I first met Girlactik founder Galit Strugano-Widgor more than a decade ago at Urth Caffé on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, where I was happy to get my caffeine fix and check out her brand’s latest cosmetics. While we chatted, Strugano-Widgor spotted an A-list actress sitting nearby. Without hesitation, she walked over to the A-lister and handed her Girlactik products. Upon returning to me, she said very matter-of-factly, “I think she’d like my makeup.” Strugano-Widgor does what she has to do to make her brand a success. Girlactik has withstood two downturns, store exits, social media shifts, countless competitors and an evolution from a glitter brand for young consumers to a practical makeup authority for women in their 30s to 50s. “I’m at the moment that I couldn’t be prouder of my brand,” says Strugano-Wigdor. “I’ve always been proud, but today I’m super proud because Girlactik is Galit, and I’m the vision for many who want to look like the best versions of themselves, but still see their face and their beauty in the mirror.”
Strugano-Widgor’s chutzpah and persistence is the reason her brand has stuck around. The final edition of our 40 Over 40 series spotlighting indie beauty brands led by founders 40 years old and above has numerous examples of entrepreneurs with similar chutzpah and persistence. Brook Harvey-Taylor’s Pacifica survived the Great Recession, Miko Branch’s Miss Jessie’s continued after the death of her sister and co-founder Titi, and Sara Happ’s namesake brand plowed forward despite attempts to rip off its staple lip scrub. These brand founders are better businesspeople because of the challenges they’ve encountered. No fancy degree or fat check can replicate their experiences steering brands through them. At Beauty Independent, we are awed by their perseverance and the opportunity we’ve been given to chronicle it. We know there are so many others that share their fortitude, and we can’t wait to include them in future pieces.
Sasha Plavsic
Founder, Ilia
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
We started several years ago and helped form the category for clean color. We were never completely organic, nor are we completely natural. It was a hybrid of those base ingredients mixed with safe synthetics. The category came out of this conscious blend of ingredients. Our main point of difference in now one of the fastest-growing categories is that we add active levels of skincare ingredients to our makeup products. We also ensure the ingredients are able to bring the skin back into balance and improve it over time. We use the term skincare-powered makeup to describe this in three words.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
Several years ago, I could not find transparency in brands that were presenting themselves as green, nor could I find cleaner or more natural-based products that worked and were packaged with some aesthetic appeal. I took my favorite European tinted lip balm and challenged myself to see if I could create a more conscious and clean version that could rival some of the conventional greats on the market. I blindly sent a box to Colette in Paris, and ABC Carpet & Home in New York. They both took the product willingly. So, it began.
What are key milestones your brand has reached lately or will it reach soon?
It took time for the consumer to catch up and for the category of clean to form. It also took me five years to test and learn how to formulate a product that could perform. Sephora is a strong retailer for us, where we are rapidly growing and will be the first clean indie color brand to expand to two-bay gondolas in 2020. Also, our mascara rose to the No. 3 bestselling mascara overall on Sephora.com. This was a big milestone as the product didn’t have any marketing behind it, meaning it was all word of mouth. I am very proud of that as it means the product stood on its own.
How do you handle raising kids while growing your brand?
I have two little girls. One is 4 years old, the other 9 months. It isn’t easy at all. Today, on social media, so many working mothers make everything look effortless. In reality, it is very challenging. I would like to see more women comfortable sharing this as that transparency is very powerful and relatable for other women. There’s no such thing as having it all. It’s about figuring how to balance it all, knowing you will fail at times in work and also home, but that’s just life.
What’s your feeling about sharing your age?
I am very comfortable about sharing my age, maybe it’s because I have two beautiful children and feel like I have already lived a lot in this lifetime. That being said, my biggest fear is time and missing out in life as it is certainly going by way too fast.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced while growing your brand?
The toughest ongoing challenge is finding the right people to work alongside our growing team. This part is so important, and it goes beyond skill set as everyone comes with a different personality. I’ve started looking at the Enneagram Institute for personality types when hiring. When people hear the words personality test, it can be a bit unnerving, but understanding more how someone will problem solve only helps everyone work together more seamlessly in the end. It can be a fun thing to do and, for the most part, people enjoy learning about themselves and others.
What sort of boss do you try to be?
I like to be approachable and collaborative. Most people like to feel a part of something and contribute. If they are able to learn new things daily along the way and build on clear communication, it pushes all of us forward as a team.
