM
Post-World War II economic expansion witnessed an increase in both the appetite and production of professional beauty tools, and Wahl was at the forefront of that trend–and, in many respects, driving the innovation. Shears and sharpeners, combs and curling brushes, new clippers and their attachments were all developed in the 1940s. The company intro- duced its own line of hair dryers, which had recently become a national hit. Wahl’s handheld “Silent Dryer” was especially popular–nearly 2,000 were made daily to meet demands. This decade also witnessed the introduction of plastic molding presses, installed by Leo Wahl at the com- pany’s factory to establish more control over the production process.

It soon became clear that barbers around the world also longed to get their hands on pro Wahl clippers, so the group launched its export initiative by adapting frequencies and voltages for international use. The first non-U.S. based manufacturing facility opened in Ontario, Canada, in the early 1950s.

Leo Wahl passed away on May 20, 1957, leaving behind a thriving legacy that included over 100 patents on various inventions. He also left his three sons, Warren, Robert and Jack, in charge. Warren, the eldest, assumed the role of president. Under their guidance, more products were introduced, including the flexible-blade electric razor and vacuum clipper. Warren led the family company until 1977, when he was succeeded by his own son, Jack. Grooming trends continued to evolve, and today, the men’s grooming market is more vibrant and expansive than ever before. Kollias explains that the industry is currently enjoying its most exciting peak so far. “In the ’70s and ’80s, the cycle for men to get their hair cut was roughly once every six weeks,” she shares. “Today’s fashion-forward gents go once or twice a week, depending on length and style.”

Millennials and the younger Gen Z demographic are more tuned into fashion and overall grooming, which directly benefits clipper companies. On the professional side, the workingman’s craft has morphed into a prestigious career requiring advanced training, plus an elaborate arsenal of tools. “Traditionally, a barber would have carried one or two instruments at his station,” Kollias explains. “Now, they’re doing such large volumes of precision work that each kit calls for an average of eight clippers, half a dozen trimmers and several finishers.”

In addition to its innovation, Wahl has long enjoyed a history of solid growth because of its adaptability. In terms of manufacturing, the global giant learned how to successfully ramp up its production capabilities in order to keep steady pace with higher demand for products.

STAYING CURRENT
Like his enterprising grandfather, current CEO Greg Wahl (Jack’s son) trained as an engineer before taking charge in 2006. “Because we take pride in our robust engineering department, we’re continuously developing innovations for our tools, and the category as a whole,” Kollias explains. Offerings include both products for pros and at-home personal care, plus pet-grooming items and–coming full circle–advanced therapeutic massagers. The 5-Star Cordless Magic Clip, introduced four years ago, remains the brand’s top-selling creation due to its lightweight ergonomics that reduce arm strain. Most magically of all, its patented, close-cutting surgical blade allows for precision fading minus unwanted lines of demarcation.

Packaging plays a prominent role: 3D printers and a recently expanded graphics department ensure designs look sleek and chic–yet subtle. The goal is to get a consumer to pick up the box, then immediately turn his or her focus to the product itself. “In 2018, we changed the packaging on our most popular 5-Star line by upgrading its design into a more modern look,” shares Kollias. “In the coming year, we plan to give our Sterling line the same type of makeover.”

Wahl also invests heavily in education. It’s a cornerstone of the brand’s success. Teams of roughly 22 instructors disperse into the field each month to gather important information and share tips. “We visit barbershops and cosmetology schools to watch how users manage tools, noting both what’s working and where challenges lie,” Kollias explains. “I think that’s a critically important component for a company with a history like ours because it means staying in tune with how the industry is evolving and what our customers want, which ultimately points us in the right future direction.” Further, the brand is presently undergoing a shift in how learning is disseminated. To build on the successful model of in-person demonstrations, Wahl plans to reach more barbers with live-streaming courses. The company is in the process of introducing these courses over the next few years, so students here in the U.S. and around the world can benefit from the same advanced barbering instruction that happens in person.

Wahl’s experts keep a finger on the pulse of men’s styles. “From catwalks to sidewalks, we notice what’s hot so as to create tools, launches and education connected to those fashion cycles,” Kollias says. Case in point: A recent uptick had been noted among NBA players sporting long, yet nevertheless, well-groomed beards. In response, Wahl innovators crafted specific tools to help achieve those coveted bristles. When “fashion trolls” took over runways, men were seen strutting with what looked like a shellacked Hershey’s Kiss atop their heads, reminiscent of old Troll dolls. “We observed that trend and immediately began thinking about tools that could handle a slightly less extreme version of the new fad,” Kollias says.

Even though the Wahl brand is geared undeniably to men, women are well-represented at the corporate level. Internally, a number of top executives are women who have worked with Wahl for more than 30 years. “I’m grateful to be part of an organization with a thriving heritage, which at the same time refuses to buy into gender bias,” Kollias shares. “The misconception may be that only men can lead a clipper business, yet I’ve never seen that to be true in my experience at Wahl.”

Ditto for tools and marketing designed for women. The aptly dubbed Peanut, introduced in 1992, is a compact, lightweight trimmer beloved by estheticians as a means of nixing hair prior to a waxing service. Still, despite its benefits, it can be noisy and high-vibration–in other words, not perfect. “In response, we’re collaborating with our factory and engineer partners in Germany to develop the ideal pre-spa tool for women,” Kollias says. Pop culture drives development for avant-garde ladies’ devices much the way it does for men, with Rihanna, Pink, Ellen DeGeneres and other short-cropped icons setting a new tone for what it means to be a female with ferocious hair.

HONORING THE PAST
While remaining forward-facing, Wahl is simultaneously tasked with the significant job of keeping alive a rich heritage that spans 100 years. In one sense, that demand is simple. “We have hundreds of examples of generations of families working here,” Kollias says. “Kids are now starting to take over the roles of parents, following in the footsteps of grandparents who came before them.”

The fourth generation of Wahls are actively involved in the making of day-to-day decisions, including Lance Wahl, Leo’s great-grandson and the global vice president of professional products. Two of Jack’s nephews, Leo and David, serve as director of Asian exports and material planner, respec- tively. A third nephew, Jim Wahl, retired last July from the demanding role of executive vice president. After 46 years as a leader in the family business, he decided he was ready to spend more quiet time with family.

Remarkably, with a population of less than 16,000 people, nearly every Sterling, Illinois, resident has some connection to the brand that after all this time has remained family-owned. Likewise, all currently employed Wahls, along with their preceding relatives, hail from this town. “There exists a strong commitment among Wahl executives to never become publicly owned or answer to Wall Street, but rather keep operations local, the way they’ve always run,” Kollias says.

The Wahl family is private–a modesty that in and of itself speaks to the larger company culture. “All of us are here for the improvement and respect of the full organization, with tools themselves as the main focus,” says Kollias.

In honor of this year’s centennial, Wahl released a product that perfectly encompasses that inherent dichotomy of commemorating the golden days while stepping smartly into the future. The Wahl Professional 100 Year Clipper is all metal, cordless and Apple-esque in its mod design. Kollias adds, “It comes with a card from the Wahl family that says, ‘Thank You’ in 37 languages, acknowledging the vast network of worldwide barbers and hair artists who have helped us be successful throughout the century.”

Q: Beauty Store Busines: How has the Wahl Clipper Corporation contributed most to the professional beauty market—and, in particular, the men’s grooming boom?
A: Wahl has stayed true to the company’s course and remained committed to quality tools, while focusing on making blades with even more precision that resonate with professionals and allow them to do their jobs the right way.

Q: Looking forward, how does Wahl want to lead in
this segment?
A: We want to continue to be known as the innovators in our category by understanding what our industry wants in new tools. We are now fortunate to be known around the world, so the industry can find our tools (and the same performance using these tools) anywhere.

Q: What do you value most about the company your great- grandfather founded and you continue to help run today?
A: The people. We would be nothing without the people who help build our tools and are continuously helping us to improve the performance of them. Our sales people and educators are also great ambassadors for us and have taken us where we are today.

Q: What is truly unique about Wahl and the products it makes?
A: Our authenticity. As the inventor of our category and our 100 years of history, we have the privilege of time on our side. Time, coupled with being the drivers of innovation, I believe, creates this authenticity.

Q: As the company celebrates 100 years, reflecting back, what has worked since the very beginning? What do you wish to change?
A: My great-grandfather invented the electromagnetic motor-driven clipper. This kind of motor has no moving or wear parts. So, if professionals take care of these units, they can last forever (except for replacing the blade)! We hear from customers all the time that they have 25-year-old plus clippers that they still use every day. That kind of longevity creates confidence in our brand and has really worked for us. We just have to make sure we stay a step ahead of others in our category!

Q: Where do you think men’s grooming will grow in the year ahead?
A: Cordless tools. Professionals now have faith in these items, led by the Cordless Magic Clip and followed by the Cordless Senior. The battery life lasts as long as the strenuous day of a professional. Pros are also appreciating the nuances of our new blades that allow the hair to “lay” nicely.

The men’s grooming market has been growing swiftly and steadily in recent years–with more sophisticated products and offerings available in cosmetics, hair care and skin care. Valued at $57.7 billion in 2017, the global men’s grooming market is expected to reach $78.6 billion by 2023, according to researchandmarkets.com.

This growth is largely thanks to greater consumer awareness of health, wellness and body care trends across all genders. To meet demand for men’s grooming products in particular, stores are not only stocking up on more haircare, antiaging and makeup brands just for gents, but bigger chains such as Nordstrom and Target are also investing in larger, dedicated grooming sections to serve the additional shoppers.

When growing the men’s grooming section in your own store or salon, skin care is a great addition. The most important rule is to focus on simplicity when addressing men’s skincare concerns. “Though some customers are looking for an intricate step-by-step process, the overwhelming majority want something easy, simple and targeted,” says Andrew Grella, founder of the New York-based House of Formen professional cosmetics line for men.

To make your store a go-to destination for men’s grooming products, consider taking the following steps:

1. Think beyond the razor. While shaving products will always be male essentials, skin care is one of the fastest-growing segments of the men’s grooming market, according to Kline research. Meet demand by adding a selection of moisturizers, antiaging creams, body washes and sunscreens formulated just for guys. Make sure your staff is also prepared to answer questions about men’s specific skincare concerns, such as minimizing blemishes or wrinkles.

2. Focus on millennials. While Gen Xers and baby boomers tend to pick up their grooming products in department stores or big-box chains, millennial men are more likely to seek out a specialty store where they will spend more for their skincare needs, according to a recent survey by Prosper Insights and Analytics. Drive traffic to your store by stocking up on the clean, eco-friendly brands this younger generation favors.

3. Create prominent displays. You want your men’s products to be instantly accessible and visible, especially if your store is not yet known for this category. When space is at a premium, Grella suggests setting up an inviting section along the perimeter of your store, or an eye-catching endcap that is clearly dedicated to men’s grooming needs.

4. Offer men’s styling services. The current popularity of upscale, retro-style barbershops makes these establishments the perfect place for customers to experience firsthand such luxury grooming products as a beard balm or a new aftershave. Take a page from Nordstrom’s playbook and consider adding men’s styling services to your salon menu to help boost retail sales.

5. Engage female customers. Women often influence the personal care product purchases of the men in their lives, according to a Mintel survey. Create marketing materials that tout your men’s grooming brands and fragrances to all of your customers, and make sure to offer irresistible discounts during gift-giving holidays, including Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day.

6. Build your online presence. Although men tend to prefer shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, according to a recent study from First Insight, it helps to offer products online as well. Grella advises being patient with this process, especially when using social media. “You never really know if what you’re doing is making an impact (positive or negative) until a few months down the line,” he says. “I’d suggest starting small, possibly with a targeted offer to previous patrons, or take to a platform like Instagram and test a collaboration or two.”

7. Tempt with samples. Lack of brand awareness is the main obstacle to retail sales in the men’s grooming category. Consider handing out free samples of men’s products at the checkout counter. Giving men no-cost opportunities to try new products, such as anti-wrinkle creams or gray-reducing shampoos, helps build brand–and store–loyalty, too.

In an interesting twist, Denman’s now-legendary hairbrushes were created before the company even existed. Founder John Denman Dean, described as a naturally inquisitive serial entrepreneur from Northern Ireland, avidly sought problems to solve–and new ways to solve them. “There is some company folklore that he was looking to create a brush for his sister’s hair, but this is not proven,” explains Dr. John Rainey, MBE, chairman of the Denroy Group, which owns Denman, based in Bangor, Northern Ireland (pictured to the left with daughter Victoria Rainey Fishman, CEO of Denman Inc.). “What we do know is that he was passionate about innovation.”

In 1938, John Denman Dean created the first prototype of the Denman hairbrush, a rubber-headed brush with boar bristles. It was such a game-changing product that he immediately applied for a patent on February 16, 1938, which marked the start of the Denman business.

A RICH HISTORY
When World War II struck Europe, Dean’s ambitious business plans had to be put on hold. However, during this time he was introduced to a revolutionary new material: nylon. After the war he relocated to England and began working with Imperical Chemical Industries, a chemical company in Welwyn Garden City, where he opened his first factory to create the Denman brush, which would now be made with nylon. In 1946, he opened Denman Products Limited with a wide variety of consumer and professional products, taking advantage of the innovation he discovered in the plastics and chemical industries.

