Tiffany Masterson has created more than just a brand, but a new standard and philosophy, one might not have imagined that she was a stay-at-home mom when she started this sought-after brand, and Drunk Elephant's success proves to us how far women can go with their sensitivity, sincerity and hard work.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: As a female player in the beauty industry, how do you see the meaning and role of female power in the industry?
Tiffany Masterson.M: I think everyone has a role to play, everyone can contribute their own unique talents and insights. In doing so, women leaders will be supportive, inclusive, and understanding, rather than posing competitive and threatening. We can learn from each other as we listen to each other, and the world is so vast that it is enough for all to achieve something. For me, the meaning of women's leadership is to inspire a new generation of young women, to see the possibilities, to set positive examples and examples for them, and to give them confidence in their unique talents and in becoming the leaders of the future.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: As a female entrepreneur, what are the obstacles and advantages brought to you by female identity in the face of capital and cooperative enterprises in the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain?
T.M.: There are already a lot of amazing successful women who have opened the way forward for us, so in the skincare industry, we just don't have to deal with gender issues as often as women working in industries like oil and gas. I've had some funny experiences, when I've come up with not following the rules or trying new approaches that haven't been tried, if I happen to be dealing with a group of men, they'll always pull in a woman and try to get her to reason with me... Sure, it didn't work for me, but they tried their best!
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Drunk Elephant, what do you want to bring to women?
T.M. My original intention has always been to bring more hope, confidence, freedom and self-reliance to women and all my supporters. By offering a long-lasting skincare regimen they've never tried before – my original ingredient-based skincare concept – they saw hope in it. By constantly helping them learn how to listen to and respond to the needs of their skin, they become independent and no longer rely on me and the guidance of this brand or any professional. We give them the tools they need to make decisions for themselves, research for themselves, choices for themselves.
When they fully understand their skin, the skincare products they use, and how to maintain optimal skin health, they gain confidence. Eventually, they will have the confidence to show their faces and no longer have to use foundation to cover up skin problems.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: How did you start your entrepreneurial journey and why did you choose to become a beauty entrepreneur?
T.M.: I found that there was a gap in the skincare market, and when I studied the skincare products, ingredients and the function of the skin, I began to wonder why skin care formulas always contain certain ingredients, and after learning that these ingredients can damage the health of the skin, I couldn't believe that we as consumers had to pay for these ingredients. All of my formulas eliminate these 6 questionable ingredients to create a full line of products for all skin types.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: How do you think the women's entrepreneurial environment has changed compared to when you first started?
T.M. Seriously, I don't think much has changed. There will always be someone to support you, and there will always be challenges. You must learn to find your own way, do not look too far and wide, and stick to your vision and mission, which helps to reduce the interference in the entrepreneurial process. But now that there are already a large number of amazing female entrepreneurs in the industry, there is no doubt that women will achieve greater success with the help of their predecessors.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: Looking back at your own entrepreneurial experience, what experiences or suggestions would you like to share with the new generation of female entrepreneurs?
T.M.: Staying the course, going your own way, having your own vision and unique brand DNA is crucial, because anyone can copy a brand, copy an idea. To succeed in any field, you have to be authentic and different. It would be helpful if you could fill the void in consumer demand in your own way, a new way that has never been seen before. I always follow my gut and it seems to work well for me.
Should I press the pause button in the workplace for fertility? Joy Issacs has struggled with this problem for many working women, but she eventually finds a balance between career and family, and the beauty of balance is the gift she wants to bring to women.
Joy Issacs: I worked in a male-dominated environment for the first half of my career, so when I moved into the beauty industry, I was deeply impressed by the shift that almost everything is driven by the power of women. This power comes from the depths of the human heart, not just by the love of makeup or skincare, but by something deeper, a strong desire to achieve dreams, whatever they may be.