Brook Harvey-Taylor
Founder and President, Pacifica
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
When I started this brand, it wasn’t because I couldn’t find products that worked for me, it was that I couldn’t find products that worked and aligned with my core value: compassion for humans, animals and the planet. That is what makes Pacifica different in the marketplace. Compassion is our brand core value. We are in service of our consumer always and, for us, that starts with the best ingredients and the best products that are accessible. Clean beauty should be for all. We create prestige formulas that are accessible.
It also means that we are in service of taking care of animals. We have been vegan since day one. It is not a trend for us, it is part of our value system. We also have always been cruelty-free, and we are also in service of caring for the planet. While we didn’t shout it out, we created the first recyclable eyeshadow palette five years ago. And the other big point of difference? We don’t market ourselves! This has not served us, but, get ready, we are coming for this one. This year, we are shouting out our positioning as the OG clean and vegan brand!
How did the idea for the brand come about?
During my childhood, my mother was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and, as a result, she became a natural food fanatic and only used natural products. That made me more aware of what I was putting into and onto my body. In college, I was an apprentice for an aromatherapist and crystal healer. As I learned more about natural oils, I started to perfume my own scents, and I never stopped. Our fragrances are what is at the core of our brand, and we use aromatherapy principals in everything we do.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
I hate the term “anti-aging.” It sounds like bad skincare to me. But, just like anyone, I long to have younger-looking skin. I am always on the hunt for the next miracle ingredient. We choose to use phrases like “disobey time” on our skincare.
How do you handle raising kids while growing your brand?
I have three kids. My son was born when Pacifica was a tiny brand. I have a 17-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old daughter. It is super hard having a brand and raising kids at the same time. There are days I feel like I am a good mom, and days I feel like I am good at leading this brand, but there are not days when I do both well. The BS story of women who get to have it all and lead a balanced life are lies. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. There is no such thing as balance. You have to learn to forgive yourself for failing daily, stay present in the moments you are with your kids, and remind yourself that no one gets to be perfect, no matter how much they look like they are on Instagram.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced growing your brand?
The toughest challenge I have ever faced with Pacifica has been when the economy changed around 2010. We watched so many brands disappear. It was a hard time. We didn’t really feel major effects of it until 2012, and we had a few really tough years. I look back on this time, and I remind myself that we were able to get through that, and we can get through pretty much anything.
What’s a beauty or wellness product you use today that you wouldn’t have thought you would have needed when you were younger?
Now, I have hair on my upper lip. It sucks, so I have to pluck it out. I never thought that it would come to this when I was younger.
How do you think the beauty and wellness workplace of the future should be better than it is today?
I hear a lot about toxic workplaces. The truth is that no one has to be here or in any specific job for that matter. People should be happy where they work. Life is too short. I am grateful to all the people who spend part of their lives working for my company and am honored to have their time. I want to treat them with respect.
What was the greatest day at your brand?
Here is a corny answer but it is true: Every day that I am alive is great. I am so grateful to be a part of this world, this industry and this planet. Please don’t puke when you read this, but I mean that. I feel so lucky every day of my life, and I love my job and this industry.
Where would you like your brand to be in five years?
I would like it to be bigger, stronger and to continue to push the boundaries around making beauty safe, clean and sustainable for future generations.
Alicia Grande
Founder, Grande Cosmetics
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
Innovation is the cornerstone of Grande Cosmetics, so we are always looking for the most effective solutions to transform your beauty beyond the surface level with color cosmetics, but through visible, long-term anti-aging results as well. Every single product we create is powered by potent skincare ingredients that work to enhance your own natural beauty, not cover it, so you can feel like your truest, best self when you wear them.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
I have always had an incredible passion for beauty. I got my start on a radio show in New York that was heavily focused on the science of cosmetics and was shocked by a certain game-changing product discovery: I found a lash enhancing serum that actually works. I thought to myself, “With the last name Grande, I need to make this product my own and give every woman the ability to have the lashes of their dreams.”
What sort of boss do you try to be?
Build your team by really observing the people you’ve hired. Identify their strengths and nurture them. People on my team, some started out answering phones. I met my CMO at a spa show in Philadelphia, and she was looking to get back in the workforce. Create relationships with your people because it is a win-win. I enjoy these relationships and having a relationship with my team members makes them more engaged and interested in their work with you. Pay attention and always give people the opportunity to grow because you can’t do it alone.
What was the greatest day at your brand?