Twenty years later, Dean sold the business to a company called Lyndsay & Williams, which moved all operations to Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company eventually became Ulster Plastics and hit some troubled times amid a strained economic and political climate. It fell into receivership, and the Northern Ireland government approached the small Martin Rainey Plastics company to rescue the business in 1972. Rainey admits that back then, no one recognized the value of the brand. “Our background was plastics and engineering; we knew about the equipment, the people and the land, but we had no idea of the value of Denman until some outside companies sought to buy the tools,” he explains. “Their interest sparked our interest, and we began to learn about the hairdressing industry.”

Once a business-to-business company, execs initiated conversations with leading stylists of the day, including Freddie French and Vidal Sassoon, who used the Denman D4 Styling Brush to help create modern hairdressing. “In 1972, we attended our first Salon Exhibition in London, and we haven’t missed one since,” Rainey notes. “Our first demonstrator was Andrew Collinge’s father, Peter, and we’ve had the good fortune to work with Joshua Galvin, Nicholas French, Tony Mascolo and too many superstar hairdressers to mention.”

As Sassoon’s approach gained attention, Denman’s sales followed suit. By the 1980s, Denman was exporting to Japan; American interest was frenzied when the company’s first U.S. office opened in Boston in 1990. Today, Denman ships to more than 60 countries around the world, with another office in Holland to meet European and Asian demand.

GROUP THINK
Denman employs a group business structure, with the Denroy Group (headed by Rainey) holding three subsidiaries: Denman International (global sales and marketing for Denman, headed by Philip Steele); Denman Inc. (sales and marketing for the United States, headed by Victoria Rainey Fishman); and Denroy Plastics, a leading manufacturer in precision plastics injection moldings (which specializes in the aerospace and defense industries alongside Denman Manufacturing). “Denroy Plastics is our go-to manufacturing partner, producing almost 90 percent of our range from our facility in Bangor,” Fishman details. “Denroy does not just make brushes for us; they work collaboratively with us and leading stylists to refine the product brief and choose best-in-class materials and processes.”

While the core of its business is the iconic Denman Styling Brush, the company has expanded its range to embrace trends–think paddles, thermoceramic radials, and further innovations on consumer brush ranges like Gentle brushes and the Tangle Tamer Ultra. “But the Denman Styling Brush remains the top seller, we believe, because its use is constantly changing in the hands of the individual,” Rainey says. “Today, a lot of our growth is fueled by the natural hair community, who use the brush to define their wet curls. A brush that was created over 80 years ago still has the power to transform today!”

While staying true to its legacy of innovation, Rainey stresses the importance of also retaining its founding values–and never relying on its past to secure the future. For example, its commitment to quality, durability and performance led to keeping manufacturing in the U.K., despite lower operating costs overseas. “We make brushes that last, and we work diligently to exceed customers’ expectations,” Rainey notes. “Any change we make to our brushes follows lengthy debate and testing–and we will only do it if we can prove the product performance is improved.”

In a fast-changing world, with pros constantly adopting new tools and techniques, Denman continues to invest in brand marketing and innovation–introducing a healthy batch of new products alongside promoting great respect for the legendary Styling Brushes. “Our people and their continued curiosity are important to us,” Fishman says. “We need to keep listening to the needs of our users and customers. We can never lose that drive.”

In fact, when the company celebrated 80 years in 2018, execs took part in a series of workshops to examine what makes the company what it is, and what values are important to its culture, then evaluated its vision and mission statement. “Companies spend a lot of time and money reaffirming their brand and values externally, but it’s even more important to do this internally,” Rainey notes. “Sometimes the day-to-day can knock you off course, or you lose sight of why we come to work each day. We spent a lot of time working on a document that spoke to the head, heart and gut.”

The company ultimately defined its purpose as “Hair Brilliance,” with the mission to “Make Hair Brilliant.” Values and keywords that have persisted over the last 80 years, they found, were: trusted performance, transformative, collaborative, confidence-building and accessible–while central to running the family business were the traits of decency, honesty and generosity. “Being a family business has enabled us to make decisions that are right for the long-term health of the brand, the business and the people,” Rainey explains. “We do not have to report to the city or the whim of institutional shareholders. We do not have to chase short-term volume that may, in the longer term, cripple the brand. Being a family business has ultimately afforded us the luxury of time and strategic thinking.”

THE DENMAN DISTINCTION
Rainey believes that Denman’s commitment to quality and innovation differentiates its products. Thanks to maintaining control of production, the team can inspect its products religiously, while also investing in top-notch equipment, tooling and people.

Meanwhile, at the U.S. outpost in Boston, Victoria Rainey Fishman notes that the company works closely with customers and stylists to provide the perfect products. “With styles and trends changing rapidly, we have to move quickly with the times also,” she says. “It’s important not to assume what our customers need, but to identify what they actually need and to maintain the interaction with our customers and end users. When you call our office, you will speak with a real person!”

Though Fishman credits the company’s amazing longevity to its strong partnerships and a willingness to learn, change and adapt to the ever-changing needs of hairdressers and consumers, it also presents the company’s biggest challenge: to maintain this commitment to evolve in today’s supercharged world. “Every day, there’s some new social tool or online customer, and it can feel like you’re playing the largest and longest game of whack-a-mole,” Fishman laughs. “We must keep true
to what makes us Denman. The media that people consume, or the way they shop, may change, but ultimately they’re seeking a product that does the job it says it does. We need to ensure that we stay true to our proposition, innovate where appropriate and protect our brand for future generations. We’re working hard to ensure the brand not just celebrates its 100th birthday, but hopefully its 800th!”

Paul Stafford, Belfast-based global creative director for Denman, is a key figure in making that innovation happen–a journey that started while he was a young stylist in the early ’80s. “My first mentor was an avid advocate of the classic Denman D3,” he recalls. “He snatched my round brush out of my hands, handed me his trusty Denman 7 Row and said, ‘Use this–it won’t make you a great hairdresser, but it will help.’”

A decade later, Stafford was living his dream, traveling the world as a Denman ambassador, demonstrating its newest innovations and reintroducing traditional tools to a new generation of hairdressers–and he hasn’t looked back. Now, as global creative director, he loves unveiling the Denman brand to old friends and new fans at industry events worldwide. “The Denman family is always willing and eager to listen to customers and take ideas or suggestions on improving the products, or developing new ones,” Stafford says proudly. “They know that it’s the hair professional who understands the changing trends and the need for tools to help deliver new looks. The brand continues to evolve and develop tools that speed up the drying process, help maintain hair condition, and are suitable for the world’s wide and diverse hair types.”

Stafford adds that the “sheer quality of the caliber of the Denman brand” ensures that today, more than ever, hairstylists everywhere employ the brushes at shows, shoots, film sets and at every Fashion Week. In turn, Denman’s commitment to the global hairdressing industry is evident in its involvement in leading trade bodies and organizations, as well as through support of educational programs that encourage and assist young stylists. “Like all great designs, Denman products are simple, effective, and created first and foremost for the user,” Stafford concludes. “Denman doesn’t create gimmicks, but usable tools with a distinct purpose. Like all great designs, they have been copied and emulated many times—but there is only one original.”

Feminine care (or femcare) goes above and beyond typical one-size-fits-all menstruation products, and includes everything from vaginal skin and hair care, to niche, organic tampons, cleansers, period tracker apps and leak- proof underwear. Femcare brand founders have turned the traditional category on its head by rejecting the notion that menstrual protection is just an obligatory inconvenience and are instead repositioning it as integral to self-care. “Consumer thinking about the category is shifting from pure hygiene to holistic health and wellness–and even social justice,” explains Jamie Rosenberg, global personal care analyst for trend-research firm Mintel.

In order to emphasize that mainstream menstruation brands lack consideration for the well-being of their female consumers, alternative or “green” companies have focused on the risk of health issues such as toxic shock syndrome (a rare but severe bacterial infection caused by tampon usage) by branding their products as healthier and more sustainable options. This messaging has paid off within the larger marketplace, and especially resonated with Procter & Gamble (P&G), the consumer products giant that earlier this year acquired “This is L.,” a brand that produces feminine hygiene products made with natural ingredients. P&G’s investment underscored that corporations are willing to bet on alternative feminine products–and for good reason. According to Allied Market Research, the feminine hygiene products market value is expected to reach $42.7 billion by 2022.

Femcare in the #MeToo Movement
The link between feminism and femcare has also gained traction, as both access to sanitary products and a positive attitude toward menstruation are considered metrics of gender equality. As lower income women and those in developing nations are often unable to afford personal hygiene products or are openly shamed while on their period, the idea that sanitary products are a woman’s right is gaining ground. This ideology bolsters femcare as part of the larger women’s equality movement, especially in the wake of #MeToo.

An Emphasis on Health
As a woman’s cycle is inarguably linked with overall health, there is significant room for overlap in the femcare category. One example is period tracking apps that rely on the concept of “cycle syncing.” Apps that cycle sync recommend key areas of user productivity based on the current phase of the menstrual cycle. “When you look at the evolution of cause-marketing in femcare, it has evolved from reducing stigma, to instilling pride, to now highlighting menstruation as an advantage,” explains Rosenberg.

Fur creates lux options for body hair care in intimate areas.

Another important trend in femcare is “increasing emotional engagement,” says Rosenberg, who notes that personal care and skin care have been worked into the segment seamlessly. “One way of jumpstarting a sluggish, highly commoditized category like feminine care is to link to services and other categories that are considered more than just everyday essentials,” she adds. For instance, Kimberly-Clark opened Period Shop, a menstruation-focused pop-up in 2015, which offered feel-good services such as manicures and massages along with take-home products. Even more recently, organic tampon brand OneSqin has coupled sanitary protection with skincare products–a complementary pairing that seems obvious, especially as women expect their skin to change toward the end of their cycle.

Meet the Market Disrupters
Focused on softening body hair (and the skin underneath), the brand Fur aims to heighten female empowerment by creating alternative, lux options for body hair care. “Back in 2014, we were discussing exciting trends in beauty toward natural products, and defining your own beauty away from prescribed standards. As we talked, we realized available body hair products were not in line with this movement–the ingredients were harsh, the packaging was unsophisticated, and they focused only on removal–in other words, they saw hair as a problem. Fur is about
a more inclusive definition of beauty, whether you think the bush is back or skin is in. We spent the next two years developing and testing, and officially launched in 2016. Today, we’re still one of the few totally women-run and women-owned businesses in this space,” Fur founders Laura Schubert (L) and Lillian Tung (R) explain of their hair-inclusive, femcare- focused business model.

Fur products are dermatologically and gynecologically tested, and safe enough for use around the pubic area on all hair and skin types. “We like to say it works great anywhere on the body where hair meets skin,” they explain. With packaging inspired by Yves Saint Laurent bottles, the brand is unlike any of its current competitors.

“There really isn’t any product in the market that achieves quite what Fur does,” note Schubert and Tung. “Other products that cater to pubic hair are either removal-focused, or weirdly juvenile in terms of their packaging–think glitter and lots of pinks and purples,” they add. Instead, Fur is purposely elegant yet gender neutral, inviting “anyone on the spectrum with body hair and skin to try it out.” The duo is unapologetic about what their products do, never shying away from Fur’s mission. “We’re the only brand that uses the term ‘pubic,’ both in our messaging and directly on our packaging. It was important to us to fight the stigma surrounding that word, in the hopes that normalizing it would inspire more inclusivity and body positivity.”

Another much buzzed about femcare brand is THINX–the line of underwear that can effectively replace all sanitary products. The brand is constantly releasing new offerings, from undergarments in a new color, shape or different level of leak control–to totally new feminine hygiene tech. “This year, THINX released a reusable tampon applicator (re.t.a), the second major innovation in menstrual hygiene since the inception of the menstrual cup in 1937,” explains Hilary Fischer-Groban, the company’s brand director. “We think people were starting to realize that they were putting odd things in their bodies–and they want change,” she continues.

Finding Femcare at the Beauty Store
Beauty store owners eager to enter the category should introduce femcare products through complementary positioning–for instance, by placing a brand like Fur next to more familiar hair removal products. As with all new categories in beauty, the best way to get customers enthusiastic about new offerings is to become educated on the products. “We know how important it is for beauty stores to move product, so education is a critical part of the process,” say Schubert and Tung, echoing the importance of staff immersion.

When it comes to stocking nontraditional products, Fischer-Groban points out that customers are not looking for just one thing, and are often seeking alternatives to the mainstream. “It’s crucial to give the customer a variety of options,” she emphasizes. “Whether it’s sustainability, inclusivity or comfort that rank among customers’ top priorities, the most important thing is that everybody feels like their needs are being met.”

No longer perceived by millennials and Gen Z’ers as an embarrassing purchase, femcare products are more aligned with beauty than ever before. The category is linked to wellness and empowerment, and beauty store owners who get involved early have the opportunity to capture a leading position within this growing trend.

Contours Rx founder, Britain Todd aims to empower consumers that seek an eyelid pick-me-up with Lids by Design eyelid correcting strips. In order to bypass the anxiety that comes with surgery and the qualifications it requires, Todd created a brand that can aid eyelid issues, in a non-invasive way.

Beauty Store Business: How did your personal experiences help inspire you to create Lids By Design instant eyelid correcting strips?
Todd: I relate heart and soul to the issues that Lids By Design resolves. I remember being in my early 30s and even then feeling the weight of my eyelids making me look tired, aged and even impacting my vision. I wasn’t prepared to have surgery at the time and couldn’t find a non-invasive solution on the market. Lids By Design was certainly a product of that need: to have a temporary and safe solution for heavy, hooded eyelids.

