Twelve Beauty hasn’t merely jumped on the clean beauty bandwagon. Long before his 12-product brand materialized, founder Pedro Catalá studied plants to determine their usages for skin and piled up degrees while doing so. “Because I have a PhD in natural formulation, my background is unique, and that’s one of the appeals of the brand. There’s science behind it,” he says, adding, “Beauty has become such a cool subject, and it’s full of overnight experts. There is all this DIY beauty. I’m skeptical about DIY remedies. You have to be very careful with them.” Catalá is careful about picking the ingredients for Twelve Beauty’s products and the stores that carry the London-based beauty brand. He’s interested in the best, not the buzziest. “I always use ingredients considered weeds,” he says. “Traditional ingredients have been used for decades, so you feel reassured when you use them, even if they aren’t very exciting.” Beauty Independent spoke with Catalá about pricing missteps, bringing production in-house, committing to beauty full-time and sharing his skincare knowledge.
Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in a rural part of Spain. We had mountains around us. Botanical remedies were an important part of the local community. All year-round, we collected different flowers, seeds and leaves for everything from minor ailments like stomachaches and headaches to more serious ailments. My grandmother was knowledgeable about plants and how to use them, and that really resonated with me. I wanted to know the science behind why chamomile or rosemary was good for different things. The natural option for me was to study pharmacy. In Spain, when you study pharmacy, you can go to the health side or to the botanical side, which is the one I took. I was so obsessed with botany that, in my second year, I used to go into the botany department to learn more about plants. I didn’t do anything else. When I finished by courses in June, my parents asked me, “How did you do?” I got the highest possible mark in botany. I failed the other subjects completely. You could do the exams again, and I passed, but I was really just totally obsessed with botany. I went on to do four-year postgraduate studies in botany. The post-graduate program was incredible, but there wasn’t much to do with it work-wise. I went to work as a pharmacist in London.
How did Twelve Beauty come to be?
I was working with an oncology pharmacy. I noticed that the patients couldn’t even wear clothes after their treatments. I spoke to the doctors and said, “I have to do something about this.” I created a body balm, and the patients loved it. Because it was a reward for their skin, I named it Rewarding Body Balm. The patients were the ones who told me, “Pedro, you have to expand the range and create other products.” Around that time, I was doing my master’s in cosmetic science. I also received a PhD in natural formulation. I wanted to put into practice all of the botanical knowledge that I had. I always had in mind formulating for very sensitive, highly reactive skin. It took me five years to research the formulas. During those five years, I identified 12 natural ingredients — hence, the name — that I believe are essential to keeping the skin healthier for longer. I continued working as a pharmacist for a while after I launched because that provided the funding to pay for everything from the ingredients to the boxes. I worked as a pharmacist until very recently.
How much did it cost to get Twelve Beauty off the ground?
It was approximately $32,000 at the beginning. To me, modern skincare means two things: efficacy and safety. Natural formulation is a science. I’m not bitter about an ex-model or other fancy people who launch lines, but I’m very skeptical of people who say, “I have a bit of acne. I mixed something in a kitchen and, voilà, I have a remedy for it.” It took me years and years to assess safety. I used natural and organic ingredients because I know about them, but, unfortunately, just because an ingredient is natural, it doesn’t mean it’s beneficial. I’ve seen beautiful products out there that I can tell you have gone rancid, and that’s far more dangerous than any mineral oil or silicone. I just launched a facial oil. People keep asking me, “How come you launched an oil now? It seems like an easy option for brands to start with.” To me, it was one of the most challenging products to create because of stability. The oil took me three-and-a-half years to create. Once I had the formula, it took an extra two years to assess the stability.
Do you think there has been too much reliance on essential oils?
I love the properties of essential oils. I think they are beautiful. Unfortunately, essential oils are full of allergens. I don’t use them that much. When I formulate, I always have sensitive and delicate skin in mind. Clean beauty shouldn’t just be about natural and clean ingredients. It’s about ingredients that don’t interfere with the skin. Essential oils can penetrate the skin and, therefore, they can irritate it.
When did you first launch Twelve Beauty?
I launched March 2012 with six products, which are still in the line. I consider myself a beauty addict. I go to every shop and try everything. I haven’t experienced anything like the cleanser. It was one of the most difficult products to make. It has to be effective, but, at the same time, extremely mild. The skin always suffers in cleansing, and that’s why I don’t like exfoliants or scrubs. Everyone is obsessed with exfoliants, especially in the U.S. I was there the other day and a customer told me, “Oh, Pedro, look at my skin, it’s glowing,” but her skin was burned. The reality is that dead cells protect our bodies from the environment, and the skin exfoliates itself every 28 days, so it’s not like we need to exfoliate it. My cleanser contains a high percentage of squalene, which is sourced from olive oil. When we remove makeup, impurities and pollution, we also remove oil from the skin. This cleanser gives back to the skin, and it minimizes the damage from cleansing.
When did Twelve Beauty reach profitability?