Back when Grande Cosmetics was just getting its start, I invested $1,500 on my very first booth setup at a New York City trade show. It was a chaotically busy event, as they always are, with only my sister and I tending to the crowd. I took a moment to get some lunch, casually glancing around at the sea of people walking around, when I spotted my fuchsia “G” logo shopping bags on the shoulders of multiple attendees. I can’t fully explain how proud I felt in that moment. It was so surreal seeing the brand come to life in that way. By the afternoon, I had completely sold out of my product making $8,000 in return. It was at that moment that I knew I had the recipe for success.
How has that routine changed as you have grown older?
Lash serums didn’t even exist when I was younger! If your lashes were sparse or lackluster, there really wasn’t anything you could do besides coating on a million coats of mascara which, let’s be honest, who has time for? I am so thankful those days are over and couldn’t imagine not using GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum as part of my nightly skincare routine.
Sara Happ
Founder, Sara Happ
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
At Sara Happ, we are laser-focused on doing one thing and doing it perfectly: lips. Our goal is to solve for lip problems everyone has and be first to market with the most luxurious products imaginable.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
The Lip Scrub was the first product I launched in 2005 out of necessity. There simply were zero lip exfoliants on the market, so I went to my kitchen and, with mixing bowls and spatulas, made six flavors of Lip Scrub myself. For 15 years now, we’ve been solving every lip problem one could imagine.
What key milestone has the brand reached lately?
We just launched wide in Ulta, which has been a dream come true. Together with our 400 indie boutiques who built me and our luxury partners, this relationship beautifully rounds out our U.S. distribution.
Have you experienced age discrimination?
I love being 40. I feel as though I own my voice. I know who I am. It’s difficult to shock or upset me. I have a calm and a confidence I didn’t have before. I actually felt much more discriminated against at age 25 as I tried to launch my company. I was called “cute” in meetings or told my idea for this thing called a “Lip Scrub” was crazy and adorable, but not to quit my day job. Age had a lot to do with it.
How can you confront age discrimination in your capacity?
I believe in hiring up no matter what. I call it hire higher. With time comes wisdom, and I love it that we employ women of all ages who have played in the boys’ club and won, who have hard-earned experience and have decades of career experience behind that, which fuels their investment in our brand.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
Not a fan. My president, Peggy Fry, trademarked the term, “Conscious Aging.” I think it’s brilliant. We’re all aging. Let’s not fight it or be “anti.” Let’s do it mindfully.
How do you handle raising a kid while building your brand?
Julia is 6, and I actively involve her in my work. She’s also a shareholder in Sara Happ Inc.! So, she tests flavors for us. She gives brutally honest product feedback. She comes on business trips and to the office with me. I want her to feel a part of what I do, the same way I feel a part of her life in kindergarten when I volunteer at school. Also, because works takes me away from her at times, involving her in our company makes her feel connected to our team, our brand, and she literally knows where I’m going, because I’ve taken her. I’m really grateful I get to do this with her.
If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about the beauty and wellness industry?
I would change any sense of flawlessness that the beauty industry portrays. Instagram filters and photo shoots produce results that, no matter how much we’re told aren’t realistic, I think there’s still a part of people that believes they should look a certain way. No breakouts. No wrinkles. No sunspots. That’s not life. I love people and brands who boldly show reality.
What was the greatest day at your brand?
The greatest day for my brand came in April 2006, a Thursday, when People magazine hit newsstands, handing me my first piece of press. My website crashed. I had hundreds upon hundreds of orders off my homemade website for my homemade Lip Scrub, and I made my corporate salary in a weekend. It was a beautiful, surreal nightmare!
Where would you like your brand to be in five years?
I’d like Sara Happ to be synonymous with perfect lips. I’d like to have a product that addresses every lip problem you didn’t even know you had.
Adiya Dixon Wiggins
Founder, Yubi Beauty
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
We are literally breaking the mold on the cosmetic tool category and helping busy people cut their makeup time in half. Most other brands consider tools an afterthought, but, at Yubi, we realize that how you apply your cosmetics is more important than what you apply.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
Yubi as a product was born out of personal necessity. As an international attorney and mother of two, I often felt overwhelmed by beauty, which was time-consuming and complicated. To start, I wanted a faster, more natural way to apply my cosmetics at home, in the car or on a plane. Yubi, Japanese for “finger,” was the hybrid tool I dreamed of, giving me the ability to cut my beauty time in half and feel confident about my results.