Can you tell us how you teamed up with doctors such as Dr. Paul Nassif to get the brand up and running?
Contours Rx, and Lids By Design specifically, got its start in the medical world, because many surgeons were seeing the benefit of using it as a tool to show their clients before and after results prior to committing to surgery. Alternatively, they were able to give their patients a temporary, medical-grade solution if they were not ready for surgery. Dr. Paul Nassif was able to witness the power of these transformations in person at the HSN studios, and we quickly became friends with a common mission to help those struggling with this issue. He continues to carry the line in his Beverly Hills office, and we are still very proud to be available in many plastic surgeon, cosmetic surgeon and ophthalmologists’ offices across the country in addition to beauty retailers.

Who is the Contours Rx customer?
What I love so much about Contours Rx is that we serve such a wide variety of men and women who come to us for non-surgical cosmetic solutions. From the gentleman who has lost his peripheral vision due to sagging eyelids, to the 20 year old looking to have a more dramatic eyelid for a fun cat-eye liner, we are here. We have seen clients benefit from our products to help with their asymmetrical eyelids, loss of motor function due to Bell’s Palsy or stroke, and even for a simple confidence boost when it’s too early for surgery or if they are opposed to surgery altogether.

Why is it important for consumers to seek safe alternatives to correct hooded eyelids rather than look to more drastic measures like surgery?
There is nothing inherently wrong with having eyelid surgery, and we are not trying to compete with it. When people are not ready for surgery, have never wanted it, or do not qualify, then Contours Rx can offer those individuals a safe alternative. Even for those who know they want the surgery, we are able to offer that individual a way to try different looks and have a more informed conversation with their surgeon about what they are wanting. It’s a win-win all around!

When did you introduce tools, such as the primer and tweezers, into the line, and how has the reception been from customers?
All of our complimentary products have been a direct response to our clients’ needs once we moved from the medical world into cosmetics in 2015. We wanted to make sure we weren’t sending our clients to outdated products in order to help with Lids By Design application or makeup application, but rather that we were providing them with the best options for those specific needs. Our precision
tweezers are a German stainless steel with a needle nose that provides accurate and delicate handling of Lids By Design strips. Our Colorset All-in-One Pencil acts as a highlighting pencil, contouring pencil and primer pencil that can also be used as the perfect oil-free eyeshadow primer for makeup application over Lids By Design. We hear from clients all the time that outside of their benefit for Lids By Design, the tweezers and Colorset are their favorite makeup tools.

How do your products help consumers feel more confident?
As a company, Contours Rx believes in uplifting our clients’ confidence by accentuating their natural beauty. I think our clients feel more confident because they feel like they are seeing themselves in an uplifted light. They see the beauty that has been there all along.

What are your long-term goals for Contours Rx?
Contours Rx’s long-term goal is to become globally accessible to anyone that wants or needs our products.

Are you currently developing any new products (if not, can you share any news/ exciting changes in the works for 2019)?
We are very excited for 2019 because we have so many plans to take our products to every corner of the world. We are developing new products to enhance the Lids By Design experience that will be launching soon and as always, are working to improve our social media presence so that anyone can connect with us and learn more about who we are.

What advice can you offer entrepreneurs in the beauty industry?
No matter what you do, do it with your client in your heart. It’s easy to get caught up in the race to the top, but we often lose sight of the people who made us successful. We work very hard to stay connected to our clients, listen to their needs and deliver products that we are proud to offer them. If your clients aren’t excited and benefiting from your innovations, then it might be time to reassess your priorities.

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Before Rihanna set social media on fire by dyeing her hair crimson and Katy Perry wooed with her range of blue hues, there was another period in history defined by its unabashed smashing of style rules. Punk rock developed as a movement in the 1970s, sweeping through Great Britain and the United States with controversial sounds and a matching, anti-establishment aesthetic. From crass lyrics to torn clothes, the point was subversion: Nothing was supposed to look too pretty. Hair was no exception to this rule. Lines were jagged and forms were geometrical. Tresses got spiked into mohawks, sheared to shaggy bobs and stained every color of the rainbow. At the center of this storm was the first-ever vivid hair color brand: Crazy Color. The counter-culture company perfectly embodied the subversive zeitgeist of the time. Fast forward to today, the now iconic brand is owned by Professional Beauty Systems (PBS), a Scotland-based company that distributes hair and beauty products to more than 80 countries. Crazy Color is the U.K.’s No. 1 professional, vibrant tress hue group, with an international presence across six continents and more than 50 countries. Although it began humbly, the brand found itself swept into a movement that would leave a lasting impact on the way we view both style and hair.

AN AUSPICIOUS START
Renato Brunas and his brother Gino hailed from the world of beauty. They were born to perfumers in Naples, Italy, and as young adults worked for the
family business before moving to Paris to study hair. Renato immigrated to England in the early 1960s, where he opened a salon in London’s posh Mayfair neighborhood. It soon became a styling mecca, frequented by diplomats and members of the royal family. But Renato was a curious perfectionist, never content to rest when there was more to learn. “Despite the soaring success of his shop, he decided to take a two-year sabbatical to study chemical dyes and earn the title master colorist,” says Emma Daly, brand manager for PBS. “He wanted to know everything that went into the process of coloring hair and how new products might better protect clients’ health.” Gino joined his brother in 1965, and together they launched Renbow International, the name a combination of Renato and Bow, the street on which his salon was located. While Renato handled all aspects related to creativity and product development, Gino managed business affairs.

Renbow gave Renato a platform to experiment with the production of unconventional shades. “The semi-permanent color market was already in existence, but pigments ranged mainly from blonde to soft auburn to natural brown tones,” Daly recounts. Inspired by individuality, Renato had a mind to break beyond the basics and Crazy Color was birthed from that dream. It debuted in 1977, smack in the middle of the punk rock explosion overtaking Britain. The line’s original 20 dyes were instantly in fierce demand, beloved by both radical street kids and professional stylists who appreciated the advanced formulations that would soon become salon staples–even in the U.S.
As the hype surrounding Crazy Color grew, so too did Renato’s popularity. The master stylist went on to found Oro Vision of Beauty magazine, a trade publication where hair artists could share skills and swap techniques. “He helped mentor many of the greats, including Trevor Sorbie, Tony and Guy Mascolo, and Vidal Sassoon, because Renato had already been established for a decade by the time these future legends were emerging in the 1960s,” says Daly.

FRUITFUL ACQUISITION
Although Crazy Color is renowned in the U.K., stateside the brand slipped into some obscurity after its bright debut. However, parent company PBS is on a quest to change that. Formed in 1984 as a small, family-founded beauty group, today PBS employs more than 250 people working from two laboratory, manufacturing and production sites that together total roughly 45,000 square feet. Like Renato Brunas, PBS managing director Stephen Macdonough grew up in the beauty industry. “My grandfather and all my uncles worked as barbers and my mother was a stylist, so I was brought up in the back of a salon,” he says. He remembers rows of ladies sitting under banks of dryers, getting their shampoos and sets. The smells of perfume and hair lacquer defined his early childhood. Macdonough has been with PBS for more than 30 years, and he was hugely instrumental in the Crazy Color acquisition.

The opportunity arose when the Brunas brothers decided to retire and sell their brand. Colette Macdonough, Stephen’s wife, had grown up vacationing with Gino and Renato, and the purchase happened by way of a casual conversation. In 2009, the two groups simply sat down and agreed to a transfer of custodianship. “To this day, I view us as guardians of this wonderful brand,” says Macdonough. “Renato and Gino will forever be its original, rightful keepers.” (Renato passed away in 2014, followed by Gino in 2017.)

One of the first–and arguably most consequential–decisions PBS made was to keep the hot pink bottle in which Crazy Color semi-permanent products have been packaged since the start. Macdonough and his team did initially consider a more modern makeover. But a few months into revamp talks, Macdonough had an “aha” moment at Cosmoprof Hong Kong. “From across the room, I saw an Italian woman point at a pink bottle I had on the table and excitedly exclaim, ‘That’s Crazy Color!’” he recalls. “She couldn’t see the label, yet she still knew the product.” He flew home and told his group to stick with the iconic design.

COMING TO AMERICA
PBS launched Crazy Color in the U.S. market at Cosmoprof Las Vegas in 2018, followed by a presentation at Premiere Philadelphia a few months later. The line now totals 41 kaleidoscopic offerings–but the American color market is already somewhat saturated. To break through, company pros are deploying a specific set of branding goals. “The size of the bottle has grown slightly taller and larger, expanding to 150 ml while remarkably maintaining the same price point,” says Daly. “That makes ours a high- performance dye that’s also very affordable.”

The base formula has remained sacrosanct for more than 40 years, but three additional ingredients have been added to appeal especially to U.S.-based stylists. “Sunflower seed oil penetrates deeply into hair shafts for increased hydration, raspberry seed oil absorbs UV rays to fight color fade and avocado oil helps seal cuticles and prevent breakage,” Daly explains. Social media is likewise playing a prominent role in Crazy Color’s Get-Noticed campaign. “I’m a high-level online stalker,” jokes Daly. “I first research and identify those influencers currently making the most impact, then work closely with experts and distributors who are willing to help us push industry boundaries.”

This is a brand that honors diversity and celebrates eccentricity–that’s been true from the jump. “We’re massive supporters of subcultures, including drag queens, club kids, avant-garde makeup artists, members of the trans community and more,” continues Daly. That said, neo-punk styles do look slightly different on this side of the pond. “In Britain, it’s more about bright pops of color on angular cuts with sharp fringes or razor edges,” says Daly. “Here in the States, current top looks tend toward beachy waves and pastel colors.” What’s old always becomes what’s new again. It seems the time may just be right for Crazy Color’s brighter hues matched with edgier cuts here in the U.S. In the end, it comes down to celebrating differences and continuously innovating for future success. “Because America is substantially bigger than the United Kingdom both in terms of land mass and the size of the beauty market, our main challenge centers around finding new strategies to reach this larger audience,” says Daly. “By working with those social media influencers currently making the most impact and distributors who are willing to push boundaries, I believe Crazy Color can reach the same No. 1 status it holds in the U.K.”

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A lucky string of events brought Artemis Patrick, now executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, to San Francisco-based Sephora. Before Patrick’s first foray into beauty as a profession, she’d honed her chops working in retail since the late ’90s–specifically, e-commerce. “In 1998, I worked for Duty-Free Shops, which is also owned by LVMH, our parent company, in San Francisco,” Patrick recalls. “LVMH had just acquired Sephora, so, as employees, we were able to get private access to our store opening in downtown San Francisco.”

That fateful visit would launch Patrick headfirst into the beauty world. She entered the company on the e-commerce side, then ran merchandising for Sephora.com, later moving to general manager for Sephora inside JCPenney. About four years ago, Patrick became the head merchant for Sephora in the United States. But she still vividly remembers her first glimpse at the beauty retail wonderland–a then-newbie named Sephora. “I’d never seen anything like that in the beauty industry and thought it was so cool and revolutionary,” she enthuses. “That was when I fell in love with Sephora as a brand.”

Still, Patrick probably never envisioned that her 13 years with Sephora would catch the attention of the National Beauty Industry (NBI), the organization formerly known as the National Professional Salon Industry Group, dedicated to supporting the life-saving work of City of Hope (COH). On July 27, NBI will honor Patrick with the COH Spirit of Life Award, which recognizes exceptional professional and humanitarian achievement. It’s a well-deserved honor–not only for Sephora’s philanthropic achievements, but for Patrick’s ability to help usher her company from edgy underdog to trailblazing retailer over its 20-plus-year journey.

THE UNDERDOG EDGE
In the late ’90s, Sephora was a decided underdog in the ultra-competitive U.S. beauty market. Interestingly, that very status allowed the burgeoning retailer to launch a slew of innovative indie brands, like Urban Decay, Too Faced and Tarte, then unknown to consumers. “Because of that spirit and that heritage, brand building, discovery and thinking outside the box has been very much ingrained into the Sephora DNA,” Patrick muses. “How we think creatively and uniquely has evolved, but that spirit of finding the next big thing, and being the place where consumers go to learn and discover new products–that DNA is still very much alive, and I think it’s helped us be successful in today’s world.”

Simultaneously, listening to consumers’ needs remains another tenet of success. For example, last year Sephora launched a clean beauty assortment of skin care, hair care, makeup and fragrance. “Clean beauty may not be for everybody, but it’s important for us to make sure we listen to our consumers and have choices for those who are looking for that,” Patrick explains. “Being the first in the prestige beauty space to create that platform and educate the consumer is so important to us.”

Sephora is also a leader when it comes to establishing other categories, like wellness and ingestibles, curating the “best of the best” and building on the brand’s heritage of launching indie brands (as it did for niche and artisanal fragrances). Perhaps one of the most powerful examples of Sephora’s ability to anticipate what consumers want is the wildly popular Fenty Beauty x Rihanna collaboration. Refreshingly, the move was less about landing a celebrity name and more about embracing inclusivity. “It made a great statement in the industry that everyone needs to pay attention to different skin tones,” Patrick notes. “We’ve seen what that’s done in the industry and how other brands have reacted, so we’re very proud of that moment.”

HOW SEPHORA WINS
In a 20-year span, Sephora has moved from underdog to household recognition as the leader in prestige beauty retail. What’s its secret?

Curation and Brand Selection
Beyond listening to customers’ feedback, Sephora focuses on helping consumers learn about, understand and navigate the bustling beauty landscape. “For us, it’s about being curators,” Patrick states. “There are so many new brands and products–and we owe it to our clients to ensure we not only launch products, but provide education about them as well.”

