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On the CosmoFactory podcast, discover the latest innovations along the cosmetics and personal care supply chain. Hear thought-provoking conversations with top beauty industry experts from around the world. Learn about next-level solutions and find inspiration to turn your own ideas into industry-changing innovations.
A PRODUCTION OF Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna
CosmoFactory is the first podcast from Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna—the most important beauty trade show in the world. Dedicated to all sectors of the industry, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna welcomes over 250,000 visitors from 150 countries and regions and nearly 3,000 exhibitors to Bologna, Italy, each year. It’s where our diverse and international industry comes together to build business relationships and to discover the best brands and newest innovations across consumer beauty, professional beauty, and the entire supply chain. The trade show includes a robust program of exclusive educational content, featuring executives and key opinion leaders from every sector of the cosmetics, fragrance, and personal care industry. Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is the most important event of the Cosmoprof international network, with exhibitions in Asia (Hong Kong), the US (Las Vegas and Miami), India (Mumbai) and Thailand (Bangkok). Thanks to its global exhibitions Cosmoprof connects a community of more than 500,000 beauty stakeholders and 10,000 companies from 190 countries and regions. Learn more today at Cosmoprof.com
CosmoFactory was co-developed in collaboration with supply-side expert Deanna Utroske, Host of the CosmoFactory podcast and Editor of the Beauty Insights newsletter.
Deanna: [00:00:00] This episode is about the grooming market and premium shave products. It's about a new brand strategy and a new business model for personal care about device design, custom manufacturing, and the mindset of a challenger brand. Allegra Violante, co-founder and CEO at Fler is with me now, is the CosmoFactory recording booth at CosmoPack.
Allegra, welcome to CosmoFactory.
Allegra: Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be here.
Deanna: Yeah, no, [00:01:00] I'm excited to speak with you. Um, if I may, flair is very much reinventing the shave category in that your brand has made the razor into something stylish, something that consumers want to buy, want to own, but introduce us.
To the brand. Uh, when did you get started? Where did you get started? Where are you now?
Allegra: I was, uh, living in the us uh, I was getting my MBA there, um, and I was surrounded by incredible beauty makeup, Kel brands, um, that made products that I really wanted to, to feel, to own, to experience, to gift. Um, but when it came to the shaving category.
I couldn't have the same experience. Um, shaving for me was something I had to get done as fast as possible. Um, we go through it and forget about it. Um, and especially for a person with very sensitive skin like me, um, it was [00:02:00] sometimes even painful and not a ing experience at all. So I, I had like this, this question in my mind about how to make shaving actually feel good.
And that like took me back to my roots, to my Italian roots. I'm, I'm originally from Italy, um, and Italy has this DNA in fashion, in food, in design, where we can make something functional, but at the same time beautiful and nice to experience. So that, that was the question that made me come back from the us come back to Italy and.
Decide to, to bring flour on.
Deanna: Mm-hmm. No, that's fantastic. And I, I like what you said about making it feel good. Right. And I, I, because when I, I heard you say that, it made me think about literal touch, right? Having sensitive skin. You want this experience to sensorially feel good, but then that emotional component, right.
I feel good about it. I feel good using the product. Like this is an [00:03:00] emotionally good experience. I like that. You know? And. I wanna mention, um, I think it was episode 93, I got to speak with the Olaplex, CEO, Amanda Baldwin, and one of the things she talked about was the market opportunity for premium hair olaplex and premium sun care.
She's previously worked with super goop, and I see a real parallel here with what you've created in terms of premium product. In personal grooming. Can you talk more about that opportunity? What, what is a premium shave brand?
Allegra: Um, I believe it's a brand that is able to turn, like grooming products from commodities to products that you want to experience, as you said, um, and that you feel an emotional connection to it.
Um, so every time I went in front of supermarket shelf and I saw the grooming category, I saw these pink razors and blue razors and, uh, mostly plastic. No, no emotions connected to them. [00:04:00] Um, I believe there was, there was an opportunity there to develop something that felt different. So with flare, we develop premium zos in aluminum that, uh, you match with your bathroom and that.
Feel, uh, different. And then we develop a whole routine around it from pre-shave to Parsha to really create that sensorial experience that was very, very important for us. We are in a market that is huge, um, and it's dominated by very few players. Um, so it's not something easy to do. Definitely. Uh, but it's something that I, I saw a big opportunity on it.
Right now, I feel like the market is saying, okay, we, we see space for, for this brand, and I'm very happy about it.
Deanna: Yeah, no, absolutely. And you mentioned there the design of the razor itself as, as well as the materials. Can you talk a little bit about. Creating that, and I'm, I'm imagining there was some manufacturing challenges that, that the listeners along the supply chain would be interested to hear about.