Yubi as a brand was born when I decided, at 39, that despite an amazing legal career and perfect family, I wanted to take the biggest risk of my life and launch a company around my product. I wanted to bring this tool to the world in the way only I could to demonstrate that, even though society has rules for how we should all look and perform, beautiful things happen when we break the mold. At 39, I was very much supposed to settle in to my life, appreciate what I had and desperately cling to it until retirement. The message all around me was that the best years of my life—the exciting years of courtship and romance, childbearing, career changes, all the “living” of life—was done by 39. Yubi is my way of proving that wrong.
What key milestones has the brand reached?
We were named one of Time Magazine’s best inventions and launched on HSN within our first six months of business.
Have you experienced age discrimination?
I have been fortunate within this industry, but I have definitely earned my fair share of sideways glances from professionals in my former life as an attorney. The unfortunate thing is that, for so long, many have considered beauty to be solely in the purview of young women in their 20s. This is in large part because we have diminished the importance of beauty as a society. We don’t consider it “serious” work despite the very palpable positive impact a beauty routine has on us as individuals.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
It’s crazy. We spend a lot of time as a society looking backwards to “the good old days,” when oddly for so many there wasn’t all that much enjoyable about those days, especially compared to the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy now. I’m trying to set an example with others that there is so very much more life and joy and excitement, so much to learn, so much that makes you blush and jump for joy, so many more rollercoaster thrills still left to enjoy for the many decades we still are blessed to live on this earth.
How do you handle raising kids while building your brand?
I have two kids aged 4 and 7, and they are right next to me on this journey. They help pack boxes, they review samples with me. My daughter comes to business meetings, and we debrief after. My kids are my muses for Yubi. They made this brand necessary, and I want them to be as involved as they want to be every step of the way.
What’s been your experience with investors?
We are self-funded because we can be after a healthy prior career, but I am blessed that I have a ready network of angels who have offered support if and when I need it. This is a direct benefit of my age. They are all connections I made during my decade practicing law and have had ample time to develop real relationships with me. So, they know me to be trustworthy, resourceful and diligent. In so many ways, my age is my secret weapon.
What is your feeling about sharing your age?
I share my age with anyone who asks and even some who don’t! I feel fortunate to be in the position I am at my age—wonderful family, great community, exciting, growing business—that I almost feel it is my obligation to share my age with others. I remember being filled with anxiety in my 20s about who I would be, what I would do, and feeling a sense of urgency, that I needed to accomplish everything by the time I was 40. I hope to serve as an example that some of the best things don’t even get started until your 40s, and that life is long and lovely.
Where would you like your brand to be in five years from?
In five years, I hope Yubi is a household name. I want our adorable tool on beauty vanities, and in gym and travel bags around the globe, making makeup and skincare simpler, faster and more enjoyable for dynamic, delightful people everywhere.
Meryl Marshall
Co-founder, Hynt Beauty
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
We launched Hynt Beauty when there were very few options for natural, high-performing makeup products that had the elegance and pampered feeling that traditional prestige cosmetics evoke. Hynt Beauty’s packaging and formulas are designed so that they can deliver the same prestige experience and polished pro-finish as traditional department store brands while being clean and green at the same time.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
There is no such thing as “anti-aging.” Aging is a natural and beautiful process that we and, increasingly more women, embrace. As a brand, we never use this term to refer to our products or our philosophy. To us, looking your best comes from self-care and self-love because beauty truly shines from within. It’s not always visible to oneself, but others can see and sense it. Self-care always equates to looking your best in the moment you are living in.
What sort of boss do you try to be?
I was a working mother of three young children, and it was very difficult and stressful. Now, I like to hire women who are passionate about Hynt Beauty and its success, but are also stay-at-home moms with children in school. They are able to drop their kids off in the morning and be there to take them off the school bus. They work while their children are in class or are already asleep in bed, and they appreciate that they have the flexibility to work on their own time and get the job done. We give them complete flexibility. They know they can take the day off to stay home with a sick child and have absolutely no worry that they will jeopardize their job. In turn, we get phenomenal talent and loyalty. We all work as a team.
What is your feeling about sharing your age?
I promised myself during cancer treatment that I would graciously welcome every year that came my way. I state my age proudly—currently 61—as if it were an award. I truly feel that every year brings new challenges and wonderful experiences like watching my adult children reach new milestones, and I am so appreciative that I can be here to support them through whatever they need.
What do you think about aesthetics procedures like Botox and plastic surgery?