Hence, Sephora’s criteria for choosing new brands includes, first and foremost, the brand story and DNA–everything from an active brand founder to why the brand is unique. Second–and just as important–is the product innovation and pipeline, and the brand’s ambitions for the future. Then there’s the audience connection: How do they connect authentically with their core consumer? “Finally, we want to hear what else is important to the brand; for some, it’s sustainability, or ingredient standards, or new technologies,” Patrick explains. “The most successful brands have figured out how to adapt their approach for today’s client: creating engaging and inspirational content, and understanding the importance of delivering that content, both online–(such as on social channels) as well as offline (such as through services or events). It’s no longer just about the product; it’s how you bring that to life.”

Generational Appeal
Clearly, the Sephora approach resonates with Gen Zers and millennials, who share similar values. Sephora’s unique product assortment paired with a seamless, omni-retail approach, Patrick believes, is what sets them apart among younger consumers. “But it’s not just that age category–everybody wants an authentic connection,” Patrick says. “We have more access to information and more choices, so it’s important that connection comes through. Clients come to Sephora to find what’s new, to be inspired by new trends, techniques, services, and products. And we really pride ourselves on being the retailer that clients of all ages turn to, to learn about and discover new brands.”

Techie Touches
Sephora also indulges a younger demographic by tapping the power of technology, which entails a slew of initiatives: The Sephora Digital Makeover Guide provides an interactive face chart that records the customer’s specific service, plus customized product and application tips delivered directly to the client via email– Sephora’s first “digital take-home-tool.” The Moisture Meter digitally measures the amount of moisture in the skin. Skincare iQ searches Sephora’s entire range of skincare ingredients and formulas to recommend targeted matches for every skincare concern; Color iQ scans the skin’s surface and assigns a Color iQ number, enabling precise product recommendations; and Fragrance iQ helps identify which scents best suit a customer’s preferences.

The Sephora Virtual Artist uses augmented reality allowing customers to test and try out products and full-face looks, learn new beauty tricks and more. Exclusively at its New York City SoHo location, The Sculpture allows shoppers to try on complete beauty looks thanks to six SVA iPads arranged to create a 360-degree, interactive experience–think looks created by brands, Sephora pros and influencers, or virtual tutorials featuring step-by-step techniques.

Then there’s the Advisor Assistant, a tool for Sephora’s in-store beauty advisors to guide clients through a personalized experience during a makeover or skincare consultation, with info saved into the client’s Beauty Insider account. Happening at Sephora drives awareness of Sephora’s experiential offerings, like events, classes, services and new brand launches. As Google’s first and only beauty partner, Sephora gives clients an easy, home-accessible tool for beauty discovery; with the Google Home Hub, clients have access to thousands of Sephora’s YouTube videos–hands-free and voice-controlled– while the Sephora Reservation Assistant offers an appointment-booking bot to reserve a makeover at Sephora stores across the country.

Partner and Incubator
Meanwhile, Sephora tailors its approach, communication, style and strategy to each brand founder–and is passionate about incubating brands. “We’re not just a brand-launch platform, but a sales partner, MBA program and investor all in one,” Patrick explains. “We’re invested in their success, because it directly correlates to ours. We really work with the brand founder to help them build their story and grow their business.”

Sephora even offers a dedicated incubation program that’s aimed at supporting each brands’ growth, nurtured by the power of Sephora’s marketing, social media, PR, sampling and customer community, as well as mindshare from its merchant team and in-store educated beauty advisers. “We’re not just launching product for product’s sake, but making sure we work with brands that can build meaningful content, and then leverage that content on our omni-platform, which accesses millions and millions of beauty enthusiasts,” Patrick concludes. “We really think of brands we take on as part of our Sephora family.”

A CULTURE OF RISK-TAKERS
Behind every great company are solid core values– and great minds. “Our extremely talented team of merchants and product development special- ists are dedicated to helping clients learn and are inspired by beauty,” Patrick says. “I want everyone on my team to feel they’re constantly learning and engaging–and, most of all, I want my team to not be afraid of failing,” she adds. “When you’re allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, you create a culture of risk- takers, which I think has been the key to not just this team’s, but the company’s, success.”

Despite Sephora’s size, Patrick asserts that the company can still take risks quickly. “It’s a phenomenon, in my opinion, to work for a company this size that still very much operates in that startup mentality,” Patrick marvels. “But we’ve also had partners for years, and we stick by them through thick and thin. It’s a beautiful balance of moving fast, yet making sure we’re not just jumping on the next shiny penny.”

For Patrick, the beauty business reaches beyond career, to personal passion. She garners inspiration from the brand visionaries she crosses daily–fellow risk-takers, many of whom have given up everything to create a brand and product they truly believe in. “That takes so much guts, and I have tremendous respect for every one of our brand partners,” Patrick says. “I love to watch their success. For me, that’s one of the most exciting things, when you have a new brand, work hard and hold hands, and you see it fly. It’s so rewarding.”

However, Patrick also looks toward consumers for industry inspiration. “I love the beauty industry because it can have such a positive impact on so many people,” she explains. “Sephora created this culture of inclusivity and diversity. They’re buzzwords now, but Sephora was born by being different.”

A GREAT HONOR AND OPPORTUNITY
In its work for cancer awareness, Sephora has spearheaded numerous store events and contributions, including hands-on, 90-minute beauty classes, called Brave Beauty in the Face of Cancer, which helps to build confidence in cancer patients.

This year, Patrick’s acceptance of the COH Spirit of Life Award marks the first time the NBI has chosen to honor someone outside the professional beauty world. It underscores not just Patrick’s accomplishments, but the far-reaching influence Sephora has on the entire beauty industry.

In keeping with the tradition of the COH Spirit of Life Honoree, Patrick, Sephora execu- tives and colleagues toured the COH campus in Duarte, California, earlier this year. Seeing the organization’s work firsthand was nothing short of life-changing for Patrick. “Cancer or diabetes literally do touch everyone,” she says. “When I learned about City of Hope, I was so inspired; they’re dedicated to making a difference in the world.”

Indeed, as a leader in the research and treatment of cancer and other serious diseases, COH provides an integrated, interdisciplinary array of supportive care—from nutritional, emotional, social and spiritual support, to guidance on products that are safe to use during and after treatment. The salon industry is a crucial part of those efforts. “The salon industry’s generosity has been critical to accel- erating the pace of discovery in cancer and diabetes care, transforming our understanding of life-threatening diseases and moving promising discoveries toward actual treatments,” says Kristin Bertell, chief philanthropy officer at COH. “We are grateful for the industry’s profound commitment and excited to celebrate all that its philanthropic partnership will accomplish in 2019. Congratulations to Artemis and the entire Sephora team!”

Patrick will accept the Spirit of Life Award on July 27, at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas during Cosmoprof, joined by an esteemed dinner committee, including reps from big-name beauty brands. Because Sephora encourages “bold choices in beauty and in life,” this year’s event is titled “Be Bold, Build Hope, Create Beauty.” The event, one of the industry’s best networking evenings, will include a hosted cocktail reception, dinner and live entertainment, plus product gifting and beauty activations.

Though Patrick can’t spill too many specifics, she does make one promise for this year’s benefit gala at Cosmoprof: Sephora knows how to throw a party. The retailer has already scored contribution commitments from big-name partners like Amika, AmorePacific, DevaCurl, LVMH, L’Oréal, Moroccanoil and Murad. “The people who have committed to attending are a pretty amazing bunch, so it’s going to be a very fun night!” Patrick predicts. “We know 22 percent of all U.S. deaths are cancer-related, affecting 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women. Ultimately, our goal is to continue to raise awareness and support for COH and the amazing efforts they’re undertaking to cure cancer and diabetes. Working with COH has been a wonderful experience–they have incredible reach of their own, and, combined with our reach, it’s going to be pretty powerful. It’s lovely that they’re honoring me, but really it’s an honor for Sephora.”

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CBD is turning up everywhere you look: CBD oils and creams and related bath and body products are HOT items for those savvy retailers who stock them. Plus, it’s a key ingredient in face & body products, massage lotions and even cosmetics, shampoos and conditioners.

Be among the first to get our free and very practical guide on how your spa/salon can leverage CBD’s mystique! We'll email you the ebook before the official publication date.

	ABC’s of CBD Oil Everything you need to know to educate your clients about CBD’s benefits and formulation, as well as a report on the latest legal developments.
	In-demand CBD Spa Protocols See how successful spa/salon owners introduce CBD to their clientele, what their most successful packages are, and how they profit from adding CBD to basic services.
	CBD Product Guide A curated guide to the best in CBD infused products for hair and skin, makeup and oils, lotions and bath & body that will fly off your salon’s retail shelves.

“I like to incorporate CBD into my products because, like so many botanicals, it bears countless interesting qualities.” – Erica Ragusa, founder, Ambika Herbals

“The Deep Healing Muscle treatment is one of our top CBD-infused enhancements—it can be added to any massage.” – Marie Parodi, spa and wellness director, JW Marriott in Chicago

Liza Rapay grew up a tomboy. As the youngest of 11 children born and raised in the Philippines, she liked to play outside and chase after her older brothers. “I wasn’t interested in dolls when I was small, nor did I care about beauty and makeup as I got older,” she shares. Last October, BolongaFiere Cosmoprof, the world’s leading trade show organizer in the fields of cosmetics, fashion and art, named Rapay its new head of North America marketing, succeeding industry icon Daniela Ciocan, who held the post for 12 years. In conjunction with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA), it’s now Rapay’s job to organize and run all functions and operations related to Cosmoprof North America (CPNA). It’s a monstrous responsibility as CPNA is arguably the world’s largest professional beauty event, where more than 40,000 attendees from roughly 60 countries gather annually at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas for three groundbreaking days of exhibitions, education, revolutionary product launches and unmatched networking opportunities. The momentous beauty extravaganza (held this year from July 28 to 30) couldn’t happen without Rapay–a woman who used her first facial product at age 19.

FIRST BEAUTY FORAY

One by one, the older kids left home, relocating stateside and settling in Los Angeles. One sole sister, a nurse, went east instead. At age 19, Rapay joined her and their mother in the picturesque town of Dobbs Ferry, New York. By that time, Rapay had already completed two years of biochemistry and pre-med at Manila’s University of Santo Tomas, one of Southeast Asia’s preeminent institutions for medicine and science. “I was a very good child who obeyed her parents, they wanted me to be a doctor–but I had no desire for that life,” she says, laughing. Moving to America changed everything. The teen enrolled at New York’s Pace University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in information systems with a business minor. To help pay for school, she landed a job as assistant to the creative vice president of Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House. “Studying while working full time meant I didn’t sleep much,” she says. “Yet apart from the papercuts, I loved every moment of those glory days of publishing.”

A 10-year stint, it served as both her corporate training and introduction to the importance of building and maintaining close working relationships. “It’s been over 20 years, but I’m still friends with the boss who hired me at Ballantine,” says Rapay. Such lessons shaped her as a young adult, and their importance would reverberate in later years.

The curious career woman was almost 30 when she decided it was time for a professional change. “I had no idea what I wanted to do,” admits Rapay. “I just felt a burning desire
for something different, and wished to see if I could apply the knowledge I’d gained at Random House to a new industry.” On a whim, she interviewed for a job at Clinique, and got hired as a consultant a few weeks before her birthday. From there, she steadily ascended the ladder to North America marketing director, traveling the world with mentors Lynne Greene, group president of Estée Lauder (Clinique’s parent company), and former Estée exec Ricardo Quintero. “I loved the discipline of my work,” shares Rapay. “Everything had to be in order, otherwise our business was hard to manage, and I happened to excel at those types of detailed duties, given how I grew up.” As caregiver of 11 children, Rapay’s mother provided ultimate schooling in how to run a tightly structured ship.

While at Estée Lauder, Jane Lauder Warsh, granddaughter of company founders Joseph and Estée, personally recommended Rapay for the prestigious and highly exclusive graduate business program at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). The Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing Management division to which she enrolled, accepts only 20 students annually from a competitive pool of beauty industry applicants. Rapay finished her degree in 2011–and suddenly, it was time for another change.

NEW BEGINNING

Perhaps even more astounding is that despite being in the beauty business for over a decade, Rapay had never heard of Cosmoprof before she scored her interview. “I told them
I didn’t know anything about them during our first meeting,” she admits. “East Coast perception of the show isn’t as high as on the West Coast, but if an industry insider like me was in the dark, how many others are out there?”

Rather than a challenge, the pro believes this lack of knowledge poses a remarkable opportunity. Her first order of business after officially coming onboard was to craft a comprehensive plan for how to exponentially increase overall awareness of the Comsmoprof group as a brand. All the training she acquired at Estée Lauder translates seamlessly to
this new role. “I was responsible for media advertising at Clinique, which means I knew how to start creating a better digital strategy,” says Rapay. “From LinkedIn to social postings on Instagram and Facebook to native ads, Cosmoprof is now getting a lot more hits.” The website likewise required revamping, and Rapay focused on making it as seamless and user-friendly as possible. “By keeping customers top of mind and focusing on their ease of navigation, we were able to drop our website bounce rate by 85 percent in the first few months,” she says. The feel of Cosmoprof’s online platforms has evolved. Synergy now exists between its social channels, which themselves boast a thoughtfully curated look. “Using Google analytics, I’m also making sure to target my lookalikes–those who were previously unfamiliar with Cosmoprof,” says Rapay. “This is an amazing platform for connecting people in our industry, and I want every member of the beauty community to be aware of all it has to offer.”