J.I.: As a woman, the biggest challenge I've faced in the workplace is by no means a unique one, it's a question that women have to ask themselves when they think about having children — when to put their careers aside and when to move on. Personally, I was very obsessed with playing two very important roles, but I couldn't devote myself to the idea of either of them.
I was determined to be the best mom I could be and submitted my resignation letter in 2002 when I conceived my first child. I remember an old friend who said that they thought my life would be more exciting, but I knew that I chose to become a mother at that time, to put aside my career for a while, and my life would not stop there. I think a lot of women don't dare to step down the steps of the workplace because they don't think they'll be allowed to return to the workplace stage, and then they feel fear. I also waited for several years to come up with my dream of starting Argentum, and it was at that time that I decided to make a change and stop tangling between family and career.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "for pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is also becoming richer and more diverse, through the establishment of Argentum, what do you want to bring to women?
J.I.: To me, the word "beauty" is synonymous with "balance," and "balance" is the cornerstone of Argentum. Our brand philosophy is to promote a beauty that balances both inside and outside, encouraging women to pursue inner feelings that are as beautiful as their appearance.
J.I.: My passion for creation, healing, and exploration has always been my motivation. My mother grew up in South Africa and she always used silver gel sprays that were antibacterial and anti-inflammatory as a household treat. While my brand was inspired by my experience of an infection after surgery — my wounds healed after doctors used a silver glue wound dressing — I think my mother also had a subtle impact on me. Shortly after that infection, I had the idea of starting my own beauty brand, and I wanted to create a one-of-a-kind brand that fully embodied what I believed to be the ultimate quality of a cutting-edge skincare product. Rather than focusing on the target audience, this philosophy focuses on creating a fully functional product that combines science and nature, masculinity and feminine intuition.
J.I.: When I first started Argentum, there were very few independent brands on the market, mainly dominated by big brands like Estée Lauder. Today's market is no longer what it used to be, and in the past 10 years, independent beauty brands have sprung up to bring their own unique experiences to women. Our society now encourages women to start their own brands, which is an enabling environment, and I sincerely admire the stoic strength of these women in the face of challenges.
J.I.: Women have great abilities, and we need to acknowledge and use this feminine expression well, because it does overcome all odds. Be true to yourself, believe in yourself, and insist on showing your true self so that following your dreams will become your second nature. Find the right idea, the one that contains enough energy to sustain you along the way, and then strengthen your conviction that the dream will come true forever. Hard work and business acumen alone are not enough, you also need magic and passion to take your career to the next level.
From creator to entrepreneur, from personalized makeup to technology skin care beauty, Sydney Guo has completed the transformation of personal roles and brand transformation, and like the style presented by Front Cover, she is unrestrained and maverick, capturing business opportunities and the zeitgeist in the pursuit of beauty.
Sydney Guo (hereinafter referred to as S.G.): I think female power plays multiple important roles in the beauty industry, including setting benchmarks and achieving breakthroughs, as women, I think we need to maximize our advantages and become role models to carry more energy to help more people around us, so that they can shine! Our pursuit of perfect quality of life brings more inspiration to life, and our role is like the mother who nurtures the beauty industry, leading the development of the beauty industry to a more abundant and better socially conscious future.
S.G.: The beauty industry is a combination of rationality and sensibility, whether it is aesthetics, product genes, emotional connection of customers, attention to detail operations and financial management or atmosphere creation, women have an advantage. Although the current situation between male and female entrepreneurs is not particularly different, in terms of negotiation management, the market is still relatively conservative, and people trust men to be bigger and stronger.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "pleasing yourself" to "pleasing yourself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Front Cover, what do you want to bring to women?
S.G.: I want women to really have a way to make themselves better because of Front Cover, both in terms of self-improvement and appearance, to exude confidence and pride from the inside out.
BeautyInc Beauty Watch: From a professional makeup artist to an entrepreneur, what are the biggest challenges of this role reversal?