I am all for taking action and doing what makes you feel more confident and happy as long as it is not harmful. I had upper eyelid surgery this year, not so much for the aesthetic, but because one of my eyelids had drooped, and it was only getting worse with time where some of my vision would be obstructed. The procedure not only corrected the issue, but I think I look a bit better in photos. I’m all for celebrating positive, well-intentioned changes like that.
Where would you like your brand to be in five years?
Five years from now, Hynt Beauty will truly be a global brand. We set out to be EU-certified early on, which meant that we had to pace ourselves with new product development and bigger marketing initiatives, but it’s paying off. A good chunk of our budget still goes to expanding our current selection of inventory to keep up with demand as we grow, but we are proud to say that we are in many parts of the world, including European nations and parts of Asia. We currently have distributors in Hong Kong, Finland, Germany and Norway, and are sold all over the world in many countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. We are looking forward to reaching many other international markets and are already hard at work in securing those markets.
Galit Strugano-Wigdor
Founder, Girlactik Beauty
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
What makes Girlactik different from many other brands is the idea of truly creating makeup that’s easy, effortless and universally flattering. I do all the homework of deciding what kind of packaging to the formula and the right colors. I design, and you just pick the must-haves you need in your beauty wardrobe.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
I wanted to be a beauty reporter and, within that dream, I saw the need for a base and glitter product. Back in the late 199’s when you applied glitter within a couple of hours, you would find glitter traveling to another spot on your face. My idea was simple. I wanted to develop a base and very fine sparkles for beautiful classic sparkling eyes. My startup started with $1,800.
How do you handle raising kids while building a business?
I have three kids. Liam, 8, Marco, 6, and Maya, 3. I think I’ve given myself the title of Superwoman. I try to do it all and happy to say I’m doing it. I think the secret is having a lot of patience, being able to multitask, being positive, and the motto, “You just do it and can.”
What sort of boss do you try to be?
I try to be a positive happy boss, If I’m under pressure, I step back, take a breath and organize what I need to do and conquer.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced growing your brand?
The toughest thing in growing Girlactik has been many fans saying how the brand is underrated. The whole brand is designed beautifully with luxe formulas and is unique. I’ve gone to investors, but it’s rare to find an investor who believes in a brand and sees the future. I always remind myself I started with $1,800 and, 19 years later, I’m still here. Brands that started with funding are gone. I’ll get there myself eventually on my own.
How do you think the beauty and wellness workplace of the future should be better than it is today?
It seems like the workplace now is a popularity contest, and it’s about the flavors of the month in beauty. If you’re not spoken about, you’re not in demand. A lot of that comes from money and what is paid to social media influencers. Social media started on the authenticity of genuinely loving a brand and sharing it. The fees nowadays are way too expensive for indie brands. It’s very frustrating when influencers know a brand is good or has the best liquid lipstick, but it’s not spoken about because there’s no payment.
If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about the beauty and wellness industry?
Probably the saturation of cosmetic brands over the last two years. A lot of brands were developed on the concept of, “Oh, I can do this, and let’s make money.” The love for makeup wasn’t there first. It was the money.
What is your feeling about sharing your age?
I just recently turned 44. I don’t mind sharing my age. It’s just a number. I don’t look it nor feel in my 40s. To me 40s is the new 30s.
Where would you like your brand to be in five years?
I would like Girlactik to be more known and not underrated. Word of mouth is the best compliment. It can take longer, but, at the end of the day, it means you’re doing something right that can make a person smile with just applying a makeup product.
Miko Branch
Co-founder, Miss Jessie’s
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
What makes Miss Jessie’s brand different from all of the other brands is our unbreakable connection to our customer. Miss Jessie’s is a pioneer and leader in the haircare industry that carved out the category for natural and curly hair creating performance-based products that work, which were groundbreaking, unique and distinctive in the early 2000s when there was nothing else like it.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
The idea for Miss Jessie’s came about in the late 1990s and early 2000s when I needed to embrace my natural textures. Very soon after, my sister Titi Branch and I became experts in curly hair and took to our kitchen table to create groundbreaking products from scratch for curly kinky and wavy hair textures.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
Some people want to stop the aging process and some people want to embrace it. We support and embrace any position the person has on anti-aging and believe that our products for curly and natural textures enhance and beautify an individual whether they are embracing or attempting to slow down the aging process.
What sort of boss do you try to be?
I try to be a fair boss, which is not the easiest thing to do.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced growing your brand?
The toughest challenge I face growing my brand is staying true to my core values and what works for my business versus tuning out the noise of competition and an unnecessary notion that bigger is better.