Connection has long been important to the woman who believes on a fundamental level that tight relationships are one of the constants required to succeed in business. She’s strengthening the global ties between all Cosmoprof events–Las Vegas, Bologna, Hong Kong and Mumbai–to create continuity for brands and guests, so they may better leverage participation at and after shows. “We’ve also made our buyer program a top priority, in the hopes of attracting additional prolific partners such as Alibaba, Bluemercury, Space NK, Macy’s and CVS, among others,” says Rapay. “I’m excited to work with all beauty companies, from startups to established brands.” This year’s Cosmoprof Las Vegas featured a variety of new participants. “Our exhibitors are our customers, and we must listen to what they want in order to continue growing,” notes Rapay. Such evolution further relies on the establishment of partnerships with other industry leaders. Rapay recently announced a strategic global alliance with FIT, whose beauty programs are supported by influential brands. She’s likewise nurturing a relationship with NPD Group, a top market research company, which will have speakers at this year’s Las Vegas show. “I personally selected NPD and really wanted them to be present, because their wealth of data relates directly to methods and strategies for improving sales,” notes the expert.

Be on the lookout for additional exciting innovations already in the works for next year’s Cosmoprof. “We’ll be making more changes and improvements, as I continue grasping details of how the show performs,” says Rapay. “In the meantime, my goal remains the same: continue to evolve, while maintaining our standing as the leading beauty trade show in America and around the world.”

Having long ago shed her childhood tomboy status, Rapay has also become a discerning beauty consumer. Today, she still uses Clinique’s 3-Step for combination skin, starting with Liquid Facial Soap, followed by Clarifying Lotion 3, and finishing with Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. But as she’s grown in her knowledge of the ever-changing beauty industry, so too have new products been added: La Mer’s The Eye Balm Intense and Crème de la Mer count as favorites. “With so many brands exhibiting at Cosmoprof, I’m excited to continue trying new products with strong proposition,” says Rapay.

Her united passions for beauty, business and relationships make a winning formula.

Romain Gaillard, CEO and founder of Los Angeles- based The Detox Market, did not expect to be an overnight green beauty retail success when he opened a pop-up on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in quirky Venice, California, in 2010. Even in a progressive city, the original concept–what Gaillard recalls as a “great laboratory of new wellness trends,” serving up cold-pressed juices and matcha tea bars alongside 14 green beauty brands–felt a bit ahead of its time, and in a tough financial landscape to boot. The Venice bungalow rented out for its initial two months had a shadowy, somewhat salacious history (a woman had once received it as a gift from a cheating boyfriend in the ’60s). “We were clearly too early,” Gaillard says with a laugh. “Four or five years passed before we were really relevant; it took time to pick up. In that first two months, we were having fun, not making any money–but we were passionate about what we were doing.”

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Gaillard, born and raised in Paris, moved to San Francisco at 22, worked at a tech company and later started his own outfit in security software. But, he admits, perhaps his European roots drew him to his ultimate calling. “Paris is probably the world capital of beauty; skin care is an obsession there,” he says. “Many French people buy their skin care in pharmacies, so it really surprised me when I learned that some ingredients are potentially harmful.”

Gaillard was introduced to the world of beauty through a friend, a breast cancer survivor who enlightened him on the potential toxicity in everyday beauty staples. “I became intrigued and started researching ingredients in personal care. I learned there were clearly some ques- tionable ingredients in beauty products, but, more importantly, there were also some amazing brands creating high-quality, pure products,” he remembers. “That’s when I decided to do something about it. But I never thought I was starting a new concept. I always saw The Detox Market as a short-term side project.”

Indeed, the original pop-up didn’t net any profit, despite the accolades and attention it received from the press. Undeterred, Gaillard took The Detox Market to other progressive, trend-setting cities: San Francisco, West Hollywood (its first, and still existing, physical location) and Toronto. “We tried it out in many cities and countries, but at that time the conversation about green beauty hadn’t even started,” he recalls. “I loved what I was doing from the beginning, but for many years we didn’t have any clients. Many times, people told us that our concept didn’t make sense–that no one cared about what was in beauty products. But I started to see a shift in 2014, and since then we have doubled in size every year.”

The once-struggling pop-up experiment has burgeoned into seven brick-and-mortar locations in North America: three in the Los Angeles area (West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Century City), three in Toronto and one in New York City. The latest Toronto outpost, in its vibrant downtown, boasts 2,200 square feet of space. The NYC flagship encompasses an entire building, with two floors and a rooftop. The rooftop serves as a unique gathering space, often hosting influencers, workshops, photo shoots and “Meet the Makers” events where brand founders can discuss their journey, products and vision.

Ultimately, Gaillard believes that being ahead of the curve, despite the inherent early difficulties, has brought many more benefits than drawbacks. “What’s great about starting ‘too early’ and surviving is that we’ve built a core group of followers,” he explains. “We never cut corners, even forcing many brands to reformulate, which gained us a lot of credbility and trust. We still love pop-ups, but we love design as well, and it’s difficult to pull off a sophisticated look in pop-ups. Those are our roots, but we spend a lot of time on creating the experience in-store, though we are now mostly an e-commerce business. The physical locations help us acquire customers and earn their loyalty.”

RIGOROUS STANDARDS

The Detox Market started with a mere 14 brands, many of which are now booming businesses–think RMS Beauty, haircare brand Rahua, Odacité and W3ll People—while adding others that fit the strict criteria for being stocked on shelves, such as Tata Harper, Moon Juice and ILIA Beauty. “Because we opened our doors so early on, we had the wonderful experience of launching brands that are now considered trailblazers in the industry; we were all pioneering in unknown territory together,” Gaillard says. “I think because we set our standards so high, it created the precedent for other brands to follow suit. We refused to compromise on ingredients, efficacy, or even esthetics, and now the naturals market has gone from under the radar to in-demand.”

Initially, Gaillard adds, The Detox Market carried the very few brands who “were doing green beauty right–the ones with passionate founders who were making products that worked and were a pleasure to use.” Almost 10 years later, the product selection process remains unchanged, but with many more options: The company now receives roughly 800 brand submissions each year.

If something catches the team’s attention, the first step is to inspect the ingredients to determine if they meet The Detox Market safety standards. The company enforces a strict list of forbidden ingredients from among the more than 82,000 chemicals registered in the United States for personal care. Gaillard examines each product closely, spending plenty of time testing products he thinks might be a fit, all while considering whether the products add something special to its careful curation. The ensuing successes for accepted brands that have passed the review process remain high- lights for Gaillard. “That’s what gets me very excited: becoming friends with these brand founders and seeing the success of brands we carry,” he notes. “We now have 120 brands, but we’re very selective. We’ve even refused brands for one ingredient, and they reformulate.” Surprisingly, The Detox Market has passed on carrying products with CBD, even though they are big sellers. It boils down to the fact that not any of the believed CBD beauty benefits have solid research behind them. There’s an integrity factor that makes the retailer a trusted friend to those seeking green beauty products that are also efficacious.

In an ever-expanding sea of cleaner, greener beauty products, how exactly does a formula distinguish itself to the discerning Detox Market team? “There are a few ways a product can stand out: It can fulfill a need, like the new Odacité Blue Aura Cleansing Water, which works as a no-rinse cleanser–something previously very hard to find in the natural world,” Gaillard details. “Or it can be best-in-class, like the
Pai Skincare BioRegenerate Oil, which is an exceptional oil with a cult following. The products that tend to garner the most success in green beauty are the ones created with a lot of care and high standards. Our clients value authenticity and quality.”

The Detox Market customers, Gaillard points out, are also very curious, smart and discerning– and the company works tirelessly to provide them with safer, top-quality products and to create rich in-store experiences with education. “Our customers have great taste; they’re health-conscious and environmentally conscious,” Gaillard says. “The Detox Market customer wants a natural product that performs like a conventional product, with only the best ingredients, in eco-friendly packaging. Essentially, they want it all!”

And, while some shoppers know exactly what they want–and remain loyal to the pioneering green brands working toward higher purposes– some are new to the green/clean beauty scene, a change that Gaillard admits can be very confusing for some. Enter the in-store Detox Ambassadors, a passionate bunch of employees who stand ready to guide customers and explain products and ingredients in detail. “For me, it’s most important to create that experience and for everyone to learn something when they come to the store,” Gaillard notes. “It’s like when people visit your home; you want to create something nice for them, so we spend a lot of time on selecting just the right materials to build everything. Our Detox Ambassadors are very educated and passionate about green beauty; when you come in, you really engage with someone who loves these products. They live and breathe it.”

GROWTH GOALS

After the initial pop-ups in the early 2010s, West Hollywood’s first physical location may have seemed a gamble when opening its doors in 2011. But Toronto followed in 2012 as a pop-up that simply stayed put, while a third outpost opened, also in Toronto, in 2013. Following increasing consumer demand, the Santa Monica outpost blossomed in 2017, but the last two years have almost doubled The Detox Market’s locations–in 2018 alone, one in New York, a third in Toronto, and another in Century City. This year, an earlier Toronto location was relocated and outfitted as the city’s flagship. There’s another potential location now in the works, still being kept hush-hush, but perhaps rolling out later this year. And Gaillard notes that the company has grown by 100 percent per year for the last five years.

Interestingly, Gaillard has successfully made a seamless switch from working in tech–a notoriously male-dominated field–to diving headfirst into the typically women’s world of beauty with The Detox Market. “Ninety-five percent of The Detox Market’s workforce is female, and 90 percent of our brands are female-founded,” he says. “I have such a great team–each person is integral to making The Detox Market what it is, and essential to our future success.”

Despite switching gears, early challenges and the company's recent rapid growth, Gaillard insists his goals for The Detox Market have never changed. “We want to be the trusted green beauty expert and keep the focus on community, because I believe that green beauty is a community first and an industry second,” he concludes. “We want to continue growing without sacrificing authenticity or our connection with the community we started building back in 2010. The reason we are the most successful in our category is not because we are obsessed with growth, but because we are passionate about what we do.”

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Dr. Ken Marenus grew into the skin he’s in. The newly appointed president of Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors
(ICMAD), a nonprofit trade group dedicated to supporting innovative companies and independently owned businesses, didn’t start life as a beauty devotee. In childhood, he wasn’t interested in cosmetology. A California native who grew up in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, Marenus considered biology his lifelong calling. “I majored in zoology as an undergraduate at UCLA, then stayed there to obtain a PhD in cell biology,” says Marenus. After graduating in 1980, the west coast native headed east for a postdoctoral fellowship in biophysics at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University.

Two years later, he began looking for work. “I thought I’d follow a career in academia, maybe teach biology as a university professor,” Marenus shares. Several frustrating interviews revealed, however, that such institutions might not have the funding or adequate grant money needed to support the type of research this science enthusiast hoped to pursue. That’s when a recruiter suggested a consultation with a personal-care cosmetics company. Skeptical, but always open-minded, the young grad agreed to take the meeting–and that interaction forever shifted the course of his life. “I was blown away by the quality of work in which I saw those scientists engaging,” Marenus recalls. “They had the resources and opportunities to study a broad range of topics in the fields of cosmetology and skin care, which were on the verge of undergoing a dramatic change.” He wanted to be part of the action. In 1982, when Mary Kay Cosmetics offered him the job
of senior scientist in skin biology, Marenus moved to Dallas to join the iconic beauty group.

FRESH FACE

Neither his educational pursuits nor post-university professional endeavors had explored in depth the mysteries and workings of the human body’s largest organ, but suddenly the doctor found himself immersed. “I’d never focused much on skin,” says Marenus. He simultaneously accepted the position of adjunct assistant professor of dermatology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and spent the next four years advising students while designing experiments related to Mary Kay product development. “Immunology for skin care was just emerging as a science,” relays Marenus. Conditions like psoriasis and eczema, for example, were beginning to receive newfound attention as more researchers came to understand this fundamental truth: Skin health is inexorably linked to general corporal well-being and health.

A new opportunity arose in 1986, and once again Marenus moved cross-country, this time to New York, when Estée Lauder hired him
as a manager of biological research. The doctor was put in charge of a prestigious skin lab. The work became more demanding, his output more advanced. “This was the time in the cosmetics industry when people were just starting to make real performance claims like, ‘This facial cream used daily can help eliminate wrinkles and minimize fine lines,’” Marenus recalls. Effectiveness factors were being baked into the research, development and promotion of revolutionary new products– and it was his job to ensure they actually worked, living up to any and all purported benefits. When natural ingredients stormed onto the beauty scene, replacing chemicals and toxins whose harmful side effects were being uncovered, Marenus likewise became responsible for establishing both their safety and efficacy. He proudly took on the cause of eliminating animal testing in the late 1980s. “Since then, I’ve been committed to conducting all work and studies without lab animals,” he shares.

The next 30 years were a time of growth, for both Marenus and the beauty world in general. “Skin care witnessed a steep advancement curve, and I rode along with it, helping by introducing new concepts and materials while at the same time staying curious and always learning,” says the expert. He jumped from manager to director to vice president at Estée Lauder, finally assuming the title of senior vice president of Product Integration and Regulatory in 2007. “I’d become increasingly interested in how science and regulation come together to advance technology while keeping consumers safe, which is really the primary objective of anyone operating in this field,” says Marenus.

“As a result, I also became more involved with professional beauty trade associations throughout my three decades at Estée Lauder.” And he traveled constantly, at one point flying to Brussels once a month, along with frequent trips to Canada, China, South Korea and Taiwan to study international trade regulations and their effects on business, entrepre- neurship and product development. Though he didn’t know it yet, this was all great preparation for his next career phase–which would come as another surprise.

