TheIndustry.beauty LIVE! The Glowcery and Shakeup Cosmetics on sustainability, authenticity and diversity

During TheIndustry.beauty LIVE! 'The trends to know that will future proof your beauty business for 2024 and beyond' yesterday, a crowd of beauty industry professionals learnt about the trends brands and retailers should focus on to meet the demands of today's consumer and drive their business in the future. 

For the penultimate session of the day, Roshanne Dorsett, Founder of The Glowcery joined Jake Xu, Co-founder of Shakeup Cosmetics to discuss sustainability, authenticity and diversity within their beauty businesses.

Sustainability

Both The Glowcery and Shakeup Cosmetics operate as vegan brands, whilst also being mindful of sustainability.

For Dorsett, the desire to create a vegan and sustainable brand was inspired by her own vegan lifestyle. She set out to develop a collection of rejuvenating skincare products for consumers who not only share these values but also want to try the benefits of plant-based ingredients on their skin.

The Glowcery was founded in March 2020 and champions upcycling to craft its plant-based formulations - allowing the brand to minimise waste and support a more eco-friendly future.

"Gen Z and millennials want to see sustainability and they expect smaller brands to be doing their part. Where possible, we do shout about refills, upcycled ingredients etc. As a one person band, I am doing my part," says Dorsett.

A responsible approach is also important to Shakeup Cosmetics, which was founded in November 2019 by Xu and his twin brother, who both struggled for years to find the perfect products that were best suited for their needs. After extensive research, the pair set out to create their own range of vegan, cruelty-free cosmetic products, designed specifically for men's skin type and concerns.

"We're happy with what we have achieved so far in terms of sustainability. We are actually in the process of applying for B Corp certification too. However, I don't think the industry makes it easy for indie brands to be green," shares Xu.

"It can be so expensive but you have to do what you can. For example, we held off making sachet samples for the longest time because we couldn’t find a material that was recyclable. We were then able to launch this concept last year because we found a Snappd sachet that fully met the brief."

Authenticity & Loyalty

Whether its vegan, sustainable or other credentials such as cruelty-free, brand values influenced by a founder's own beliefs - like Dorsett and Xu - can add an element of authenticity to a business, ultimately helping to generate customer loyalty with those who share the same ethics.

For Shakeup Cosmetics, loyalty is also driven by its chosen demographic - men. "Generally speaking, men tend to be more brand loyal. When men like a product, they will typically explore what else a brand has to offer too. They don't really shop around much and don't jump around from one brand to another. So, we often see customers coming back to purchase additional products from us. Our return customer rate is around 55%, which is a healthy level," explains Xu.

"However, fundamentally, the product that has to be good to encourage new and returning customers. That's why we spend so much time formulating our products, making sure we're absolutely happy with them. So, I think retention comes down to a combination of product, how you communicate with your customers, and how loyal they are."

Agreeing with this, Dorsett also believes the product must come first. "If it's crap, no one is going to buy it," she says.

"To encourage customer acquisition and retention, we also push product reviews, share before and after content, and bring our community on the product development journey to help build trust around the benefits of The Glowcery as we're an online brand."

Diversity & Inclusion

For Xu, inclusion isn't about appealing to everyone but targeting those who are more neglected in the industry - in this case, men.  "By marketing everyone, you're targeting no one," he says.

"We set out to target a demographic who don't have as much choice in the beauty world. To us, we're championing inclusivity by improving the choice for this underserved market.

"Men's skin is different to female skin. We always say that beauty shouldn't have a gender, but skin does. It is thicker, we have bigger pores, shave more often - there's so many things that come into play. So, we wanted to create bespoke products for men's skin type, concerns and lifestyles. "

The Glowcery tackles inclusivity on a wider level. "A lot of people who use our products our vegan, but the brand also appeals to non-vegans who can see the benefits of using vegan skincare. We also champion inclusivity through affordability, our products are priced from £12-£48," shares Dorsett.

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