What’s been your experience with investors?
My sister Titi Branch and I decided that growing our business slowly was the best approach to expansion. We have not sought out investors or loans to raise money and relied on the efficacy of the products we make to provide capital to grow step by step.
Rochelle Weitzner
Founder, Pause Well Aging
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
We formulate our products specifically for women experiencing the three stages of menopause. We are the first brand to focus exclusively on this consumer.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
It came in a flash…a hot flash. When I had my first hot flash, I immediately thought about products I would want and need as I entered this next life stage and realized there was nothing on the market for me. I knew that, if I wanted these types of products, I would have to create them myself. Luckily, I had the background and experience to know how to do it.
Have you experienced age discrimination?
Not so much age discrimination, but more like ignorance around menopause. Mainstream media, the world’s largest search engine and the world’s largest home shopping network think that menopause is a medical condition and, therefore, cannot be spoken about on TV or in print. This is outrageous and flat out wrong. Menopause is a life stage. It is even defined by the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health this way. Heart disease and erectile dysfunction are true medical conditions, yet you hear about these conditions everywhere.
How can you confront age discrimination in your capacity?
My mission is to help women understand their true power at this life stage and not fall into what has been the traditional “my life is over” way of thinking. I had my first hot flash at age 48, wrote my business plan and launched the company when I was 50, the same year I also started boxing. The other thing I can do in my capacity is to actively seek out women 40-plus for my hiring needs.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
It’s the most awful term ever. It’s nothing but negative and suggests that we are against aging. We trademarked the term “Well-Aging,” which, to us, means aging well and on our terms. If someone wants to use tools, products, procedures to help them as they age, then so be it. Likewise, if someone never wants to use anything, so be it.
Do you see yourself in beauty and wellness marketing and advertising?
I definitely do in our marketing and advertising, but that’s about it. We’re starting to see a few of the older, still glamorous celebrities show up, but it’s still not mainstream. The use of real women in campaigns is absolutely key.
What sort of boss do you try to be?
I try to communicate as much as possible so that we’re all on the same page, and there is never any guessing about what is right for the brand. My team members are empowered to make decisions to shape the growth and identity of the company. I want my team members to get their wellness activities in, so working flexible schedules to allow this is always encouraged. We all know what needs to get done, so the team doesn’t need me micromanaging them. We just get it done.
What’s been your experience with investors?
I have raised money and the process was not terribly fun. I pitched the brand at least 200 times before signing with my investor. It never felt like my age was an issue, but more like my gender, and my subject matter and products were since the majority of investors are still middle-aged white men who have no idea what menopause is and why it would make for a sexy investment.
What is your feeling about sharing your age?
I love telling people my age, 51. I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life, for sure I’m the fittest I’ve ever been, and I’m also the happiest. I want to inspire women and help them realize that 50 today really is more like 30 and, for me anyway, I’m just getting started.
Where would you like your brand to be in five years?
Five years from now, we’ll have a much more developed product line and will likely be more a lifestyle brand rather than just pure skincare. We still be largely digitally native, but will likely have some brick-and-mortar points of distribution so that customers can touch and feel our products before they buy. I also expect that Pause will be known to every woman who is nearing or experiencing the three stages of menopause.
Greg Starkman
Co-Founder, Innersense
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
Innersense has been growing at growth at an annual rate exceeding 100% annually. We plan to maintain our current rate of growth driven by expanded consumer awareness of the clean beauty space. Innersense commitment to purity and performance of products coupled with transparency is what sets us apart.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
As beauty professionals, both [my wife and co-founder] Joanne and I became concerned with toxins with in our life following the birth of our daughter. Joanne became an informed label reader. I began to ask the hard questions and went to work to develop our products.
What key milestones has your brand reached lately or will it reach soon?
We have had numerous milestones over that last two years. Our expansion in to Europe has been highly successful as we continue to expand in new markets. Understanding the digital highway has also been a game changer in expanding consumer awareness. This has benefited our partners as all channels are experiencing the same rate of growth. All ships rise together. In the upcoming year, we will be further expanding in to Asia and the U.A.E.
What sort of boss do you try to be?
Open, flexible. I want people to take ownership. No mistake is going to be catastrophic to the business. I really love to leverage the youth of our team. Understand their likes, interests. I’m a mentor and learning to back out of the detail and view the business at 360 degrees. Provide the vision that sets the direction and focus.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced growing your brand?