OUT OF RETIREMENT

Marenus retired from Estée Lauder in 2018. “I was at home, chilling out, getting back into playing the guitar,” he says. His wife Donna, also newly retired from her career as a schoolteacher, was happy with their carefree days together. Then, as before, a job recruiter showed up at his door. “The ICMAD folks found me, and suddenly we were discussing the possibility of my joining the team as president,” says Marenus. The notion held appeal for a couple of reasons.

First, by managing the administration, programs and strategic planning of this nonprofit group, along with leading the charge on legislative advocacy, public relations and community outreach, Marenus had been offered an unexpected chance to effect genuine, lasting change. “Here was a tremendous growth opportunity to get into a trade association and structure it the way I thought it should look, helping it grow to the point where it becomes a beacon for independent beauty markets,” he explains. And second, he felt that perhaps he wasn’t done yet. There was still something left to give back. “The thing about the world of beauty is that it’s full of authentically nice people,” shares the pro. “I love this industry, which gave me my career and let me grow.”

He officially came out of retirement on July 1 of this year, working from his home office in Long Island, New York. A typical day might involve numerous conference calls and continuous emails between Marenus and the main ICMAD office in Texas, or with top beauty players representing business, technical and legislative interests. Some mornings he wakes up at 4:00 a.m. and takes a train to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss how a stronger alliance could be forged between the FDA and ICMAD, to the mutual benefit of both agencies. The work is varied and exciting. “And I’m still in the house, so Donna is still happy,” says Marenus.

INTO THE FUTURE

There are four basic pillars that Marenus identifies as the most important points of focus when it comes to his task of making ICMAD an ever-stronger supporter of creativity, innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit that drive global cosmetics progress while supporting independently owned businesses of all sizes.

The first is education. “We service everyone from small startups comprised of just a few innovators or guys with marketing degrees, to medium-size companies, to the people who operate large beauty conglomerates,” says Marenus. “A main tenet of our work is to provide basic information, so everyone knows what constitutes a safe product.” For example, manufacturers now use far fewer preservatives like parabens and formaldehyde when formulating cosmetics and personal-care items, which on the whole has boosted long-term health and even decreased links to cancer. But there’s a downside: Preservatives prevent bacterial and microbial growth. So you can’t nix them entirely; the trick is getting reliable information about which natural preservatives (cold-pressed plant oils, vitamins) to swap instead. That’s just one of many domains where Marenus is organizing webinars and seminars to guarantee ongoing, easily accessible data and tutorials. He wants to revamp the ICMAD communications plan by launching a newsletter or beauty digest that might be released quarterly, along with a larger annual beauty guide, plus flash alerts to announce breaking news or special launches.

The second pillar involves legislation. “We all operate under the basic belief that both products and our environment should be kept safe and clean, and we ask for reasonable laws to support those concerns,” says Marenus. Often that requires bringing sound science to the discussion, so as to correct certain misconceptions held by regulators.

Networking comes next. “We want to enable new participants to interact with more-established or knowledgeable pros who can offer the expert insight and services needed to achieve long-term success,” says Marenus. ICMAD’s membership totals roughly 900 entrepreneurial beauty and personal-care companies, many of which are based in Southern California. “I don’t know if it’s the movie industry or all the celebrities, but that’s become the hot spot for startup cosmetics,” marvels Marenus. While Los Angeles and New York City are easy areas for pros to meet and mingle, his aim is to create more local events in cities like Chicago, Boston, Austin and San Francisco, so suppliers and brands might have the chance to join forces in additional regions of the country.

The final area of focus spotlights member services dedicated to providing certificates of legitimacy and other forms of validation to burgeoning entrepreneurs. Beauty pioneers are key to keeping this world fresh and moving forward. “A skincare product is complex: It does many things, by employing multiple ingredients,” says Marenus. “To design a good cosmetic offering is hard–but it would be impossible without innovation.” He believes there’s been a drop off in technological breakthroughs since the 1980s, when alpha hydroxy acids first hit markets, revolutionizing skin exfoliation. “I was there at the start, and I know what a paradigm shift they were for the industry,” says Marenus. For the first time, it became possible to precisely improve skin turnover, achieving a fresh dermal layer that was visibly smoother than the one sloughed off. Nothing quite as exciting has happened in the interim–but the doctor can sense action brewing. Says Marenus, “We’re due for something big.”

When Sennen Pamich joined the Coty Professional Beauty team in November 2018, he brought well-honed beauty business acumen to his new role as senior vice president of its Professional Beauty Division in North America, based in Calabasas, California. Having lifelong experience in the business, this Italian-born innovator has worked with some of the biggest beauty names globally and now applies his worldly, big-picture view to a fairly young division that nevertheless boasts a robust product portfolio. And the timing, for both Pamich and the company, could not be better.

“I joined Coty Professional because I wanted to work for a marketleader in an industry I fell in love with on day one,” Pamich explains. “I realized that my 360-degree strategic perspective and experience in organization- and business-building, especially in complex and fast-changing environments, could help the professional division. Coty was integrating brands with the acquisition of the former Procter & Gamble (P&G) specialty beauty brands, and there were many complexities to address.”

Indeed, despite much-publicized adjustments needed in Coty’s consumer space, Pamich retains an optimistic outlook for the future of its solidly performing pro division, now stocked with iconic legacy brands. He recently sat down with Beauty Store Business to discuss his latest role and how he plans to ensure even more success for Coty’s Professional Beauty Division in years to come.

INTERNATIONAL INSPIRATION

Though Pamich is Italian by birth, he was educated in both Europe and the United States, after which he worked internationally for much of his life, largely in the beauty sphere. He started his career in Italy at P&G, worked at Johnson & Johnson in Switzerland and Korea, then moved back to Switzerland to manage Bulgari’s global fragrance and cosmetics business. Pamich returned to the U.S. in 2009 to lead brands as the global president of Revlon Professional Beauty, growing the brands within The Colomer Group and then integrating them into Revlon. Just before joining Coty last November, he advised businesses on investments, mergers and acquisitions in a private equity group.

Self-described as “a marketer by trade and a leader by experience,” he admits he was first attracted to the role thanks to an ongoing admiration of Coty–in the past, a competitor with a professional portfolio that included several market-leading brands. “Who wouldn’t want to work with iconic brands like Wella, OPI and Clairol Pro?” he asks. “And I was impressed by the world-class talent I saw in the organization, from the sales and education teams to the back office group.”

However, he adds, Coty was also an organization that had been through momentous change during what became a protracted merger period (closing the deal took more than one year). But Pamich saw those challenges as opportunities. “I felt strongly that I could lead the business to the next level through positive transformation, external and internal collaboration, and accountability to the customer,” he says. “There were definitely some challenges apparent at the time I joined the company–most notably, difficulties stemming from a change in the supply chain structure–but we have worked through them with a singular organizational focus on serving our customers with the best products."

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

In what Pamich calls the biggest merger in the history of beauty, Coty acquired dozens of brands from P&G in 2015–encompassing professional players like Wella, Nioxin, Sebastian and Clairol, as well as retail hair care, fragrances and cosmetics. Fast forward to 2019, and a July article in The Wall Street Journal reported that the company, generating $9 billion in annual revenue, was taking a $3 billion write-down on acquired brands like CoverGirl as sales slumped in the wake of more consumers flocking to “higher-end and niche” beauty products. Pamich, of course, acknowledges the recent coverage in the financial press on the bumps the Coty consumer division has experienced but asserts that the pro division has proven much more stable. “It’s no secret that mass-market beauty brands, like Coty’s CoverGirl, have been seeing radical changes as consumer buying habits evolve–and, of course, our business has seen change with the advent of distribution consolidation and the rise of omnichannel buying,” Pamich details. “But when the beauty professional is at the heart of everything you do, you have a touchstone that keeps your business on track. We, as the Professional Beauty Division in North America, have continued to pursue the same mission we always have: leveraging our powerful portfolio of professional brands to bring quality, high-performing products to the beauty professional and her clients.”

Indeed, Coty boasts a wide portfolio of exclusive and open line products, while, Pamich points out, “very deliberately” pursuing an omnichannel approach. Its open line brands, Clairol Professional and Wella Color Charm, are available at professional heritage beauty stores such as Sally, while its Wella Professionals and Kadus color brands and OPI professional products are sold primarily at CosmoProf stores, as well as via Beauty Systems Group’s (BSG) street team and Coty’s own direct sales organization. Meanwhile, care and styling lines, including Nioxin, Sebastian, and Wella Professionals’ Eimi and Invigo, are displayed in the professional section of beauty stores like Ulta in the United States and Canada, as well as in pro stores. “Our newest brand, GHD styling 20November 2019 |beautystorebusiness.comtools, is a high-end line marketed to pros and discerning consumers in selected beauty stores,” Pamich notes. “These are amazing brands that have a clear professional heritage and equity.”

He adds that the pro portfolio remains strong: “Wella’s Koleston Perfect is one of the leading salon colors in the world; OPI is the top brand globally for nail salons; Nioxin created a category for professional solutions to thinning hair and still leads it,” Pamich says. “The history is there—our iconic Clairol Professional brand brought color education to an entire generation of salon professionals and remains an innovator in the space.”

In addition to that heritage, one of Coty’s many advantages, Pamich believes, is its dedicated professional beauty research team, located in Germany for hair care and in the Los Angeles-area headquarters for nail care. The haircare team, for example, helped launch a revamp of the Wella Professionals Koleston Perfect color, with a new formula that minimizes free-radical formation “to create pure, balanced color root to tip while eliminating key hair color allergens–a real breakthrough for both the colorist and the client,” Pamich says.

Though Coty has stamped itself as a major name in both the consumer and pro beauty spaces, Pamich is quick to note that Coty as a corporate entity is a new company, with not much history in professional beauty. “They acquired OPI in 2010 but never really integrated it, so when the P&G merger came along, there was an opportunity to create a full, powerful beauty portfolio by adding professional hair brands,” he explains. “With such a rich portfolio, Coty has already become one of the top players in professional beauty, now covering all channels and all key salon services. With Wella Professionals, Clairol Professional, Wella Color Charm, Sebastian, Nioxin and Kadus, we can offer beauty professionals and consumers color, care and styling products at a variety of price points."

NEW AND NEXT

In a fast-changing landscape, Coty executives are doubling down on their social media focus, in efforts to reach both beauty professionals and consumers. “Each of our brands has its own unique social community, and we work with relevant influencers to tell our stories authentically,” Pamich says. “For instance, for our Nioxin brand, we partnered with ‘mommy blogger’ influencers to talk about the challenges and changes that post-pregnancy hair density poses for new moms. Our Seb Man brand works with a skater, a fashion blogger, a biker and a very cool barber, among others, who understand and live men’s grooming.”

Coty also works with celebrity partners to drive awareness and engagement with its brands. Recently, on the Wella Professionals platform, the company showcased one of its key influencers, Sophie Turner, who played Sansa on Game of Thrones. “She was able to share her authentic story of how Wella color and care transformed her hair,” Pamich enthuses. “Both our professional and consumer followers loved it!”

Finally, complementing its brand platforms are the Wella Education communities, which (despite the name) covers Coty’s full portfolio of brands, as experienced by the beauty professional. “Our WellaEd Instagram (@wellaeducation) alone is made up of more than 700,000 beauty pros engaged in a vibrant conversation on techniques, business tips and inspiration,” Pamich notes. “We share content from pros all over the world, as well as from all of our brand influencers.”

While hustling to keep pace with today’s dynamic consumer and pro markets, Pamich admits the obvious–that the major challenge for everyone (retailers, manufacturers and marketers alike) is to capture buyers’ attention in such a complex, crowded marketplace. However, he believes that such a landscape can actually benefit his realm within Coty. “The internet has dialed up the pace and the volume of change, and that has created a beauty consumer, whether professional or ‘pro-sumer,’ who is educated, sophisticated and skeptical,” Pamich explains. “I believe that change operates to the advantage of the professional beauty business, especially for the Coty Professional brands, because we have real, solid benefits to communicate, as well as the performance features that knowledgeable beauty buyers demand today. Our brand stories are credible and compelling, and they’re backed up with the research, rigor and disciplined testing of professionals worldwide. Our key challenge as an industry is to amp up awareness of professional beauty by telling our brand stories with passion–in the salon, store and online.”

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Liam Ben-David had an interesting childhood. The son of a diplomat, he was born in a small town in southern Israel, before moving to Los Angeles when he was three years old. “After that, my whole life was spent shuttling back and forth between two worlds,” says the president and CEO of Sutra Beauty, manufacturer of cutting-edge hair styling tools. He went to grade school in Jerusalem, then completed high school in Chicago. These continuous shifts shaped his perspective, providing a unique viewpoint that has been valuable in business. “From a young age, I remember being able to analyze the nuanced differences between cultures,” says Ben-David. “I learned that saying or doing something in the U.S. would evoke a very different response than the same action taken in the Middle East.” As a current industry leader, that lesson still resonates. “When I wish to get a point across, I know I must do more than simply spit out words,” Ben-David explains. “Colleagues and customers in various managerial levels and countries will absorb my message in distinct ways, so I’m always thinking about my method of delivery.”

