How Glow Recipe Pivoted From a Curation Site to a Beauty Product Brand

Do you know the present U.S. cosmetics market is price over $95 billion?

With the quick development of the cosmetics business, it is turn into aggressive and saturated — particularly for startups. This business might be much more difficult to interrupt by means of whenever you’re making an attempt to promote a product that you simply’re viewers is perhaps much less conversant in.

With this in thoughts, Glow Recipe, based by Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, goals to deliver U.S. consciousness to Korean magnificence (or Okay-beauty) tendencies, in addition to its personal traces of pure, fruit-based beauty merchandise.

However, earlier than Glow Recipe offered 1000’s of beauty merchandise and constructed an viewers of greater than 1 million social media followers, it really began as a easy product curation web site aiming to focus on different Okay-beauty manufacturers.

In a latest episode of The Shake Up, Alexis Homosexual and Brianne Kimmel sat down with Co-CEOs Sarah Lee and Chang to learn the way they constructed a well known magnificence model and positioned their merchandise for the U.S. and different international markets.

Under are only a few nice highlights from the episode, in addition to an audio participant so you’ll be able to pay attention when you learn.

Glow Recipe Highlights

How and Why Glow Recipe Started With Curation

[00:18:54] Homosexual: It appears to me like by means of the work of a number of corporations, however significantly Glow Recipe, People are more and more conscious of Okay-beauty and the philosophy behind it. … I am questioning should you may simply inform us just a little extra. What are the precise key markers of Okay-beauty?

[00:19:17] Chang: The entire catalyst for us beginning this was really the conclusion that there was a burgeoning curiosity in Korean magnificence on the time. This was all the way in which again into 2014. We have been additionally seeing not solely customers but in addition international corporations seeking to Korean producers and Korean labs for the most recent improvements and skincare, components, and applied sciences.

… We have been additionally seeing that Korean magnificence articles … have been very centered on [K-beauty] as a ten to 15-step routine. … It might nearly be just a little — when it comes to content material — too clickbaity, versus actually getting on the coronary heart of the matter, which is that Korean magnificence is a couple of philosophy. … It is one thing that we ourselves discovered at our moms’ and grandmothers’ knees rising up.

We each have these superb recollections of … our grandmothers utilizing watermelon rind and rubbing that on the pores and skin to go well with warmth rash, or our moms simply marching over to the pantry. And I do know Sarah’s mom — certainly one of her favourite components was cucumber slices. Or my mother wish to use higher potato and [00:20:30] simply that holistic very simply, the accessible method to pure components, incorporating that into your self care routine. We’d fairly often masks along with our mothers whereas watching TV. And it wasn’t a chore. It wasn’t an arduous 15 step factor you needed to get by means of.

[00:22:19] Kimmel: Are you able to inform us just a little bit extra about that evolution from changing into the trusted supply in your good friend group for Okay-beauty merchandise to then curating this superb new expertise that changed into a tremendous neighborhood in a really huge market.

[00:22:45] Chang: We flew over in 2014 to Korea with out a lot as a web site to get some manufacturers on board. And we pounded the pavement to seek out these manufacturers that lots of which we’re nonetheless very near right now. … The commonality was that they have been all helmed by actually passionate model founders that had distinctive merchandise, actually clear product formulation philosophies, and we felt like these have been the manufacturers … that wanted to be launched to the U.S. and different international markets — due to the sheer astounding innovation, stunning textures, and ingredient tales we have been seeing. … After numerous convincing … We have been in a position to get eight or 9 manufacturers on board.

… On that journey, we kicked off our web site instantly. … There have been numerous mishaps alongside the way in which. I cringe just a little bit once I see the early iterations of our web site, as a result of on the time you have been like, “Hey, it seems to be nice.” … Now, wanting again on it, there have been some clear optimization alternatives, however it was so enjoyable.

… Daily, we have been making emails ourselves. We have been chilly calling journalists ourselves. We have been determining the social media content material. … It was numerous scrappiness, but in addition we actually loved it as a result of we knew every step we have been taking was getting us nearer to our objective of bringing Okay-beauty philosophy to the broader viewers and the way in which that we thought was proper.

… We knew that finally, we must take that step ourselves as a result of we ourselves had that formulation philosophy internally that we wished to essentially materialize and manifest by means of, by means of our personal model and the best timing for that finally got here. So a few years after launching RSP as a curation web site, we launched our personal in-house food-for-skincare model that you simply see right now, and on the cabinets at Sephora in mid-2017. … And that was … a really shut partnership with the retailer to be sure that we have been profitable in launching the model.

Why Glow Recipe Pivoted from Curation to Product Creation

[00:26:29] Lee: I believe the primary cause why we began as a curation enterprise mannequin was as a result of we wished to provide the platform and the chance to those good founders and types to go international by offering the content material and training and advertising and marketing.

… As soon as we have been in a position to acquire that credibility out there, I believe that is after we wanted to essentially take into consideration what we wished to do as founders.

… What we wished to do was mix these [Korean beauty] tenants and create our personal model as a result of we did not actually assume that all the inflow of Chinese language and Korean magnificence improvements have been absolutely understood by the American shopper. We felt the urge to interrupt down that barrier and create our personal manufacturers which can be really a lot less complicated.

