Desksides are a common, time efficient way for brands and editors to meet to discuss the latest goings on in the industry. Here, the brands and executives CEW Beauty Insider chatted with over the past week.
Aquis, Britta Cox and Suveen Sahib, Co-founders & Co-CEOs
Aquis is looking to change the way people wash and care for their hair.
“We looked at a lot of the learnings from what was happening with our Rapid Dry Hair Turban, which is designed to absorb moisture from hair quickly. The big ‘aha’ moment for us was reading customer reactions to the hair towel who said their hair was less frizzy, healthier and more manageable as a result. This got us to meeting with labs and scientists around the world, asking what really happens to hair when it’s wet. We learned that the way we have been dealing with hair up until now has been wrong. Washing hair with a lot of detergents and then putting in a lot of heavy conditioners is not the way hair reacts best,” said Britta Cox, Co-founder of Aquis.
In keeping with the company’s hydrophic mantra, Aquis has formulated three hair care items under the Aquis Prime name designed to yield healthy hair, that also utilizes its popular Rapid Dry Hair Turban. To start, there’s Water Defense PreWash, which is sprayed onto dry hair prior to showering. The formula looks to make hair better primed to repel water, helping to leave hair frizz-free, bouncy and easy to style.Key ingredients include coconut oil, keratin amino acids and cysteine amino acids. The next step is a Rebalancing Hair Wash, which cleanses hair with a gentle, non-stripping formula while protecting pH balance and maintaining strength. After massaging throughout hair and rinsing thoroughly, users should apply the Rapid Dry Hair Turban. The final step is Restorative Leave-In Conditioner, a weightless conditioning mist that makes hair shiny, frizz-free and easier to detangle by protecting and restoring its natural pH. Applied once hair is damp, the formula seals in moisture without leaving hair heavy like traditional conditioners.
Aquis Prime launched on Sephora.com at the end of September. Items retail for $29 for the Water Defense PreWash; and $26 each for the Rebalancing Hair Wash and Restorative Leave-In Conditioner. The turban costs $30.
Bellabeat, CPO & Co-founder, Urska Srsen
While wearable fitness trackers are nothing new, many are not aesthetically attractive. Tech-powered wellness brand Bellabeat is aiming to capitalize on this whitespace with its fashion-forward Leaf wearables ($139). The product, which looks like a stylish piece of jewelry, can be worn as a clip, necklace or bracelet and is synced with an app that tracks everything from a user’s activity, sleep and reproductive health. It also offers daily audio breathing and meditation exercises, and an alarm for inactivity. Last month, the brand debuted its new Leaf Chakra line, available in Love (rose quartz) and Power (onyx), which has the same functionality as the original Leaf, but is enhanced with healing crystals for wellness enthusiasts. On November 1, the Bellabeat will relaunch its Spring Smart Bottle ($99), a heavy-duty glass bottle featuring Bluetooth Smart wireless syncing, designed to track daily water intake and send reminders to hydrate. Later this year, the brand will debut a watch version of the Leaf to provide an addition design option for customers. Though it’s a tech gadget, Bellabeat’s CPO and Co-founder, UrskaSrsen, is actively looking for ways to make items synonymous with women’s beauty regimens as the industry continues to merge with wellness and fitness. “There’s no reason why this can’t be on Sephora shelves,” she said.
Phyto-C, Co-founder Eddie Mostafa, PhD
Indie brand Phyto-C, founded by Dr. Oman Mostafa, the inventor of topical vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid), is launching a new brand, HYPER, to reach younger consumers. The collection retails between $55 and $70 and is designed to cater to what the brand calls a “restless, show-me-the-proof audience.” There are four items in the line: HYPER-C (rejuvenates and evens skin tone); HYPER-WHITE (exfoliates and brightens); HYPER-LIFT (tightens and firms); and HYPER-HYDRATE (hydrates and moisturizes). The key ingredient in all the products is a new technology called H2A2, which stands for HYPER absorbing hyaluronic acid and takes two days to formulate. H2A2 technology produces the smallest molecules of hyaluronic acid, so skin can easily absorb it. Dr. Omar and his son, Eddie Mostafa PhD., work hand in hand and are the only people who can create the formulas, they said, which are made in micro batches and checked by hand by a quality control specialist. When the products launch, a quiz will be available on the brand’s website to help consumers select which products would work best for their needs. HYPER will launch in mid-Novemeber and will be available at www.phyto-C.com, as well as by pre-approved Phyto-C medical professionals and skin therapists offices globally.