After high school, the young grad had a choice: go to college like the rest of his American friends, or return to Israel and serve in the Defense Forces. National military service is mandatory for both male and female Israeli citizens over the age of 18. However, as a dual citizen, Ben-David could have avoided conscription. He considered his life carefully, then committed the next four years of it to the special forces unit of the Israeli Air Force. “It was so hard,” says Ben-David, laughing. “I’d get letters from my friends about the college parties they were having fun at, while I hadn’t showered in five days and was reading with a flashlight in the dark.” Moreover, he feared how disadvantaged he’d be time wise and from an educational perspective upon returning stateside. His peers would have obtained bachelors’ degrees, while he’d only be starting to write admission essays. Worry filled him–until he completed his service and realized what he’d gained. “I learned responsibility, initiative, leadership, all of which proved invaluable when it came time to launch a business,” says Ben-David. “I’ve been shot at–I know what a tough situation looks like–so how is anybody going to convince me that I can’t do something, after doing that?”

SOLDIER TO CEO

The former soldier returned to California to attend UCLA when he was 23. At no point did he consider a career in beauty. “You could have given me a choice of 10 different jobs, and hair would have been at the very bottom, right below gardening,” jokes Ben-David. To help pay for school, he scored a part-time sales position. “I’d never considered doing sales, yet I turned out to be good at it,” recalls the pro. Two years later, inspired by that unexpected success, he dropped out of school. “I didn’t come from an entrepreneurial background, so my family was crushed,” Ben-David shares. “Their disappointment further motivated me, because I wanted to prove to them–and the world–that I could do something great on my own.”

Fate lent a helping hand in 2005, when a friend reached out with a business proposition to sell ceramic hair straighteners. “I was in the right place at the right time, as that happened to be the start of the flat iron revolution,” says Ben-David. Gregarious by nature, he connected with most people he encountered, from retail consumers to salon professionals. During the course of countless conversations, he gleaned a lot from the feedback he received–what worked, what didn’t, what was missing from hot tools. Further, he’s long been naturally inventive. “I always had ideas growing up, about new designs I could create or ways I might improve existing items,” shares Ben-David. Perhaps what happened next comes as no surprise: Inherent curiosity soon led to product innovation. “The market was so raw–it was like the Wild West of hair tools,” says Ben-David. “I began collaborating with different brands and manufacturers to improve the engineering behind hot tools, and advance the development and production of new offerings.” Unexpectedly, a passion for beauty snuck in. It’s fair to say that Liam Ben-David accidentally fell in love with hair.

Five years passed, and he grew tired of giving away his ideas. So Ben-David decided to strike out on his own. He worked at first with two other people, innovating items initially geared toward the retail market. “We were doing a lot of trade shows and selling at conventions, mall kiosks and Costco road shows,” he explains. He raised some capital, assembled a group of investors, and Sutra Beauty launched in 2011.

KARMA SUTRA

The name “Sutra” comes from Buddhist scripture. Roughly translated, it’s a chant or thread of prayers that offers wisdom into how to live with purpose and intentionality. “I do consider myself spiritual, but the reason we picked that name had more to do with luck,” says Ben-David. Some might call it karma. While on his way to a meeting to discuss potential names for his new brand, Ben-David found himself in an Uber with a driver who was murmuring while touching his forehead with two fingers. “I asked what he was doing, and he replied, ‘Reciting my sutras,’” shares Ben-David. “Then I remembered that was one of the names on our list.” The rest was destiny.

From the jump, the company’s aim has remained the same: Develop the best-functioning tools at friendly prices. “We’re motivated to be dis-ruptors,” says Ben-David. “We don’t want to be a brand for the rich and famous; the point is to get our innovation out to everyone, and see our tools in as many hands as possible.” Salon professionals soon took note. Sutra was among the first companies to effectively use infrared technology in hair straighteners and irons. Infrared rays, projected from the top plate of a tool, combine with ultra-violet frequencies discharged from the bottom. No direct heat is ever applied to strands, yet uniform heat is conducted in a safer, more efficient way, reducing dryness. Results point to tresses that are healthier and less frizzy over time.

INTO THE FUTURE

Starting with two friends selling tools to at-home consumers, Sutra now has 25 employees, all of whom grew with the company from the ground up. “We feel very connected to our industry, because we listen to what stylists and consumers want, and then respond with solutions that actually work,” says Ben-David. Sutra Beauty has been quietly finding its place. Now the company’s ready to take the professional beauty world by storm. “We’re amping up to something big,” says Ben-David. “The year 2020 holds a massive rebrand.” Though details remain secret, expect a new product family focused strictly on, and geared specifically to, beauty professionals. “A separate sub-category will be for consumer use, but stylists are getting their own premiere brand,” says Ben-David. “The world of distribution, along with the beauty system, was established well before I got here—but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for someone with a different point of view to come and shake things up.”

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Beauty Store Business first caught up with Jenefer Palmer, founder and president of OSEA skin care, at Cosmoprof North America 2019, where she shared some colorful anecdotes about OSEA’s early days. The company has been around for more than 20 years and is one of the truly organic, totally natural, vegan skincare lines that launched long before it was trendy to be clean. A former spa director and holistic arts practitioner with a Hollywood clientele, Palmer began developing natural skin care because she could not find anything effective made without synthetic ingredients.

Today, Palmer is proud to have pioneered clean skincare formulas that are not only non-toxic, effective and cruelty-free, but also free from animal-derived ingredients such as lanolin, beeswax, carmine and more. Uniquely, all of OSEA’s products contain a sustainably sourced seaweed and are packaged in glass.

Here, Palmer shares more about OSEA and hints at what might be in store for the family-run company in 2020.

Some company founders say that they dreamed of starting their own brand, but the origin of OSEA really began with an actual dream your grandmother had. Can you tell our readers a little bit about that?

Yes. My grandmother was one of the first female chiropractors in the United States. She actually graduated from chiropractic school 100 years ago in 1919! After seriously injuring her leg to the point that she was bedridden, she had a dream that if she went in the ocean she would be healed. In the middle of winter, she demanded that my grandfather carry her down to the frigid Long Island shore to soak and then make a seaweed poultice for her leg. Within a few weeks, her leg had healed and they continued to swim in the ocean daily well into their 90s—even when it meant cutting through the ice!

What properties of seaweed make it such a great skincare ingredient and the star ingredient of OSEA’s line of products?

The benefits of seaweed are endless. There are three main species we use in our formulations:

Gigartina skottsbergi (red algae) stimulates collagen production and hydrates and soothes skin. It protects skin from environmental aggressors and also stimulates cell regeneration.

Undaria pinnatifida (wakame) is unique in that it possesses many vitamins and minerals, plus omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. These nutrients are known to facilitate cell regeneration and support skin health. Undaria also contains fucoidan, which helps increase the production of dermal fibroblasts. These skin cells are within the dermis layer of our skin; they support wound healing and skin recovery.

Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp) protects the skin due to its ability to minimize damage from exposure to UV radiation. It contains polyphenols, which provide photoprotection. It also fights inflammation and other surface irritations, while visibly diminishing uneven skin tones.

That’s impressive! Why does OSEA source its seaweed from Patagonia in South America?

Patagonia has some of the purest, cleanest waters in the world. Seaweed acts like a sponge and soaks up everything around it–the good, the bad and the ugly. Because we hand-harvest in the pristine waters of Patagonia, OSEA is lucky to have the purest quality, most nutrient-rich seaweed in the world.

You had a highly successful career as a spa director and in the healing arts, working on celebrity clients. How did it prepare you for OSEA?

For many years I worked as a cranial sacral therapist in Malibu, and before that as a spa director at the historic Murietta Hot Springs. I incorporated cranial sacral therapy into our spa menu and it’s now a signature offering in OSEA facials [at OSEA’s Skincare Studio in Venice, California]. Touch and energy work is so important to the healing of the skin. As a spa director in the 80s, even at a premiere natural spa like Murietta, it was still nearly impossible to find luxury skincare brands that weren’t packed with harmful, synthetic ingredients. This is ultimately the reason why I decided to found OSEA.

OSEA launched at Fred Segal more than 22 years ago, when Fred Segal was arguably the hottest retailer in Los Angeles. How did that come about?

When we launched OSEA in 1996, I knew I wanted it on the clean, chic shelves of Fred Segal. But honestly, at that point I had zero sales experience. I literally walked into Fred Segal one day with a box of OSEA products and asked some sales associates if they were interested in carrying a natural, Malibu-based skincare product in glass jars. I got some strange, but compassionate looks and was told that their buyer would contact me if interested. As I was leaving the store, I literally bumped into Ron Robinson the head buyer and vice president of Fred Segal with my huge box of OSEA products. Maybe it was my oversized floppy hat or the confused look on my face, but he smiled, taught me to write a purchase order and gave me a chance to sell OSEA in his fabulous store. I’ll always be grateful to Ron for giving us our start. And I’m proud to say OSEA is still there 23 years later!

OSEA was among the first to use clean, vegan and organic ingredients. It is safe to say that your company is a pioneer of the clean/ natural beauty movement. What were some of the early challenges?

At first, people didn’t like that our products were in glass. ‘Eco-friendly’ wasn’t really a thing back in 1996. The biggest challenge was that there wasn’t a general awareness about clean beauty like there is now. It was tough to convert beauty junkies who were used to using formaldehyde- based fragrances in their skin care to OSEA, which is either unscented or uses pure, steam-distilled essential oils as its aromatherapeutic base. Finally, sourcing natural ingredients was super tricky. At that time there were mostly only small farms and select suppliers distributing plant-based ingredients. I’m proud to say that after 23 years, we are still working with most of our original suppliers.

Those are real hurdles you overcame. What is the next challenge in this arena?

Sourcing natural preservative systems is the next big challenge in the natural skincare world. If there is even one drop of water (including hydrosols, aloe vera, etc.), a natural-derived preservative system is needed or the product will develop mold (and even harmful bacteria) in just a few days. We are always on the lookout for new natural preservative systems.

Please tell us some of OSEA’s top customer favorites and why.

Undaria Algae Body Oil: This product is super unique and not just because it’s Victoria Beckham’s favorite! We make this body oil, similar to how one would fabricate a good wine. We soak our Undaria seaweed in vats of botanical oils for months in order to distill all of the bioavailable nutrients into the oil. Then we filter out the seaweed and infuse it with essential oils. The result is a super silky, mineralizing body oil that nourishes skin and leaves you glowing. [Also,] Hyaluronic Sea Serum: When I formulated this, I wanted it to be different than other hyaluronic acid serums on the market. It’s a blend of three molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and three different seaweeds. It floods the skin with hydration and minerals. It’s not even three years old and continues to be our best-selling product.

Do you still experiment with skin care?

Yes, I’m constantly working on new formulations. I’m super excited that we have some new, innovative products launching in 2020!

How would you define the OSEA customer?

OSEA customers are all ages and skin types: vegans, animal rights activists, the health conscious, yoginis, natural beauty lovers, gluten-free folk, mamas, models, wellness coaches, healers, artists, medicine makers and, of course, the eco-concious!

What has been most gratifying about founding your own family-run company?

What could be better than working with the people you love? It has brought us closer together, despite disagreements. On occasion, when we just simply cannot agree, we meet with our business family therapist. It’s a must for any family in business together!

How would you define your company culture?

Our company culture is compassionate, vegan and plastic-free. We do not provide bottled water and use an under-sink water filter to purify. Team members bring or cook their own lunch in our fully equipped kitchens, which eliminates the need for paper plates, napkins, paper towels and plastic utensils/cups. All leftovers are composted and pretty much all team members are composting at home now, too. We only have one printer in our office, but honestly try our best not to use it. Almost everything we do is digital.

You really walk the walk! What makes OSEA unique from other natural skincare brands?

OSEA’s philosophy is built into our name–OSEA, which stands for ocean, sun, earth and atmosphere. Since we launched in 1996, the ethos of OSEA has always been wellness. OSEA recognizes the link between human health and the health of our planet, hence our glass packaging, organic vegan ingredients, utilizing sustainable species of seaweed and our Skincare Studio recycling program. OSEA is a conscious lifestyle.

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New product launches! Stock your shelves with these new 2020 products!

Bio Ionic: The 3-in-1 Styling Iron features nano ionic MX technology that infuses hydration into the hair with every style from curls and waves to sleek, straight looks.

INOAR: With a formula that combines castor and rosehip oils, the Go Vegan Curls Shampoo, Conditioner and Mask help so en and define curls, adding shine without weighing down hair.

Wahl: The Cordless Senior features black and gold metal housing and a powerful lithium-ion battery. It includes three cutting guides perfect for tapers, blends and fades.

HAI Beauty Concepts: Packed with an 1800W DC motor, the lightweight, compact Air Lux Pro Blow Dryer with Styleflow Nozzle leaves hair shiny and frizz-free while cutting down dry time and reducing heat damage.

Ultra: Featuring a 6-inch diameter, the Denco Compact Expandable Organizer offers seven clear compartments and two swing-out drawers to store brushes, tools, makeup and accessories.

CALA: Designed to be gentle to both the hair and the environment, the decomposable CALA Eco Detangler Hair Brush is made from natural straw and features a double-curve design to follow the shape of the scalp.

Epilady: The at-home laser hair-removal device Epilaser Automatic Laser targets and treats hair, preventing and slowing down the regrowth process.

DeveloPlus: The Satin Color – Bold Series delivers bright, vibrant and fade-resistant hair color with a hydrating formula that nourishes the hair.

WetBrush: To moisturize and repair hair, the biodegradable Go Green Oil Infused Shine Brush offers four different built-in natural oil treatments– Watermelon Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Coconut Oil and CBD Oil.