Allegra: Yeah. Uh, I could never have [00:05:00] imagined Zos were so hard to make and so complicated
Deanna: because yours is, I I just wanna clarify, I guess yours is unique, right?
Allegra: There's not, yeah. It's a custom design. So we, we developed the mold, we developed like everything around it. Um, and it was a very long process that I must say we, we did it in quite a short time because.
Has taken one year of development, so it's quite fast. But, um, it was very hard because, um, there are very few suppliers in this, in this particular, uh, sector. And, um, we wanted to have everything custom. So, um, the more custom you go, the harder it's gonna be. Um, but we were very lucky in the end to find the right supplier and to be able to work with our own r and d team, um, and with De Zang group, Italia team as well, um, to really develop something unique.
Mm-hmm. Um, but it was very challenging.
Deanna: Sure. And can you describe the flare raiser is. I, I want to see the design even if I can't look at it.
Allegra: Yeah. So, um, our [00:06:00] is made in aluminum. It comes in five different vibrant colors. Um, the, the first one was Sicily, so it's orange color, it's the brand color. Um, it has this design that we want to assemble a jewel. So everything started from like vintage razors inspiration. Um. Combine with Italian jewelry. So, and
Deanna: let me just jump in.
When we think about vintage razors, you're talking about again, something that's not disposable. Yeah. Something that's a, an object in your home.
Allegra: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So we were inspired by like that vintage safety razors that barber shops had. And, uh, at the same time, we wanted to make it modern at the same time.
So really being able to match that vintage vibe with, uh, modern colors and hues. And, um, we wanted it, so it has this lantern on the top. We call it the lantern. It's a. Uh, like I, I don't know how to describe. It's more, it's
Deanna: almost, I think it's like a bead almost, isn't it? Yeah. The textured bead.
Allegra: Yeah, it [00:07:00] does.
Deanna: Yeah, it does. A larger bead.
Allegra: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Um, and then you, you always keep the handle and you only change the cartridges. The cartridges are fiber blade cartridges. They are all surrounded by a lubricating wings. So they are very, um, like treatable for sensitive skin. We have. Patent technology on the blade.
Um, but yeah, it's, it was really designed. And we also add the shower holder to keep it in the shower to, because we wanted people to expose it. Uh, we wanted people to, uh, when we interview, especially women, uh, and we asked, where do you keep your laser? They said, um. Behind everything else, and it has to be hidden.
Um, while we wanted this product to be displayed, to be enjoyed, to be matched with your bathroom, and so that was the, the inspiration for it.
Deanna: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Excellent. And you mentioned there replacing the razor heads, um, puts me in, in the mind to ask you about pricing. Um, how do you, how do you situate this?
Again, we're, we're [00:08:00] thinking about premium products, um, and, and. Your branding. I, I feel like everything about Flare is, uh, it, it's creative, right? There's, there's something different about almost every aspect of this brand. Talk to me about, about the pricing model. How do you, how does that go?
Allegra: Yeah. We, we define ourselves premium yet accessible.
Okay. So in terms of pricing, we are a bit higher, uh, but not that much, um, a few years higher than most brands, uh, even plastic razors. Our is not a plastic raisers, but still it's very accessible. It's on the 2025 range. Um, and then we decided to be as, um, as good as possible on the refill cartridges, uh, pricing.
Because what we observed in the market is that the usual strategy is to price the razor very low, and then price the cartridge is very high. Okay. 'cause you are committed once you have the razor. For us, it's, it's a bit like the opposite. [00:09:00] So we decided to price the razor a bit higher because it's the product that you buy once, um, and then be as competitive as possible on the field cartridges.
So that was what we decided to do.
Deanna: Yeah, no, I like that. And, you know, maybe it's, it's already clear to listeners, but I, there's so much unique about the branding as well, and you mentioned earlier, you know, shopping for the, the plastic razor in a discount retailer. It's pink, it's blue. It's, it's plastic. I, I, I have questions about, you know, the gender of your consumer, of how you're building brand loyalty, um, without branding.
You described the Razor and you didn't mention, you know, a logo or the, the brand name. Tell me more.
Allegra: Yeah. So, um, flair is a generalist brand. We wanted to be developed for everybody. Um, so the color we chose is the orange, uh, flat is orange. Um, and we actually, I have to say that the [00:10:00] branding was done even before we had the full design for the razor.
Because I thought the branding was so important to be, um, to be different on shelf, to be different online, and to be really able to create something around it. Um, so we worked a lot, a lot on the branding and not just on the visual of it, but also on how the brand should make. Field people, you know, how the brand should talk, how the brand should behave, and what values the, the brand should, uh, support.
