KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 ― For beauty junkies, a trip to any makeup and skincare counter isn’t complete without sampling a new product or a quick tutorial by a consultant.

It also happens to be just another cherished ritual upended by Covid-19.

The global beauty industry that’s worth billions of dollars wasn’t spared this year as brick-and-mortar stores were battered by the raging pandemic, forcing brands to make full use of their digital platforms.

With the gifting season upon us, Malay Mail spoke to three Sephora-exclusive brand founders to find out how their businesses are thriving this Christmas during Covid-19.

Anastasia Soare is the eyebrow guru to Hollywood’s elite. ― Picture courtesy of Anastasia Beverly Hills

Anastasia Beverly Hills

She’s the Hollywood brow guru so it’s a no-brainer that Anastasia Soare received plenty of questions during lockdown about the best way to maintain brows without their regular visits to aestheticians.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) founder told Malay Mail that people are craving community more than anything right now.

"Though we can’t physically be together, I’m so proud of the way everyone has given support and kinship through social media,” she said.

Her brand offered virtual master classes, Instagram live tutorials and personalised consultations with professional artists to answer their burning beauty questions as more people stayed home.

 

"This is a strange time, so it’s our hope to offer our community a way to indulge in some self-care and feel good about themselves,” the Romanian-born beauty entrepreneur said.

Soare, whose first clients include supermodels Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, and later on the Kardashians, said 2020 taught her to appreciate her blessings and treasure family time.

"I’m hoping for a return to normalcy – probably like everyone else! I can’t wait to go out, to have friends over for a delicious dinner, and to have the ABH office bustling again,” she said.

Soare’s tips on finding your ideal brow shape:

1.       Brows should begin directly above the middle of your nostrils.

2.       Brows should end where the corner of the nostril connects with the outer corner of the eye.

3.       The highest point of the arch should connect the middle of the tip of the nose with the middle of the iris.

Zoeva founder Zoe Boikou wanted to improve her mother’s life when she started her makeup brush line 12 years ago. ― Picture courtesy of Zoeva

Zoeva

Zoeva is synonymous with high-quality, affordable makeup brushes that took the beauty world by storm in 2008.

Founder Zoe Boikou’s determination to start her own beauty line stemmed from the domestic abuse she, her mum and younger sister experienced.

The Greek-born chief executive officer was set on finding success so she could empower more female survivors of abuse, cancer and homelessness.

When the first lockdown happened, Boikou was more concerned than ever to encourage and inspire women to believe in their own strength.

"We decided to donate all zoevacosmetics.com sales of 24 hours to a local charity.

"This organisation Women Helping Women supports women and their children suffering from domestic violence and embodies our brand message and business approach,” Boikou told Malay Mail.

 

Throughout Covid-19, domestic abuse cases rose exponentially as more victims are trapped at home with their abuser, leading the United Nations to describe the jump as a ‘shadow pandemic’ alongside the virus.

"I encourage all affected women not to ever give up and to seek help.

"I want them to know that they are not alone, that there is always someone who will listen and help,” she said.

Given the tactile nature of makeup, Boikou and her team stayed close to fans through social media, where they were able to share information and answer questions.

And what does she think about women wearing less makeup in the Covid-19 era?

Wearing makeup isn’t about looking more attractive to others, said Boikou.

"I wear it to express myself, my feelings and my mood.

"I feel confident and strong when I use my beauty favs, but not because they make me feel more beautiful, but because I took some time just for myself,” Boikou said.

Glow Recipe founders Christine Chang (left) and Sarah Lee received three investment offers on the reality TV show ‘Shark Tank’. ― Picture courtesy of Glow Recipe

Glow Recipe

Fruit-powered, clean beauty brand Glow Recipe has always had a strong digital presence thanks to loyal followers known as the ‘Glow Gang’.

Founders and co-CEOs Christine Chang and Sarah Lee were able to use this strong network to strengthen and deepen their conversations with customers to openly talk about how the pandemic is affecting everyone and focus on self-care products as a way of destressing.

"We’ve since seen an uprise in engagement within our community and have implemented self-care lifestyle content and initiatives including our Glow Together Summit – a virtual event day focused on community and self-care, that we held a couple of weeks ago that garnered more engagement than we could have ever imagined,” Lee told Malay Mail.

If there is one piece of advice the Shark Tank contestants have for budding beauty entrepreneurs, it’s to listen to what customers want, especially in today’s digital age.

Chang and Lee received three investment offers from the ABC business reality television show and started Glow Recipe because they saw how customers wanted to learn more about K-beauty.

"It’s more important than ever to make sure you’re listening to your customer base and truly hearing what they need from you ― whether it’s more transparency, certain products, or types of content,” Chang said.

And as consumers demand greater transparency in their products, brands are more likely to gain loyal followers when they are open with their customers.

"At this point, transparency is non-negotiable,” Lee said.

She and Chang discovered this first-hand when they went behind the scenes to share with Glow Recipe fans how their popular Watermelon Sleeping Mask was made in their Korea lab.

"It was the first time we gave our community that transparent, in-depth look and it was so well received ― it’s been one of our top engaged pieces of content to date.

"This concept of beauty transparency has translated to brands being more inclusive and diverse,” Lee said, adding that Glow Recipe makes a conscious effort to feature models of different skin types, tones and textures.

The brand whose jars and packaging are 100 per cent recyclable said it plans to become completely carbon neutral by 2022.

Anastasia Beverly Hills and Zoeva are available exclusively at Sephora stores in Malaysia, online and in-app while Glow Recipe is exclusively available at Sephora Fahrenheit88, online and in-app.