When you are struggling, you chase orders. Sometimes, those decisions lead to poor choices. To that point, we went in to a national retailer that turned in to a nightmare. It was costly and diminished the brand. Pulling out was a tough decision. I have learned to stay true to who you are. Less is more.
What was the greatest day at your brand?
When we achieved our first $1 million month, it was a major milestone. We are quickly approaching our next big milestone.
What is your feeling about sharing your age?
I’m 60 in a youthful industry. OK, I said it, I’m out!
What constitutes your role at your brand today and how would you like it to evolve?
I’m the leader, mentor, master motivator. As the business grows, I continue to want to build management and further distance myself from day to day. I love being out with partners, meeting our customers and talking all things beauty.
Where would you like to see your brand in five years?
Innersense will continue to dominate our leadership position in clean haircare. We will more than triple the number of doors we are sold in while maintaining the values that has brought us here. Words to live by: “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will”
Maya Crothers
Founder, Circcell
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
We bring dermatological-grade ingredients combined with clays, botanical, essential oils, herbal extracts, etc., and deliver them in clean formulations. We do not take our commitment to clean lightly. We have always been paraben-, sulfate-, fragrance-, artificial colorant-free, and never tested on animals, but we decided to raise our level of clean. Over the past 18 months, we have also formulated out phenoxyetthenol, polysorbate-20, EDTA and petroleum-based ingredients without removing any of our performance-based ingredients. It has been quite a herculean task, but well worth the effort, and we are so proud to be a true performance brand with a real commitment to clean.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
I moved to a climate that was very tough on skin and could not find a line that performed under such demanding conditions. So, I created my own line.
What are your thoughts on the term anti-aging?
The term “anti-aging” does not bother me. I think it is a pretty straightforward description of what we are trying to do on the surface. I think most people understand the metaphysical benefits of aging—experience, wisdom, the ability to contribute to society—and we all celebrate these benefits, but most of my customers are trying to look as good as possible while saving the world, advancing their careers and raising happy, healthy families. From a marketing/key-word perspective, it is still one of the most searched terms on Google, Bing, Amazon, etc., for those looking for skincare. So, if I want my customers to find me, I have to understand the language they are using. We also fully support the trend toward overall wellbeing, which is more broadly focused on general health and happiness vs specifically focusing on wrinkles.
Do you see yourself in beauty and wellness marketing and advertising?
Marketing and advertising are so much more inclusive today than in the past, but I still don’t see women in their 50s and above represented much except for health care or elderly related services. I think we all have a responsibility, as the drivers of the beauty industry, to change this. We do this by representing all ages and ethnicities when choosing influencers and UGC.
What’s your approach to marketing and advertising given your perspective?
We primarily use influencers of all ages and work with beauty editors. We have yet to create our own advertising campaign using models. We did run a social media campaigns using photos of real customers and definitely hit most age groups.
How do you handle raising kids while building your brand?
My kids are 15 and 17. I work from home, so that helps a lot. I think it is good for them to see their mom as a committed entrepreneur working through difficult and complicated issues. My husband is an extremely engaged dad, which helps tremendously as well. I’m asked about the sacrifices I’ve had to make. I don’t really look at life that way. Human beings are inherently goal-oriented and driven to produce. That can be funneled into many different avenues, whether its work, family, community, etc. We all chose our path and each decision along the way drives a sacrifice some other possibility. More time at home today equals less time at the office. Like every other mom, I try to bring the most balance I can to everything that matters to me and hope at the end of the day I’ve been a good example and made the right choices.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced growing your brand?
The retail landscape is so competitive and getting shelf space can be challenging. I’ve learned the best way to overcome this is through social proof, hitting a white space and having the resources to support sales once the product is on the shelves. We have freelance beauty ambassadors in all of our Neiman Marcus locations to support sales once our products hit the shelves. We also participate regularly with in-store events, public appearances and GWP promotions. Our spas all get regular training, and we jointly hold events with them to promote our brand to their customers.
We began in the professional spa channel and only moved to retail 18 months ago. Social media is so much more important in the retail channel. We had to learn this, and I feel like we are finally hitting our stride here and see our followers and engagement growing. As far as a white space is concerned, we do believe we are one of a very small number of brands that is truly delivering performance-based ingredients that your dermatologist would recommend without all the nasties.
What’s been your experience with investors?
My husband is in the private equity business, and I watch the way he and his colleagues work with entrepreneurs. It is a fairly egalitarian business based primarily on results you can see in practice and on paper. Good financials, a good business plan, solid competitive advantage, impressive management team, this is what really matters to the typical investor. If you can deliver in these areas, not much else matters.
