In this edition of Beauty Independent’s ongoing series posing questions to beauty entrepreneurs, we ask 15 founders and executives: What’s the hardest part of convincing consumers to change their beauty or wellness habits to try your products?
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Caroline Owusu-Ansah Founder, LUV SCRUB People are pretty much set with their routines, especially when they hit a certain age. They know what they like and most likely will not stray from that. I use a personal touch with my branding, so people can feel a connection to me and the brand. We educate a lot on the benefits by sharing reviews and testimonials from experts and customers. The press has been a huge part of our success. People just want credible info. This has helped convince people that they need to try our product. Once they use it, they are hooked.
- Grace Cheng CEO and Founder, Mylk Labs
The hardest part, in my opinion, is moving consumers away from the big, multibillion-dollar companies and brands that we see in our every day lives at supermarkets, mass chains, on commercials, etc. These brands are already incorporated in everyone's lives, in one way or another, so sometimes it may feel like a big leap of faith to try a small, new brand.
However, the foundation and ideals behind a small, artisan maker are more genuine than 99.9% of the big guys out there. I approach the mass market of consumers by educating them on real health, stating cold hard facts about what makes my products unique and better for you, and winning them on trust through the company's ideals, ingredients and transparency.
- Freda Mooncotch Owner, Real Simple Soaps
Beauty, wellness, diet and personal care are so personal. People get really attached to their ideas and their products. Once they find something that works, it is very difficult to convince them that my products might work better. I think changing someone’s mind and getting them to try my product is one of the hardest and most challenging things I face.
In the beginning, when I was a rookie and so stoked about my soaps and lotions, I would try really hard to convince them. I would have a list of all the benefits and spout them off like a broken record. It was exhausting, so I got smarter. I started challenging people to sample my products and see for themselves, and that is when things really took off. I really believed in my product, but I didn’t really believe in my product until all the feedback and reviews started pouring in and my phone was blowing up via text messages from people thanking me.
I started on a shoestring budget, so I had to get creative about marketing. As I started growing and orders increased, I started throwing samples in every single shipment no matter how small or large the purchase was. I carry samples with me and hand them out to people I talk to. I stopped trying to convince people that my products are amazing and instead let them experience them first-hand, and it has worked. Many of my customers give the samples they get to friends and then their friends become customers. Now, I have a sample kit you can purchase, but I still include samples in most of my shipments.
- Shontay Lundy Creator and Founder, Black Girl Sunscreen
The hardest part for us has been dispelling the myth that people of color don’t need to wear sunscreen. This misconception may come from the upbringing of people of color, i.e. home remedies and an old-school mentality as well as advertising and public awareness campaigns being geared towards fair-skinned individuals. However, people of color are at risk of getting damage to the skin despite the presence of melanin. Research shows African-Americans have the highest rate of mortality in the U.S. population after receiving a melanoma diagnosis.
Our approach is to bring the issue of whether women of color need to protect their skin against the sun to the forefront of discussion and address any misconceptions. We have done this through raising awareness and education about skin cancer, i.e. melanoma; and sun damage, i.e. premature aging, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and dark spots. Yes, black doesn’t crack, but it needs to be protected. Stay moisturized and protect your melanin, ladies!
- Ashley Strommen Co-founder and CEO, SUTRA Superfoods Latte
When I opened up SUTRA's doors, I decided to go up against a $20 billion-dollar industry in which 50% or more of the U.S. was using my competitors products daily: the coffee industry. There is a ton of misinformation about coffee, and many news outlets state that it is healthy and good for your body, when in fact it is toxic and terrible for a large portion of the population, especially people suffering from chronic disease, those pregnant or nursing, people with anxiety, men and women with sleep disorders, etc.
I made it my mission to not sell product, but to educate. I knew that, if I provided enough facts and testimonials that the sales would follow, and they did. In less than six months in business. we have had over 1,000 orders and $50,000 in sales and, better yet, I feel proud that I am helping people better their bodies by getting off caffeine.
