When you’re a new beauty brand, how do you catch the attention of some of the world’s biggest retailers?
Having the internet become completely obsessed with one of your products doesn’t hurt.
In the past few weeks, more than 5.3 million people have viewed a video introducing the Glamspin, a candy-colored fidget spinner packed with three different flavors of lip gloss. Dozens of media outlets—think Allure, Elle, and Vogue—covered its release like it was a new line by a Kardashian.
The product was the brainchild of Tom Crowley, Alex Fogelson, and Sabrina Vertucci, cofounders of Taste Beauty. They brought the idea to Buzzfeed’s Product Lab, which gave it their thumbs up. Within a month, a video of the product had gone viral.
That caught the attention of Sephora, which already sells Taste Beauty’s adorable Felicia the Flamingo lip balm. The massive beauty retailer will begin selling the Glamspin this month, as will Dylan’s Candy Bar and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Not bad for Taste Beauty, whose first product was released last year.
For years, Crowley, Fogelson, and Vertucci worked together at a large beauty brand. Together they had more than 30 years experience in the cosmetics industry.
Toward the end of 2015, they decided that they should strike out on their own with a brand aimed at teens and tweens. With Crowley tackling product design, Vertucci handling sales and partnerships, and Fogelson in charge of the business side, they had all the bases covered.
“We saw an opportunity to be a different kind of company in the space—to be nimble, super creative, quick to market,” says Fogelson.
To get their products out there faster—Glamspin was available about two months after they first pitched the idea to Buzzfeed—they use the latest technology. For example, the members of New York City’s WeWork Times Square used 3D printing to design the curvaceous Felicia the Flamingo.
“It used to take three months to make a mold for a product,” says Vertucci. “With 3D rendering we can have it finished in two to three weeks.”
How does Taste Beauty appeal to the younger demographic? Their colors are bright, and their designs are often whimsical.
“We dig deep into pop culture,” says Crowley. “Simply put, much of our inspiration is rooted in anything that makes you smile.”