Josh Rosebrook
Founder, Josh Rosebrook
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
We source the highest quality organic plants and herbs from several West Coast local farms. We make our own extracts and infusions in-house with proprietary methodologies that create an effective delivery system for the actives and plant constituents along with the truly unique formulations, textures and efficacy of all our products.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
I needed effective skincare that utilized specific, skin-regenerating herbal actives that didn’t exist. So, I made my own. Years of development created the products you see today.
What are your thoughts on the term “anti-aging”?
It’s tired and doesn’t make sense, though everyone knows what it is trying to imply. It’s so dated in the 1990s to me. I stopped using the term in 2015. I prefer “slow skin aging, offsets skin decline, and rejuvenating.”
What do you think about aesthetics procedures like Botox and plastic surgery?
I think they are absolutely fine. They are great options for people to feel better about themselves. A little goes a long way. That is best, but people are free to do what they want to do, and we should accept everyone. Beauty is personal, and everyone should be free to express and create their beauty any way they want.
Lake Louise
Founder, Plain Jane Beauty
What makes your brand different from all other brands?
Inclusivity is at the core of who we are. It is important to me because it was hard for me to find my own makeup foundation shade—and I’m a fairly light brown shade. I knew that if I wasn’t finding my color in a healthy, clean, natural formula—especially after many years in the skincare industry—plenty of other women were having the same issue.
I also thought a lot about my former students when I was a high school teacher. Kids want to be included. Imagine not being included in beauty, for reasons like: It’s hard to formulate; there’s no market or demand for it—fill in the blank. There’s no good excuse for excluding entire groups of people from beauty.
How did the idea for the brand come about?
Plain Jane Beauty was also a solution for our Lotus Moon Skin Care customers. They were spending a lot of money on their skincare and were concerned about wearing makeup that would clog their pores. So, the real focus of Plain Jane Beauty was creating a natural and skin-loving foundation that was also inclusive of shade range. Because it sits on our skin all day, I wanted to make a very clean, healthy liquid cream foundation. As a result, our formulations do not include dimethicone, a silicone many companies use to give their makeup a silky, smooth look and feel. The problem with it is that it suffocates the skin. It is designed to fill in the pores and fine lines in order to make them disappear. In doing so, it is also clogging the pores. I had to be creative and find other natural alternatives that would allow the skin to breathe, while providing a non-oily silky, smooth texture. That’s how Plain Jane Beauty became the first clean beauty brand with an inclusive shade range of 17 shades. There are brands now, seven years later, extending their foundation range, but we were the first.
What are your thoughts on the term anti-aging?
The language we use to describe ourselves and our experiences matters. I tend to stay away from negative words, i.e. anti,.. I prefer to express the aging process as well-aging. For me, my aging journey is about experiencing joy within the aging process. It includes having a happy heart, being more self-confident, and less self-critical. It involves self-love and not comparing myself to others’ standards of beauty. When we age with stress, sadness and depression, we produce toxins that lead to irritation, inflammation and, ultimately, accelerated aging. A life lived with joy, laughter, and smiling activates the endorphins through the body and helps support graceful aging. The term “anti-aging” for me means to avoid aging… If we don’t age, we die. I’m here to live.
What’s your approach to marketing and advertising given your perspective?
Our approach is education. As a former high school teacher is it important to me that I teach our customers about how to best care for their skin. Fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, loss of collagen, lackluster skin, dehydration, skin cancer. These issues are common to aging. There are a lot of older women who don’t have a skin care routine. They unknowingly strip, irritate, and dehydrate their skin. They haven’t been educated as to how to deal with their hormonal changes. This is the unfortunate result of a youth-obsessed culture that disregards aging skin.
If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about the beauty and wellness industry?
I would want to outlaw being able to “photoshop” before and after pictures to sell cosmetics or skin care products.
Why?
We live in an age of beauty illusions, where media stereotypes determine our norms, and where the prevailing norm is agelessness. It’s beauty that is flawless and forever young—even as we age. For example, when I see a 20-something woman sharing on her Instagram about her latest Botox injection, I know what she’s been sold. She’s been sold an idea that aging is unacceptable, and that Botox is how she can counter it. I also know that the media and its experts have failed her, because they’ve neglected to inform her that chemical injections and quick fixes aren’t her best solutions. We are not receiving the messages that the beauty that comes with age can be both graceful and captivating.
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