- Julia Teren Founder, Thesis Beauty
It's sometimes difficult for people to embrace the DIY aspect of our organic, chemical-free masks because the process is different. People love things that are ready to use, and I can't blame them, it's convenient. However, a tiny DIY contribution to the masking experience gives one such an enormous ROI.
We rely heavily on influencers to tell the story for us in their own words, which their audiences are bound to understand so much better than if told by anyone else. We work with amazing small and mid-tier bloggers who deliver the word and image in detail. Also, whenever possible we do in-store training, so that the crew can internalize the benefits of our product and product formats, and convey them more relateably to their customers, again, in their own words.
- David Simnick CEO and Co-Founder, Soapbox
The hardest part is being a brand that is not a household name. When people think of hair care, they typically start naming Pantene, Garnier, Dove, etc., because they are established and have been a trusted brand for years. The challenge is convincing consumers to take a chance with a brand that is a bit newer and not as well known in the market.
There are a few ways we approach this. One is by working with influencers that our target demographic looks to for beauty tips and inspiration to show them that, even though we may not have been around as long as the other brands, or we're not as big, we still make quality products that give amazing results.
Another way we approach this is by our packaging. We created something that is aesthetically pleasing and makes it very clear what the target benefits are with each product. We also attend expos where we can showcase our products for consumers to try and get real feedback from experts.
Most recently, we were at an expo where we held a workshop with a hairstylist who used our entire hair care line on her clients with many different textured hair types for two weeks, and she gave her advice on which products to pair with your hair needs. Hearing, seeing, interacting and feeling the product while getting an expert's genuine opinion is a great way to inspire new consumers to give our products a chance.
- Sarah Zimmer CEO and Founder, Naya
In today’s world, everything and anything is at the consumer’s fingertips, and it’s challenging to keep a consumer’s attention for long since another media message is just around the corner influencing their view and, ultimately, their decision. This modus operandi of being FOMO makes it harder for brands to capture a consumer’s attention to then change their beauty or wellness habits.
It certainly takes persistency and commitment to the vision, continuous media coverage and having a solid understanding of [the] target audience you want to entice and speak to via your brand, allowing you to be very focused with the channel and messaging choice. As a brand, one needs to be very succinct in the messaging and convert a complex ritual into an easy story by choosing the right words which speak to the audience. It is certainly a form of art and takes time to get it right. Beauty brands are in for a marathon and not a sprint.
- Lo Bosworth Founder, Love Wellness
I find that women are eagerly looking for natural and organic products to replace what they've traditionally used from the drugstore. There's been an information revolution in the past few years regarding consumer goods, and people are becoming more and more aware of what goes into their products, and are really starting to care about what they put on and in their bodies.
We provide our customers with a blog that we update weekly. We have a great team of doctors and OB-GYN's that contribute to the blog, offering our customers real advice for their feminine health concerns. Our goal is to educate our community about the concerns they face and provide easy to access solutions.
- Jessica Kizovs Founder and Lead Formulator, Veriphy
What is really important to me is taking away this culture of scaring consumers into using products. We should be empowering consumers to make better health choices, not scaring them into using our products.
Skin is always the last organ in the body to get any attention. It’s the last place to get water and nutrients, and it is the last place consumers think about taking care of. The same way we are mindful of the food we ingest into our bodies, we need to think more about what we put on our skin.
I believe that educating consumers on the benefits of using clean and natural products is the best way to approach consumers. Whether it is the actual skin benefits that consumers will see or if it is reduced environmental impact by choosing sustainable ingredients, something seems to register with everyone.
- Callie Milford Co-Founder, No Tox Life
Getting people to switch to a natural shampoo bar was incredibly difficult until Refinery29 did a feature of the Lush shampoo bars. Suddenly, we saw a huge amount of orders for our natural shampoo bars.
An additional challenge for us is teaching people the proper way to wash with our bars, which are sulfate and detergent-free unlike the ones featured in Refinery29. The process is a little different, so we educate people with instruction cards, Instagram posts and blogs. Education about natural products takes more time than just handing someone a bottle of what they’re used to, but we think it’s worth it.
