Pauline Youngblood founded Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics in 1996. Professional Beauty spoke with Australian distributors, Matt and Lisa Williams about their six-year involvement with a makeup brand that ultimately led them to become involved with a complementary skin care range.
1. Can you summarise your backgrounds in the beauty industry?
(Matt) Ironically we don’t have beauty industry backgrounds however we believe that is what has served our salons and us so well. Despite only being in our 30s we have started and built seven businesses in the last twelve years and our experience across different industries enables us to offer our salons the competitive edge they want and need. It has also enabled us to play by our own rules without any criticism or negative beliefs about what could or couldn’t be done in the beauty industry.
(Lisa) Matt’s parents had been distributing Youngblood since its inception in Australia some 15 years ago, after a chance meeting with Pauline Youngblood in the USA. We had watched them quietly distribute the brand to a small group of loyal salons and, six years ago, we decided to jump on board and try to take the business to the next level. It was our first foray into the beauty industry and we haven’t looked back.
2. What was it about the Youngblood brand you identified with and how did your professional relationship develop?
(Lisa) Youngblood was like no other product I had ever tried. I knew it was special from the first moment and this was 15 years ago when most people hadn’t even heard of mineral makeup. I loved the fact that it was natural and I loved the coverage it gave me.
(Matt) From the beginning, we shared a true passion for Youngblood and a belief that it was better than anything on the market at the time. For nine years we watched the brand evolve and grow from just 10 shades of loose powder foundation to become a comprehensive makeup brand with over 150 products. We also watched as the brand grew through referral and word of mouth. Not one dollar was being spent on marketing or training at the time, so we knew if we added these things to the business model we would likely get some great results. We could see Youngblood’s potential and believed it was truly the best kept secret in cosmetics at the time. So often businesses have an amazing product or service, but they just don’t know how to let people know about it. That is what great marketing is about and that is what we teach our salons in our Beauty Business Building sessions. We knew we could grow Youngblood simply by applying our own business knowledge. As a result, we have grown from 50 salons to nearly 1000 in just six years.
3. What led to your decision to add to your distribution portfolio with IMAGE skincare?
(Matt) For the first six years, our focus was all about building Youngblood. Over those years as Youngblood grew and our salon base grew, we were constantly being asked when we would be offering a skin care range. We always knew that skincare was something we would eventually branch out into, but we needed to find a brand we completely believed in, just like Youngblood. Over the years we were approached by several companies, but none of the products seemed to have that ‘X factor’ we were looking for. The minute we got our hands on IMAGE, we knew it had that special something.
(Lisa) I noticed a difference in my skin straight away, and having used many professional products over time, I was very excited. The brand ticks all the boxes for our salons as it offers cosmeceuticals that utilise highly active ingredients that penetrate deep into the skin to produce instant results. The brand also has a range for everyone; something for all skin types that could evolve with the client as their needs change. Finally, the philosophy behind IMAGE aligns perfectly with that of Youngblood as both brands offer products free from parabens, petrochemicals, artificial fragrances and dyes. Both brands are also animal cruelty-free and environmentally conscious. IMAGE Skincare is a global company, available in over 30 countries.
4. What market demand is IMAGE meeting?
(Lisa) Over-the-counter products, and even many professional skincare ranges, treat only the skin’s surface layer. IMAGE’s professional range of products penetrates to the live tissue and works at the cellular level to produce results. There are obviously other cosmeceutical products that actively treat the skin in a deeper way, however many skincare brands also have gaps of some kind. They may have great home-care products, but do not offer in-salon treatments such as peels. Alternatively, they may have the in-salon treatments, but their skincare may focus on one or two key ingredients such as AHA/BHAs and retinol, therefore missing a range for more sensitive skin that may react badly to those particular ingredients.
With IMAGE, they utilise a skincare spectrum of:
(i) Retinol
(ii) Stem cell technology
(iii) AHA/BHA
(iv) Lightening agents
(v) Antioxidants
(vi) Peptides
(vii) SPFs
With such a cross-section of actives, IMAGE can treat any skin concern. They also have an organic range and a range only available to doctors, called IMAGE MD, which is a prescription-strength, clinical skincare system designed to dramatically improve the patient’s skin quality and youthful appearance. There isn’t another brand on the market that can lay claim to IMAGE’s level or range of ingredients. Additionally, the fact that IMAGE is not and will not be authorised to be sold online is a huge benefit to salons currently facing the challenges of discount online sellers.
5. How has IMAGE been received by your suppliers?
(Matt) We have been overwhelmed by our salons’ responses to IMAGE and if the Sydney International Beauty Expo is an indicator of the brand’s future success in Australia, we are very pleased! The Expo was the first time we really took it to the market and the feedback was very positive.
6. How does IMAGE benefit the skincare professional?
(Matt) There isn’t another brand on the market that can lay claim to IMAGE’s level of quality or range of ingredients. Additionally, salon owners don’t have to worry about their hard-earned clients accessing cheaper products online. That, coupled with excellent margins, competitive price points, amazing signature peels and our unparalleled Beauty Business Education, leads us to believe salons will be blown away by how their business can literally transform. IMAGE products truly do what they say they do, and this is evident from client feedback and the fact that they come back, time and time again, particularly after they have tested the samples and are then keen to purchase a full program.
7. What’s the future for IMAGE in Australia?
(Matt) When we first met with co-founder, Dr Marc Ronert, we asked him what his vision was for IMAGE Skin Care. He said, “We will be the number one salon-only cosmeceutical brand in the world” and we have the same vision for IMAGE in Australia. We know the products will captivate clients and we know we can offer our salons the level of training and support they are so desperately searching for. We truly believe that over the coming years we will see IMAGE grow as large and as quickly as we have seen Youngblood grow over time.
For more information phone 1800 625 387.
(This article featured in Professional Beauty Nov-Dec 2012, incorrectly naming Australian distributors Matt and Lisa Williams – this is a corrected version of the previously printed article).