EP158. Why the beauty industry needs more indie formulators

I've been working in and around the cosmetics industry for over a decade now, and I'm not going to mince my words. I don't like the mainstream beauty industry. I despise the way they make people feel. I loathe the way they market their products based on Photoshop and insecurity based advertising. And then they complain about indie brands, fear mongering about synthetics when they've been peddling half truths for centuries. I can't stand the way that so many industry executives look down on indie formulators and indie brands. And I take great pleasure in running a school that trains up the beauty entrepreneurs of tomorrow who think differently and act differently, and who are also on a mission to overhaul this entire out of touch, out of date industry run by dinosaurs who truly believe that the best way to sell a product is to make someone feel rubbish about themselves. So that just killed off all of my industry invites to awards and podcasts and events in one fell swoop. But if you've been listening to my podcast for a while, then none of this will surprise you because over the last 157 episodes together we have heard tale after tale of indie brands rising through the ranks to make fundamental change after the mainstream beauty industry couldn't cater for them. There's this real sense of us against them which has been created by the big players and the way that they look down on anyone who's not part of their world. So last week here on the Green Beauty Conversations podcast I interviewed Rochanne Dorsett, Formula Botanica graduate and exceptionally talented indie beauty entrepreneur. As I said last week, Roshan is an inspiration and someone who we can all learn from. And I specifically wanted to interview Roshan on the podcast because she started her brand on a shoestring. You heard it last week she told us how she launched with 2,000 British pounds in her pocket and her brand is trailblazing. And it's when I hear the stories of amazing entrepreneurs like Roshan that I realize we have the potential to completely change this fossilized industry. So today on the podcast I want to ask the question, how do we make fundamental change and possibly even overthrow the mainstream beauty industry? Hi, it's Lorraine Dallmeyer, Chartered environmentalist, biologist and CEO of award winning online organic cosmetics cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. I host the Green Beauty Conversations podcast and these are my green beauty opinions which I share. My takeaways from the podcast interview we released last week and challenge you to join me in making the green beauty sector a better place. If you want to be the first person to hear all of my latest episodes. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast now. Since I've been running this podcast, which has been many years, I've been told so many stories of the mainstream beauty industry shutting down opportunity discussion, debate. They've told formulators that they can't do what they do because they're not chemists. They've actively shouted down people and charities who've expressed their concerns about products on the market. They've attempted to discredit researchers who come to conclusions in scientific studies that they don't like. They've actively lobbied against legislation that would make us all safer. The liquid plastics discussion that I had here on the podcast last year in episodes 115 and 116, is a great example. Go check them out. And most importantly, they've told us over and over again that we're too wrinkly and we're too human. So I read an article the other day which summarized the top global skincare concerns for 2020, and they were wrinkles, fine lines, and eye bags. One dermatologist was even quoted in the article as saying, your skin's appearance reflects your health and wellbe. And wrinkles are the most notable sign of this. I'm sorry, can we just backtrack there for a minute? How are wrinkles a sign of my health and well being? I'm 43. I have wrinkles. That's fine. I'm not ashamed about that. My wrinkles, however, are precisely nothing to do with my health and my well being. They're just a normal part of being human and aging, which, let's face it, is a privilege. It's utter rubbish like these statements that make me question why all of us have put up with this for so long. So, as you can probably gather from what I'm saying here, I don't like the beauty industry very much. Which, let's face it, is ironic given that I host a podcast all about green beauty. But I host this podcast precisely because I want us to change the discussion. And it's working, albeit slowly. We're going to reach 1 million downloads on the Green Beauty Conversation podcast this year. And believe me, I will be shouting from the rooftops about that milestone when we get there. I'm so excited, and I keep being invited to interview after interview now because my voice, and therefore indirectly your voice, and the voice of thousands of indie beauty formulators and brands is being heard. I'm sure it's annoying quite a few people too, but as far as I'm Concerned they can just deal with it because there's a bigger mission to achieve here. And at the same time of recording this podcast, we're about to open up enrollment for our International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur program. This is our flagship program. It's a suite of online courses that takes you from complete beginner to becoming a formulator and starting your own indie beauty brand. Many thousands of people have gone through it and so many of them have started amazing brands. But the biggest objection I hear nowadays from people who want to enroll with Formula Botanica's online award winning formulation courses is aren't there too many beauty brands already? And I want you to get out of that narrative. I said this before on an earlier podcast opinion that I recorded a few months ago. We need different beauty brands in the world. The ones that don't make people feel like they're unwell if they have wrinkles. The ones that don't tell you to use mountains of products that will disrupt your skin barrier and break the bank in the process. The ones that want a different beauty industry. So my challenge for you for this week is to come and enroll with us if you haven't already. Enrollment is open right now for our International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur program. And this is the program that will help all of us change the beauty industry. You're going to learn how to formulate beautiful organic skincare. You're going to learn how to test and properly and safely preserve that skincare. You're going to learn how to turn your botanical skincare formulations into into a business. You could be the next beauty brand that changes hearts and minds in your community. You could potentially even become a big player that shifts the way the beauty industry works. Anything is possible. Don't forget that today's beauty giant started exactly in the same place that you're in now. Those founders had a hope, a dream, an ambition to make changes. Enrollment for our International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur program closes on May 2, and after that, I'm afraid you will have missed the boat. So head over to formulabotanica.com now, straight away and get started with us. I can't wait to be sat here talking about your beauty brand in the years to come. Thank you for listening to my Green Beauty opinions. If you haven't subscribed yet to the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, please make sure you do so now in your favorite podcast app. Leave me a five star review if you enjoy the conversations. I host and I'll be back soon. My next episode.