What does curation mean?
Although often used in the field of art, curatorship does not exist in the explanatory dictionary with the meaning that we frequently attribute to it. We have the term curator which is used in a legal sense.
However, the simplest understanding of curation refers to the selection and organization of the content of a subject, enriched with the personal and valid insights of the curator who is an expert in the field.
What does curation mean in skincare?
The presentation of brands, without the polished coating that marketing actions offer, without glam pictures. In the curation process we discuss essential elements of the credibility of a cosmetic brand in the century in which we live:
- product efficiency – effectiveness proven by scientific tests, tests carried out by independent laboratories, dermatological accreditations, safety in use for a wide variety of skin types, specific industry or product certifications
- sustainability - validated by the continuous concern for recyclable packaging or that puts as little stress on the environment as possible, innovation in packaging/logistics/supply chain, packaging recall programs, the production method that reduces the carbon footprint of the brand, transparent sourcing from accredited sources and ETHICAL
- transparency in communication - proven by honest labels, without bombastic claims, without "marketing fluff", without false promotion of add on type (contains ingredient X and Y and Z...) or "fear marketing" type (without ingredient X and Y and Z ...), permanent dialogue with consumers, feedback programs from consumers
- ethics and healthy business principles - non-discrimination regardless of criteria, healthy ratio of women in management positions, healthy working conditions for employees, social responsibility for the environment in which it operates, development of the communities it collaborates with, ethical processes of sourcing, production, logistics.
- Innovation in research - the use of innovative ingredients, proprietary formulas, a mix of technologies in product development, unique solutions that cover a wide range of skin problems, collaboration with research centers/universities/laboratories, participation in thematic congresses, a team of top formulators.
Why is curation needed in skincare?
Let's take some statistics from the industry.
In 2022, only in the USA there were 4082 cosmetics manufacturers, each with at least 2 products. That means a minimum of 8164 cosmetic products in the US alone.
Another statistic tells us that there are currently 25,000 cosmetic products globally, and the number continues to grow.
The global beauty products market is estimated to reach 579 billion by the end of 2023, and women from the "millenials" category are the biggest buyers, with 38% of the total cosmetic products.
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed purchasing behavior in the beauty area. 22% of buyers spend more and buy more brands, while over 68% make their beauty purchases exclusively online.
On the shelves of beauty consumers there are on average between 3-9 products, most of them intended for the same purpose, because many of the purchases are made either out of impatience to see the results of a product, or due to promotions/marketing campaigns, or due to "skin -fluencers" who promote a lot of products.
All are symptoms of excessive, uninformed consumption that is not based on healthy criteria.
Consequently, curating is an essential need for a balanced, informed buying behavior that takes into account real elements that impact both the skin and the environment.
We cannot focus only on what is in the bottle/box without taking into account how the solution was produced, and this is translated both by the concern for the ethics of the producer and by our patience as consumers to see the results of the product, before abandoning it on a shelf and to buy "the next shiny thing".
Our buying behavior is a direct message to producers - I only buy what is good for me and the environment, so I don't produce more than necessary and I don't produce without showing me how to do it!
How do we work?
Every month we talk with 4-5 cosmetic producers from different countries. We have dialogues with the management teams, the export teams, the production teams and we validate a questionnaire with 10 chapters that touch on the essential elements that we presented previously.
We request product safety data sheets, environmental certifications, ISO certifications, efficiency reports and claim tests carried out in-house or in independent laboratories.
We talk with the research and formulation teams to understand the innovations that certain processes, ingredients or technologies bring to the products of the respective brands.
We talk to those who founded the brands to understand what exactly led them to start a cosmetic company, how they organized their business and what are the values they believe in and that they pass on through their products.
For scientific validation and efficiency in use, in the team of collaborators we have specialists trained in cosmetic formulation, university professors, chemical engineers and beauty editors with a long experience. Not influencers, but people trained academically and professionally in the evaluation of the cosmetic product.
Are the featured brands sold on the platform?
Some yes, most no. Our main activity is that of curation, the focus being on the clear and correct presentation of the brands that pass all the evaluation processes.
For some of the presented brands we receive a great interest, hundreds of messages asking us where they can be purchased, so it is possible to start selling them.
At the moment we have 3 such brands - 2 from Jordan based on sapropelic mud from the Dead Sea (top of the range among producers of this type around the Dead Sea) with cosmetic and therapeutic products (therapeutic mud for topical conditions such as psoriasis/eczema/ dermatitis and joint diseases) and a brand from Turkey with extremely effective dermatocosmetic products.
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