More than a century ago, Max Factor leveraged his makeup artistry with a brand, and ever since, beauty professionals have been following in his footsteps, although interest in their brands has waxed and waned. These days, professional expertise is at the forefront of brand building and retail assortments, with makeup artist- and hairstylist-helmed brands like Isamaya Beauty, Violette_FR, Roz, Ciele Cosmetics, Patrick Ta Cosmetics and Makeup by Mario in Sephora’s stable.
To better understand the mindset of professional beauty brand founders, Beauty Independent recently enlisted Nikki DeRoest, co-founder and CEO of Ciele Cosmetics, and Victoria Lynch, founder of Remi Cachet, for an In Conversation webinar, where they discussed their brands’ journeys and doled out advice for fellow beauty entrepreneurs.
Remi Cachet
Launched: 2003
Funding: undisclosed minority investment from a growth partner in 2022
As a hair extension specialist with 11-plus years of experience under her belt, Lynch knew she wanted to target the professional market when she launched British hair extension range Remi Cachet over two decades ago. In addition to their expertise, hairstylists and salon owners have proved stickier than fickle consumers who often have little knowledge of how extensions work. “If you capture a loyal customer as in a trade customer and they need your business to keep their business viable…then you’ve got that loyal customer for life,” said Lynch. “There’s no loyalty with a consumer when they can buy wherever they want.”
Targeting professionals has helped Remi Cachet bypass traditional sales and influencer marketing to generate awareness. Instead, it stakes its reputation not only on the quality and breadth of its offering, but on its service, too. Lynch noted that the key to serving professionals is to provide them with consistent education and support that helps them keep customers coming back.
“When…their clients feel as though they’re getting a return on investment that’s better for them as their business. We want a client to get…18 months to two years out of a hair product and the stylist isn’t losing anything because they’re seeing them regularly for maintenance,” said Lynch. “It’s the trust and relationship that you build directly with your product and your service with that trade professional.”
Remi Cachet started with a personal investment from Lynch of 5,000 pounds or approximately $6,470 and a 1,500 pound or $1,940 loan she secured from The King’s Trust, a charity formerly known as The Prince’s Trust that was founded by King Charles III when he held the title of the Prince of Wales. Its parent company Additional Lengths Ltd., also started by Lynch and encompassing direct-to-consumer business Additional Lengths, reached roughly 19 million pounds or approximately $24.6 million in turnover last year.
Today, the brand is distributed around the world and in the process of developing its first field sales team as it continues to scale internationally. Lynch underscored that haircare professionals who don’t offer extension services miss out on revenue opportunities. She said, “Make sure that you offer more variety than what you think so you can cater to every single client that walks through your door. That will then add to your success wherever you are.”
Ciele Cosmetics
Launched: 2023
Funding: Undisclosed pre-launch round from Sonoma Brands, with additional undisclosed funding from film director Todd Phillips
DeRoest developed nearly 2-year-old color cosmetics brand Ciele to address the sun spots and discoloration that had started to appear on her face as she approached middle age. A celebrity makeup artist by trade, she was inspired to combine makeup with sunscreen to create high-performance color products that would protect the skin. Ciele’s first product was $34 Blush & Protect, a liquid blush with SPF 50+.
Infusing sunscreen protection into makeup was challenging. “It’s an OTC product, so you have to go through go through all the testing for the FDA. The cost to make the product is enormous and then you have to find chemists that you can get on board. There’s a lot of hoops to go through in order to make it happen,” said DeRoest, adding, “I’m not going to say I’m the first person to ever make product with sunscreen in it, but I would say, to create an entire collection of high performance products…you don’t even know that you’re wearing SPF.”
Ciele’s current product lineup includes skin tint, liquid bronzer, concealer, setting powder, liquid highlighter, primer and sculpting stick with SPF between a factor of 30 to 50. The brand premiered exclusively in 270 Sephora doors a month after its launch and has since expanded to all doors as part of the retailer’s Next Big Thing makeup assortment.
DeRoest’s relationship with Sephora dates back to Roen Beauty, a brand she launched in 2019 with shiny eyeshadows formulated to be used with fingers. The brand caught the attention of the LVMH Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy-owned retailer and Ulta Beauty, with the former bagging it. When DeRoest exited Roen at the outset of the pandemic, Sephora told her, “Call us when you’re working on your next thing.”
Reflecting on her experience with Roen, DeRoest emphasized, “Now I really understand what it takes to create products. I’m not going to a facility where I give them my idea and they package everything together…I know that if I go direct for my unit cart and…my formula…and my glass bottles, I’ll be able to cut costs and get the pricing where I want it.”
Ciele will soon take its Sephora partnership to the next level with new end-cap displays landing in stores this fall. Speaking to other beauty entrepreneurs, DeRoest advised, “You’re going to make mistakes. Learn from them. It turns into muscle memory and that knowledge is power.”
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