- Matthew Stillman Founder, Primal Derma
The matrix for our product is grass-fed beef tallow, rendered grass fed beef fat. It is an unusual substance to find in the beauty space for sure and with the sweep in the industry towards veganism, a misguided signpost for purity, there can be hesitation to use our products.
But the moment we get to tell the 17,000-year tradition of using tallow as skincare by humans all over the globe and how your great, great grandmother very likely gathered and prized tallow during annual slaughters, and how using tallow by indigenous people is an expression of culture in relationship to place and a deep understanding of the relationship between the health of the land, herds and people, we find that people are interested in trying Primal Derma.
When they hear that we are assiduous in our sourcing and supporting farmers who are making the ecologically wise, but economically hard, choice of raising cattle in this old way and that more often than not that tallow has to be thrown away or burned, people respond to this wastefulness and the cellular ancestral memory and are willing to give it a go.
And, in the end, tallow works incredibly well. It is nutrient-dense and virtually bio-identical to human skin structure, so it absorbs well while delivering all that nutrition right where it is needed, making Primal Derma the Swiss Army knife of skincare, good for anywhere you have skin. Our culture making story would be shallow if the product didn't work, but it works because of the ancient tradition it stands with and by.
- Amit Sarda Managing Director, Soulflower
The hardest part is convincing customers to move from preservative-based lotions to natural oil for skin moisturising. It becomes difficult to change the habits of people, which have been built over the years, and thus the inertia is high. However, we have observed that, when people try our products, understand the benefits and see the results themselves, then the chance to shift to natural products is high. We convince consumers by offering trials and showing efficacy of our oils without making the skin greasy.
- Yoel Vaisberg Founder and CEO, Haielle
Some of the main barriers we’ve found when convincing consumers to change their beauty habits include routine. Trying to make someone change their beauty habits after years of routine can be challenging. Skepticism: Nowadays, consumers have more access to information. There is also a proliferation of new brands, products and services in the beauty space. This makes it hard to decide what to believe and which product to test. Fear: Consumers are sometimes hesitant to try new products that could make the problem worse. Some of them prefer to stay in their comfort zone and continue using the products they are familiar with or do nothing.
All these barriers should be addressed with empathy, communication, education and follow-up. Our users know that we care about the situations that they are going through. They know we are responsible and knowledgeable people that already went through many of these situations before. We strive to present the contents in a creative way to motivate users to improve their lifestyle and restore their body’s balance. Since every individual is unique, we believe it is very important to follow-up on individual progress.
- Dominique Caron Founder, Apoterra
The hardest part of getting consumers to change their beauty habits often comes down to misconceptions, misinformation or simply long-standing habits. For instance, people have been told for decades that acne is caused by oil and dirt, and that drying the skin and cleansing more or deeper is the solution, which we have seen is not a good way to handle acne and can actually make it worse.
Our products are intended to help return the skin to a healthy balance through nourishment, gentle exfoliation and proper hydration, not by drying the skin, decimating bacteria, and ultimately the skin microbiome, or removing your skin's natural oil. So, when somebody with acne that has the more conventional understanding of dealing with their breakouts purchases our products, we sometimes have people give up on the product within a few days because of texture [that's] too oily when referring to a facial oil or lack of change within a few days.
Whichever skin concern a customer has - dryness, hyperpigmentation, oiliness, a desire to prevent premature aging, etc. - getting the customer to understand what is causing the skin issue is really key to success. With the right knowledge, they will be able to take proper action and choose the right products, which will make all the difference.
For this reason, I have really put a focus on education through our blog, product listings and on social media. We offer educational content about skincare basics, skincare routine recommendations based on skin state, but also lifestyle and diet advice for optimal skin health. I want our customers to achieve healthy, radiant skin, and to do so holistically and naturally. And as I mentioned, this can require education in addition to good skincare products. When customers are open to learning new ways of using our products and have the resources to learn, then they tend to be much happier with the results.
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