It was in May. I managed to do more sampling, so existing stores increased their sales, and I also opened new doors. They’re doing well, and that really helped me. I work very closely with retailers. I love, love, love going to stores. You’ll see me there doing trainings. Whenever a stockist invites me to an event, I love that. I like listening to customer concerns. It makes my job much easier. When you work in a lab, you are isolated from the rest of the world. You might think you are creating something wonderful, but the reality might be that no one needs it. Mainly, most people don’t want long routines. They want something that’s easy, feels comfortable and has no gimmicks. Maybe I’m too laid-back, but people are getting far too obsessed with clean beauty and clean living. Customers are running into stores saying, “Give me my magnesium,” and this or that. Everybody is so rushed. We have to enjoy every single moment. I don’t have many holidays. I have a few people helping me with communications and online orders, but, it’s me, that’s the team. Things don’t have to be extremely expensive, but I enjoy little things like having a cup a tea with my friend or mom.
What’s your distribution strategy for Twelve Beauty?
At the very beginning, I approached a few stores. I was really lucky that they opened their doors to me. They were very welcoming. Small beauty stores are approached by many brands on a daily basis, so I know the market is very tough. Instead of sending other people, I try to go in myself and explain the science behind every product. Because the production is limited, there’s only so much I can do. For instance, I can only do 50 units of the mask a month because it takes three days of hand blending. Items like the mask are only sold in a few shops. Not everyone can have it because I can’t cope with the demand. Basically, I sell in independent stores. They really like the products and, for them, it comes easily to sell them. At the very beginning, I was obsessed with a store in Europe. I emailed them. I called them. I went to see them. Eventually, they took it, but I think, when you force something, it won’t work. If you really like it, I’m super happy to give it to you. People keep approaching me, and I’m excited the word is getting out there.
How does your business at retailers compare to your online business?
Retail is way bigger than the online business. Online accounts for approximately 36% of the business. Oddly enough, my main online business is from the U.S. Around 87% of my online orders are from the U.S. I’m only in one store in the U.S., Ayla in San Francisco. U.S. consumers are very sophisticated consumers. They read information from different sources. They don’t buy into celebrity endorsements. I collaborate with several publications, and I think people read them and do further research. I also have a live chat so people can talk to me before they buy. People describe their skin and what they’re looking for, and that makes it easy for me to direct them to the right product.
Amazon, yes or no?
No. The production is limited, so I can’t offer a huge number of products.
What have you found most challenging in building Twelve Beauty?
At the very beginning, I used to outsource production and rely on a third-party manufacturer. I tried different ones, but they didn’t work. First of all, the timing was challenging. At small companies, you don’t want to have excess stock. To me, freshness is essential, but, when you say, [to a third-party manufacturer], “Can you send me 400 serums?” They say, “OK, in 12 weeks.” It can be difficult to predict [demand]. This summer, I sold loads of the body balm. I tend to sell more in the winter, but I sold them unexpectedly in August. Having my own facilities, I’m more in control of the production, and I can ensure the quality of the product.
What was the most difficult day at your business?
One of the most difficult days was when I discovered there was an issue with the eye cream. The moment I used it, I spotted that the formula was different. I had already sent part of the batch to stores, and I had to take it back. Relying on other people is difficult. The formulas were my own. I used to buy ingredients and send them to the lab, but I realized that I was struggling relying on others. So, three years ago, I invested money in setting up the studio and buying equipment. I had space, but I bought two blenders. One cost me 7,000 euros and the other 15,000 euros. I also have a fridge, and an instrument to measure pH and viscosity, and those cost over $1,000.
What is Twelve Beauty’s price range, and how did you land on that price range?
You can’t be good at everything, and pricing was one of my biggest errors at the beginning. The products were way underpriced. There were a few items I was almost losing money on. I only calculated how much the packaging was plus the ingredients inside. I didn’t think to consider training, traveling, transportation, many things. I changed the prices. I would have had to increase the prices based on the ingredients alone. Some of the ingredients have doubled in price since I started.
How much have your sales increased, and what are they?
From 2016 to 2017, they increased 52%. Last year, sales were 170,000 pounds.
Have you done any fundraising for Twelve Beauty?
No, I haven’t. I’ve always funded myself with working. Early this year, I stopped being a pharmacist, but I was cutting down a lot before that. I wasn’t full-time. When I got into more stores and bigger sales, I did the calculations, and I could dedicate more time and be full-time at Twelve Beauty.
What works for Twelve Beauty on social media?
I do it myself. I don’t have a communications manager. I post when I have time. Good photography always works. I don’t want to sound big-headed, but, if I appear in the photo, I get more likes. When I do Instagram Stories, I get a lot of comments. Instagram is one of the top referral [platforms] for my website. When I interact with a customer and ask them how they heard about me, they often say Instagram.
What are some goals you have for Twelve Beauty going forward?
I want customers to become more skeptical about marketing and gimmicks. I write a blog — I should be more active on it — and I share what I know about skincare, so they can judge for themselves. I don’t use the word education because that can sound patronizing, but I want to spread what I know about skin science. I’m sad when people are misled by brands or beauty experts. I want to get into more doors and spread my products to more places, but I mostly want to inform people about what skincare is all about, and what ingredients are the best to use. That’s my priority and what I feel passionate about.
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