S.G.: The biggest shift is in the mindset. From execution to the use of strategy and tactics, it is a different challenge. As an entrepreneur, I must not only look down from a high place, but also specifically arrange how to solve the problems we are facing, from individuals to team building, I will know a variety of things, and integrating resources and seizing opportunities to maximize it is also a long-term homework.
S.G.: The world changes very fast, especially in the consumer sector, so keep learning and enrich yourself! In the process, we must also learn to enjoy and maintain a pleasant mood. Keep the original intention, find a good team to cooperate, and then persevere in the struggle!
Miriam Quevedo's entrepreneurial experience is a path to her heart, she once studied a popular business major, but still chose to return to her own world - to delve into ingredients, create products, and bring beauty to others. Love is the best driving force, but also has a strong appeal, which may be the key to her success.
Miriam Quevedo (M.Q.): The power of women in the beauty industry is a dynamic of change. People may feel that the founders of female beauty brands are more sensitive to the expectations of most consumers, and in this sense, as long as we can grasp the higher and more specific expectations of consumers or the complex and diverse issues they care about, we can indeed be the initiators of greater change. But what I find really interesting is the extent to which female entrepreneurs can inspire others.
BeautyInc Beauty Observation: From "for pleasing oneself" to "pleasing oneself", women are becoming more independent and confident, and the connotation of "beauty" is also becoming richer and more diverse, through the creation of Miriam Quevedo, what do you want to bring to women?
M.Q.: Beauty doesn't just mean using makeup to cover up skin problems and hairspray to cover up damaged hair, the beauty of the exterior is in harmony with the beauty of our hearts – well-being, balance and mental health– in harmony.
I want to give women confidence, to help them learn to cherish themselves, to realize that each of them is a shining diamond, and they all shine with their own unique light. There is no better self than our true selves: like diamonds, we are made up of many different faces, each beautiful and shiny. The circumstances we encounter, the issues we care about, and the goals or expectations we want to achieve deserve to be taken seriously and satisfactorily addressed. I want to help people shine from the depths of their hearts, so that they feel happy, feel beautiful, and satisfied with themselves, without covering up, without "makeup", just to care for and repair the damage, to show the real, real natural beauty.
M.Q.: It was a given, I tried different things, but my passion and intuition got me back on my own path. I have worked in the cosmetics industry almost all my life. It all started when I was young in my mother's herb shop. But that wasn't my plan. I was studying international finance and accounting and had started working in multinational companies, but I found that these things didn't make me happy, fulfilled and satisfied, and realized that I was happier when I used to greet customers in the herb shop, so I went back there.
I have to say that I was very dissatisfied with the products on the market at that time, I couldn't find any products that could take care of my fluffy and thick hair, and there was no basic product on the market that could properly care for my hair. The scalp is the key to care, beautiful hair depends on a healthy scalp, and the scalp is also the skin, so it must also be taken care of in the same way as the skin of other parts, but no one does it. So I thought, "I have to do something." "That's when I started seriously thinking about launching my own brand.
M.Q.: In the past, only men would become entrepreneurs, not because women were not allowed to run businesses, but because "tradition is like this", leadership is also a man's business, and many women just work in "other people's" companies... Just like when I worked for those multinational companies. But now more and more women are starting their own businesses, adopting their own methods and business methods, with their own goals and value orientations. Their management is as successful as men's, and sometimes they are even more successful because they differ from male leaders' visions, consumer-business interactions, and company goals.
M.Q.: Always trust your instincts and follow your passions. Make sure you have fun. Set your own standards of excellence, or self-evaluation. Always remember that we are neither super women nor perfect. Always respect yourself, respect others, always remember that each of us can have an impact on society, and that pushing things, values, standards, and ideas to evolve can change even the most deeply rooted values and stereotypes. Don't be afraid to be different, this will actually help you stand out from the crowd. BINC
Author: Lee
EDIT: Horse Spurs
Image source: Network