So that, that was very, very important for us in terms of consumers. Um. Uh, right now we have one 70% woman, 30% men. Okay. Um, but we are very happy that this percentage is going, uh, to grow in like, uh, always more similar, uh, way. Um, still, I believe the woman segment was very much underserved compared to the men.
So it was important for us to focus on that side, uh, at [00:11:00] first. Uh, but we are very happy to have customers that sometimes what what happens and makes me, uh, makes me really happy is that. Um, a woman buys it for herself and then the, like, the, the fiance or the husband sees it and say, I want it too as well.
And so they get another one and they have these two races next to each other in the shower and very happy about it.
Deanna: Yeah. No, that's wonderful. That's so nice to think about. You talk a lot about their, um, maybe gender agnostics, right? Uh, uh, for your brand. When we've spoken before, you talked about, um, this idea of, of products for a shameless world. Can you say more about that idea?
Allegra: Yeah. Um, it was, it was something that we discovered, uh, when we were speaking to potential customers that shaving is something that a lot of people feel a bit ashamed of.
It's, it's more that they are ashamed of body air. And so shaving is connected to body air, and that creates this whole taboo situation where [00:12:00] you don't talk about it, you don't, uh, show the products you use to shave you, you don't expose them, you don't talk about it with your friends. About which ways are you using something?
You don't even
Deanna: acknowledge
Allegra: that. Yeah, yeah. No, it's, it's something that you, you ignore. But, but because there is this, this shame around it. Um, so, so basically, I, I really wanted to, to develop something that could. Take the, that shame away. So for Shameless word comes from, uh, the fact that we have this goal of making every object feel, uh, appreciated and feel worth of being showed off, uh, and being exposed.
Um, and also to develop a really different communication in terms of how we speak about body hair, how we speak about. Uh, bodies, we speak about, uh, people and, uh, it was very important for us. We had to do so much education around this whole. Um, category because people didn't know things. Yeah. [00:13:00] Um,
Deanna: tell me more about that.
Allegra: It's, it's, you know, like they, they, there are some, so many taboos around it. So the fact that people are convinced, many people are convinced that when you shave, your hair is gonna grow ticker. It's not gonna go ticker. Um, the, the thickness depends on your DNA. It's just which part of the hair you are cutting.
So it's, it's something we had to educate a lot onto. And also like to explain the routine steps that we developed from the shaving foam to the after shave, uh, how you should shave in. Version of the hair you should shave based on what type of skin do you have. Um, and this was, was very important. It, it's a big part of what we are doing.
Right.
Deanna: And you were doing a gesture there. It really is the direction of gesture for shaving. Yeah. That, that can make a difference as well. It does. And you're educating on that. So interesting. And. You mentioned there when I asked about Shameless, um, speaking directly with the customer, and then you, um, have, have told us about a few of the other products in your portfolio, [00:14:00] but of course, like many brands, you continue to introduce new products, but you're also continuing to talk to your customer.
Can you say a little bit about that project?
Allegra: Yeah. It's so important for us, um, to be able to connect very close to our community. Uh, and we do that also when we develop new products. Um, but from the, from the very, very early phases, um, we created many groups, uh, and like had all of our potential like best customers on it and have them try the products.
Well, we are developing them to understand if it's something that they would like, that we would use and what type of corrections we can make to make the product even better. And that's something that was very. Fashionable to do it sometimes. Um, um, but we, we keep doing it every day and it's so important.
And we recently actually decided not to launch a product because, uh, we were like not fully convinced of the product. We wanted our community to test it. [00:15:00] And after the feedback we said, no, we are not gonna launch it this, this way. And it's so important for us to have. Uh, that feedback. So, uh, we do it through every channel that we have of, of communication through social, but not only social.
Um, we, we are here at Cosmo for, we are doing so many events, uh, for our community, so many activation games and things. Um, it's so important for us to, to have that, uh, that relationship and we are cultivating it. And now that we are expanding a lot into retail, it's important for us to keep having those.
Touch points that we always had.
Deanna: Sure. I, I wanna, I'm glad you mentioned retail there because I know you started, um, the brand with a very specific retail strategy, but you are, may I say, going more mainstream. Tell us about that evolution.
Allegra: Yeah, so, uh, we started, uh, where the category did in existed. So we wanted flare to be the first brand.
For the type of retail locations that didn't, couldn't cover the shaving [00:16:00] category at the, at the time, because they didn't have a brand that was not very a mass market brand.
Deanna: It makes me think when you just, when you said consumers were hiding the razor in their shower or their bathroom, the retailers.