[00:28:12] Chang: With Glow Recipe Skincare, it simply felt proper. Our neighborhood couldn’t get sufficient. Individuals have been DM-ing us, our model, our, our private Instagrams nonstop asking about … the subsequent draw, product solutions, concepts. There was simply a lot ardour and buzz round this model. And we knew that we had struck a chord with it as a result of it was this stability of — sure — Korean magnificence philosophy, but in addition outcomes. …

Additionally, [one thing that drew audiences was] the truth that we have been talking about enjoyable skincare. For the longest time, I believe skincare had been actually dominated by numerous very scientific manufacturers. … In fact, so many manufacturers which can be in that house are additionally actually superb. However I believe that sense of sensory actuality — that additional second that contact that made your self-care routine that rather more particular — all of this was actually, actually appreciated and we felt prefer it was ours. [It was] lmost our dutie to the neighborhood to be sure that we have been giving them what they wished.

How Glow Recipe Maintained Model Relationships

[00:29:45] Kimmel: How did you concentrate on … the early neighborhood that you simply had constructed round curation. Had been there particular ways in which you have been in a position to study from these founders or proceed to construct a relationship with them when you made the transition from curation over to Glow Recipe?

[00:30:12] Lee: among the founders from the curation manufacturers are nonetheless our associates to this date. So there may be numerous synergy that comes from that as a result of we will all the time choose up the cellphone, name them, and ask them for opinions about sure issues.

… We’re each model builders and creators, proper? So we share a lot in frequent. We terminated our curation enterprise mannequin, however the relationships and the friendships continued to this present day. We nonetheless contact base with them every so often, be sure that if they’ve any questions round navigating the U.S. market, we’re there for them as a result of we would like everybody to succeed on the similar time.

… After we have been transitioning to a creation enterprise, we weren’t solely giving them connections to the networks that we had with the retailers. However, we have been asking our prospects to not neglect about these merchandise or manufacturers. We have been giving them web site hyperlinks to these merchandise to proceed to buy them as a result of we curated them for a cause.

Why Advertising and marketing Product Differentia is Key

[00:31:40] Homosexual: Did you ever have any doubts at the moment that this was the best transfer, or have been you 100% assured?

[00:31:53] Chang: I do not assume we had doubts per se, however then it is actually onerous to gauge the extent of success a model may have. There are such a lot of manufacturers within the business. We have had many conversations with many individuals within the business about how saturated the market is. So every model that comes into existence must have an actual level of distinction and an actual cause. I believe with Glow Recipe Skincare, we have been in a position to actually distill a few of these private experiences, these private ardour factors into the model.

… How do we offer merchandise which can be completely different and actually add worth to [the customer’s] routine after they purchase it and make it a part of their skincare wardrobe? That perspective, I believe, has continued to serve us. And it goes again to these early days the place we ourselves have been answering each single buyer e mail and writing notes to each single one that bought from our web site.

Balancing Group and Product Administration

[00:33:32] Homosexual: I am questioning the way you stability preserving that customer-first, community-first mentality with among the much less glamorous facets of making a product.

[00:33:46] Lee: We’re first-time entrepreneurs. One of many issues that we have discovered, are nonetheless studying, is how will we stability every part when we have now to supervise every part as founders and co-CEOs. I believe the nice profit that we have now right now is that we have now such an unimaginable, gifted staff. … I can say with confidence, that they only perceive the social house. Numerous our staff members are literally comparatively younger and really plugged into TikTok. So they only have their ears and eyes on the … social media panorama in realtime. Due to that, we’re in a position to not solely react rapidly, however proactively share what we have now happening transparently with our neighborhood.

… That communication side, but in addition the choice making internally for the enterprise has been actually instrumental. … We consider each staff member as a content material creator. After we rent individuals, we all the time ask about their storytelling side, or pictures abilities.

… And we frequently have brainstorm classes with our staff members, simply tasking individuals to consider a problem that we’re going through, whether or not it is a advertising and marketing initiative or a brand new marketing campaign concept the place we’re caught and we would like everybody to contribute,

Chang and Lee’s Prime Management Challenges

[00:37:49] Alexis Homosexual: What retains you up at night time? What’s onerous proper now. What challenges you as co-CEOs?

[00:38:06] Lee: It is a actually well timed query as a result of there are some key challenges that we’re going through right now the place, as an organization, we’re very quickly rising. We’re very grateful for that, however that comes with a problem round how we will be sure that everybody stays motivated and our tradition is maintained.

… I believe any entrepreneur can relate with one thing like this. Trigger at any level of your entrepreneurial journey, your staff just about makes up most of what makes successful or not. … I believe individuals s every part. And so we’re making an attempt to determine the way to, you recognize, rent as a result of we do must have no less than 10 individuals extra on our staff and the subsequent few months.

[00:38:52] Chang: We do have numerous brainstorm classes as a result of the staff is stuffed with concepts and we love having these artistic conversations and simply actually giving everybody a possibility to voice their ideas and opinions.

… Going ahead, it is actually up within the air, proper? As a result of is that day within the life going to happen at an workplace, is it going to proceed to be labored from dwelling? These are questions I believe each founder, each firm proprietor’s, grappling with as we transfer towards getting out of the 100% earn a living from home time that all of us needed to be in.

To listen to the complete podcast, in addition to different episodes, take a look at The Shake Up on the HubSpot Podcast Community.