Scalpmaster: The vented Scalpmaster Boar/Nylon Flexible Detangling Brush detangles hair and increases shine with a mix of boar and nylon bristles.

Andis: Ideal for tapering and fading, the Andis Master Cordless Lithium-Ion Clipper includes an adjustable carbon-steel blade, a high-performance rotary motor and a lithium-ion battery for up to 90 minutes of runtime.

Body Tools: Hypoallergenic and long lasting, Nickel Foot File features an easy-to-hold handle ideal for removing rough, dry skin and calluses from feet.

Elgon: Affixx Hair Lift delivers long-lasting, fresh-off-the-runway hairstyles with extra volume.

Beauty was best when colored outside the lines during the Spring/Summer 2020 Fashion Weeks. From New York to Paris, the bold Gen Z looks seen on the hit HBO show Euphoria became a back- stage staple, with new expressionist shapes taking over eyes. The trend ranged from subtle–a wash of a color in the creases like at Chromat— to striking, with dreamy cloudscapes that expanded from brow to lash line at Mansur Gavriel, glitter that trickled onto cheeks and blended seamlessly into creamy blush at Pyer Moss, or undulating liner that purposely missed the expected mark as seen at Anna Sui and Rosie Assoulin, and bright tropical color blocking at Oscar de la Renta.

More after-party than party-ready, next season’s looks have a lived-in feel that conjures a devil may care attitude. At TommyXZendaya, a collaboration between Tommy Hilfiger and actress Zendaya, dramatic lips and smokey eyes were a nod to a bygone punk heyday. Yet at Rebecca Minkoff, grunge grew up–and took a seat at the table. Creating a low messy bun with a touch of dye left over from a weekend at a music festival, stylist Justine Marjan proved edginess
carries over just as seamlessly into the boardroom Spring/Summer 2020 had no shortage of stunning looks, from Jem and the Holograms inspired hair and makeup at Jeremy Scott, to a chic take on what’s best described as a Marge Simpson mane at Thom Browne. Upping the ante, Stylist Guido Palau raised the bar at Tomo Koizumi (literally), creating a conical-shaped style. “I knew the look had to be something really extreme–either height or length, and I went for height!” he explained.

With so much in-your-face style, the runways resembled the era of excess. Eighties everything reigned supreme–even, dare we say it–the mullet. The revamp of the “business in the front, party in the back” style was spotted at Givenchy, Paul & Joe and Ralph & Russo, indicating that there’s no use fighting the shape of the season.

If designers hadn’t already said it with hair and makeup, nails made a statement–and then some. Backstage at The Blonds, CND created theatrical nails that perfectly complemented the Moulin Rouge themed collection with bedazzled reds, matte blacks and blinged-out golds visible from the back of the house. Pearl tipped nails at Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet were at once ornate, elaborate and surprisingly delicate.

Spring/Summer 2020 proved the most important trend is taking charge of your look and owning it. As the weather warms up, consumers won’t shy away from the unexpected, whether it’s longer nails, higher hair, expressionist eyes or an edgy cut so make sure to carry bold color cosmetics and hair products with hold.

[Images: Bigstock; Getty Images]

The beauty industry is embracing innovative solutions for tackling waste–and winning more customer loyalty in the process.

There’s no doubt that the beauty industry does a lot of good, from enhancing personal hygiene and contributing to self-esteem, to giving back through charitable causes. There is also no way to ignore the environmental impact packaging from such a massive business has on the Earth. With plastic taking some 400 years to degrade and filling what’s believed to be more than 70 percent of landfills, the prediction that there’ll be more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050 seems devastatingly plausible.

According to TerraCycle, a company that helps brands and individuals recycle and upcycle to reduce the level of unnecessary landfill waste, the global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging annually, contributing to the loss of 18 million acres of forest each year.

Motivating consumers to recycle personal care items has challenges. For one, it takes extra effort since these products are often housed in bathrooms, away from the standard kitchen recycle bin. TerraCycle reports that 50 percent of people don’t recycle bathroom waste including shampoo and shower gel bottles because they feel it is inconvenient. That said, the industry has taken responsibility in the past and made an impact. “While statistics are dire, the beauty industry has had success stories with the banning of plastic microbeads in the U.S., U.K. and Canada but has plenty of room for improvement to become environmentally friendly,” says Alex Payne, a spokesperson for TerraCycle

While swapping plastic for eco-friendly packaging may increase manufacturing costs initially, the increase can likely be offset with potential government subsidies and more customers who prefer sustainable packaging. In fact, the decision to "go green" in formulation, manufacturing practices and packaging could pay off big. Fifty-five percent of people polled in a recent report by J. Walter Thompson Intelligence titled The New Sustainability: Regeneration stated they are more likely to buy beauty products if the company claims to be sustainable. Interestingly, the same report found that 77 percent of people think products with a negative environmental impact should cost more.

Recycling and Reusing

A handful of beauty brands including Burt’s Bees, Eos Products, LimeLife by Alcone and L’Occitane have teamed up with TerraCycle to offer consum- ers easy and free options for recycling. Customers can access a prepaid shipping label from TerraCycle’s website, fill any box with the brand’s cleaned waste and ship it out to be remolded into new products. Herbal Essences, Josie Maran, Garnier, Tom’s of Maine and Weleda are also part of TerraCycle’s free recycling solution. For a fee, TerraCycle offers an option for other cosmetic brands in the form of their zero-waste box. Empty eye shadow palettes, lipstick tubes, makeup brushes and deodorant sticks can be shipped to the company, and thus saved from the landfill.

Just this year, TerraCycle launched an intiative called Loop to introduce a new circular shopping system in Paris and select states within the U.S. designed to eliminate plastic packaging. “The world is in a waste crisis and we can’t recycle our way out of it. We must attack the issue at the root cause, which is single-use packaging,” explains Eric Rosen, spokesperson for Loop. The concept of Loop is like a modern-day milkman delivery system, rebooted with loads of items from personal care to household. Consumers go online and choose the products they’d like to order, which arrive in durable, reusable containers inside Loop’s exclusively designed reusable tote. “Consumers will no longer own the packaging, only the product,” Rosen explains. Beauty brands with products available from Loop include Soapply, Herbal Essences, The Body Shop, Love Beauty and Planet, Ren Clean Skincare and Pantene.

After use, consumers schedule a pickup time and send Loop’s containers to be cleaned, sanitized and reused again and again, removing plastic and shipping cardboard from the equation completely. Loop is currently available in select states and planning on expanding to new cities in 2020. Loop is made possible with the help of partner retailers like Walgreens and Kroger in each market launched. There is no membership or subscription fee; the only cost a consumer incurs is for the product and a refundable deposit for containers, tote and shipping.

Brands Making a Difference

Brands big and small are stepping up and making commitments to change. Both Unilever and L’Oréal have promised by the year 2025 to convert plastic packaging to reusable, recyclable or compostable. Estée Lauder Companies are on board too, aiming to have 75 to 100 percent of packaging recyclable, reusable or refillable by 2025 and increasing postconsumer recycled material in packaging by up to 50 percent.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) plans to offer 100 percent recyclable packaging by 2030 and has partnered with Loop to offer refillable options. Just this year, P&G’s brand Pantene launched an aluminum bottle for shampoo and conditioner through the service.

Green Materials and Rethinking Plastic

Alternative material options are gaining popularity in the beauty packaging world as brands shift into a “greener” mindset. Bamboo, for example, is biodegradable, compostable and one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. Cosmetic companies like Antonym are using bamboo for eyeshadow and blush palettes and as the base for makeup brushes. Reusable and refillable, glass is an ideal alternative for companies looking to stay clean and minimal, such as RMS Beauty. Like glass, metal is another smart option. Kjaer Weis uses quality metal in makeup palettes meant to be kept and reused as part of the company’s refill system. Already recycled solutions such as paperboard made from recycled paper pulp and recycled plastic are widely used alternatives. Garnier Fructis has adapted this practice for its shampoo and conditioner bottles, with 50 percent of the material coming from postconsumer recycled plastic.

Since plastic isn’t going away overnight, savvy solutions for repurposing are key. The Body Shop recently launched Community Trade recycled plastic from Bengaluru, India, an initiative in partnership with Plastics for Change: “We don’t think plastic–as a material–is bad. In fact, it’s one of the most versatile materials ever made and, if used responsibly, can be sustainable. The problem is when we don’t value plastic and see it as trash, rather than something we can recycle and reuse,” says Lee Mann, global community trade manager for The Body Shop.

With this initiative, The Body Shop also recognizes the human side of the plastic story. The program helps to empower the marginalized waste pickers in Bengaluru, who can receive a fair price for their work, predictable income and access to better working conditions. By the end of the year, The Body Shop will have purchased 250 tons of Community Trade recycled plastic to use in the brand’s 250 milliliter haircare bottles, with plans to scale up purchasing to 900 tons within three years. The bottles created contain 100 percent recycled plastic (excluding the bottle caps) with 15 percent derived from Community Trade recycled plastic. “Brands are starting to be more sustainable and aware of their plastic use. We absolutely want to encourage other brands to start using recycled plastic picked by waste pickers,” Mann says.

It appears that all generations, not just millennials and Generation Z, are taking a stand on sustainability. According to J. Walter Thompson Intelligence’s recent sustainability study, 90 percent of adult consumers think companies and brands have a responsibility to take care of the planet and its people. The same report concluded 91 percent of adults think companies and brands that pollute the environment should be fined.

We have officially entered the age of “less is more.” Retailers must factor sustainability into the brands they work with–and they may even want to go a step further and green their own business. Manufacturers and retailers alike will win by delivering big on product, but light on packaging.

[Images: iStock]

Expand your offerings to include these four fast-growing, customer pleasers.

A close look at recent industry reports and findings revealed these four product categories of beauty market growth. Be sure to include them in your product curation this year!

Calming CBD

Market research firm Spate reported more than a 49 percent increase in Google searches in the CBD category in 2019. It’s no surprise the CBD global skincare market is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research, with a mind-boggling expected compound annual growth of over 30 percent.

Short for cannabidiol, CBD is one of the chemical compounds that can be extracted from hemp. Unlike the cannabis compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in high amounts in hemp's cousin marijuana, CBD is non-psychoactive. It is regarded for its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. CBD and CBD oil are being used to address an array of skin concerns from acne to dryness to sensitivity. Beauty skincare brands are embracing CBD for its reparative, antiaging properties, featuring it in serums, moisturizers, eye creams and more. Although clinical research testing the efficacy of CBD is still pending, most experts agree that topical application of CBD is not harmful, and will likely provide benefits.

North America has been the largest consumer base for CBD-infused skincare products and is expected to lead the pack as cannabis cultivation laws are expected to continue to loosen throughout the U.S.. With countless celebrity endorsements, CBD has gained enormous popularity. As growth continues, beauty retailers are making shelf space a priority (including Sephora and Ulta, who both began carrying CBD product in 2019).

Sustainability as the Standard

“Green” is officially the new black in terms of natural ingredients, manufacturing and the packaging of beauty products. Countless brands and manufacturers, including heavy hitters like L’Oréal, Unilever, Estée Lauder Companies and Procter & Gamble, have made public commitments within the last few years, promising to limit or convert plastic packaging into recyclable, compostable and refillable options.

The environmental benefits of sustainable beauty are only one part of the growth, along with increased customer demand for accountability. Fifty-five percent of people polled in a recent report by J. Walter Thompson Intelligence titled The New Sustainability: Regeneration, said they are more likely to buy beauty products if the company claims to be sustainable. The same report found that 77 percent of people think products with a negative environmental impact should cost more.

Customized Beauty

The landscape for a generalized beauty approach with limited options is a thing of the past. At CosmoProf North America 2019, Andrew McDougall of market intelligence agency Mintel shared information on the growing desire for “bespoke beauty,” a market that focuses on a customer’s uniqueness rather than age, skin or body type. The firm recently surveyed several European groups about beauty topics and the results are fascinating. McDougall’s report, titled Personalisation in Beauty, found 68 percent of Italian consumers showed interest in making a customized beauty product in-store or online while 78 percent of Italian consumers have interest in taking a personality test to identify their beauty needs.

Not surprisingly, technology comes into play when mentioning bespoke beauty. Fifty-eight percent of Spanish consumers report being interested in 3D printing services to create personalized products or packaging. Virtual options to “try on” a product (like makeup) before buying have already gained popularity, while apps that help make product or application suggestions based on individual data or previous purchases continue to grow.

Fem Care Appeal

Several factors have contributed to intimate care, or “fem care,” market growth, including the rise in unabashed female entrepreneurs and the self-loving customer base of millennial and Generation Z exposed to social movements like #MeToo. Feminine hygiene and sexual wellness products are no longer taboo, and the beauty industry is taking note. Recent reports by Grand View Research show the global feminine intimate care market size was valued at $1.1 billion in 2018 with a forecasted compound annual growth of 3.4 percent through 2025.

The number of sexual wellness and women’s health products on display at the Indie Beauty Expo has tripled each year from 2018, with increased interest from attendees. These products included a range of lubricants and vibrators, intimate skincare regimes and products to aid in menstruation like organic sanitary aids and menstrual cups. Below-the belt-spa treatments have gained popularity in recent years too, including vagina steaming and the “vanicure.” Avonda Nelson Urben, founder of the intimate care line The Perfect V, developed the vanicure, a service that includes cleansing and exfoliating of the hips, inner thighs, lower stomach and pubic regions.

[Image: iStock]