Didn't even want it.
Allegra: No, they didn't want it at all. Of course. And it's, so, it was, it was, um, it was not feasible for them to have those products, uh, in their location. I'm, I'm talking about department stores. I'm talking about performers, uh, premium pharmacies. Uh, cosmetic shops, concept stores. So we started there, uh, and we were very happy, uh, to, to build the category where, where the category didn't exist at.
Uh, right now we are expanding to the channels where the category already exists. Uh, we are launching dm, um, so it's, it's a few retailers. We, we are launching in that specific. To premium drug stores? I would, I would define, um, and it's very important for us now to, to be able to reach more customers and also to be able to, uh, to be to.
For our products and for [00:17:00] our field cottages to be found, uh, closest to everybody's place. So it's, it's important to expand that way, but we are very attentive and very cautious in not losing, um, the uniqueness that we have developed. And even in retail distribution on how we want to express the brand.
It's very important for us. So yeah, it's growing, but still ous
Deanna: And remind me, flare's been in business how long?
Allegra: Um, we launch in. 2022 basically was the, the first year. So
Deanna: a, a few years.
Allegra: Yeah.
Deanna: And are you starting to see competitors in your space?
Allegra: Uh, for sure. Uh, it's, it's a good sign. It means, uh, we're showing something off.
Uh, and yes. Wow. But I, I feel there is space. I feel there is so much space. So it's, it's not something that, uh, was worries us, but it, it. Encourages us in, you know, doing space and we are growing, uh, that space. So, yeah.
Deanna: Yeah. No, it's, it's another signal [00:18:00] that the market is ready. Um, that's, that's fantastic. I guess, um, I wanna ask you about the future, can you tell us where shave, where grooming is going next?
Maybe, maybe through what your brand is doing or maybe just what you're seeing in the larger marketplace.
Allegra: Um, I see something where the sustainability of products is not something we can ignore anymore. Uh, and I know there is a lot of talking around this, around this, but I believe it's, it's feeling, it's beginning to feel very bad for customers to buy this.
A large pack of disposable razor is something they don't feel good anymore about it. So I think that side is gonna disappear step by step. Um, and I feel that customers are always more attentive to brands and what, who are the brands they're buying from? I, I see that as a tendency not only on the shaving category, [00:19:00] um, in the whole beauty and, you know, consumer goods.
Uh, consumer goods category, but um, in regards to the shaving, I believe we will always have body hair. Uh, and it's, um, it's finding, it's about finding new ways of, uh, also being able to, to live with it. We, we embrace a philosophy where if you wanna shave, we are here and we give you the best possible products to do so, but if you don't want to shave, we are here as well and we support you.
So that's something. Uh, important. There is this, uh, body hair movement around the world, and, uh, we're very happy to see that as well. So it, it happened.
Deanna: Yeah. It's so interesting. You're describing really the acknowledgement, again, of body hair, right? And then people's personal choices about, uh, how they do or do not groom.
It's, it's really a sort of brand affinity, isn't it? You almost, it's beyond, I don't wanna say beyond loyalty, but it's almost separate from a brand loyalty project in that they want [00:20:00] to. Uh, have some kind of relationship with a brand. I, I guess I'm, I'm kind of hung up on this because it's a, in some ways it feels like a very unique concept in shave.
Speaker: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Deanna: Is there anything else maybe that your brand is doing or that you're seeing potential for there?
Allegra: Um, I would, I would say that in terms of how we are. Um, really connect in terms of loyalty with, with the consumers, is really making sure that what we say, it's also reflected on our brand actions.
So it's not something that we just say, but it's also something that then we represent on every image that comes out from us on our products. So it's very important to, to be able to do so. Um, and in terms of community and loyalty, it's. Extremely important for us to be able to be very coherent in what we've built from the beginning.
Uh, it's, it's, it [00:21:00] becomes harder when you grow too. Uh, to commit to things as you did when you were mm-hmm. Very, very small. Uh, but still, it's, it's something very important that we, we are doing and I hope we will be able to do. Always.
Deanna: Yes. Yes. Well, Allegra, you know, I, I, I think it's, it's easy. Um, we've certainly done it for years to take, you know, everyday products like razors, maybe deodorants or toothpaste.
These, these types of products for granted really and, and overlook the opportunity for innovation. Uh, you've shown us how much potential, um, this. Sometimes boring category really has how exciting it can be. I thank you for all your insights and for being my guest today on CosmoFactory.
Allegra: Thank you so much for hosting me.
It was real, real pleasure to speak to you, Deanna, and very happy to be here.
[00:22:00]