COSMOFACTORY

[00:00:00]
Deanna: This episode is about cosmetic brush design and brush manufacturing. It's about supply side, entrepreneurship and leadership about finding a cadence for new product development. About exploring new ways to innovate and more today on the CosmoFactory podcast, I'm joined by Anisa Telwar Kaicker, founder and CEO of Anisa International.
Deanna: Welcome.
Anisa: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here with you today.
Deanna: No, really glad you could join us. Um, so [00:01:00] I want to start by admitting that I use Google a lot. Uh, every time I ask Google what it means to me. To be a legacy business. Um, I'm reminded that, um, there's sort of an expectation of at least 10 years of history. Um, legacy businesses, um, are often actually independent companies and they tend to have a strong impact on a particular industry or the community they serve.
Deanna: Um, so having, having confirmed that with Google recently, I'm confident in saying that Anisa international is a legacy brush maker. Um, however, we might have some listeners who are not yet familiar with Your company, Anisa, could you just give us a quick introduction?
Anisa: Sure. I started focusing on brushes in 1992 where I launched this business and I was mainly a distributor and an agent. And then, uh, In 2002, 2003 is when I developed my own manufacturing and we became fully integrated. So thank you for sharing with me with a legacy businesses. So I feel confident now to that we can say [00:02:00] 30 years exactly focused on brushes independently owned.
Anisa: And I think really committed to 1 category. I feel like we're the steward of brushes is how I've been looking at it lately.
Deanna: Yeah. Excellent. Thank you so much for that. Um, and your business, am I correct? You're based in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.
Anisa: Yes, our headquarters is in Atlanta.
Deanna: Yeah. Um, and as a U S based company, I know that you own two manufacturing facilities in China. I'm wondering if you can tell us a bit about your decision to manufacture overseas.
Anisa: So the gentleman I met when I started my business was a Korean manufacturer of brushes. His family had a long history of understanding the artisanal, you know, um, design. He moved into China. Therefore, he and I, you know, I followed that path. And then when he and I no longer were going to do business together, I followed the path of where supply chain was in raw material.
Anisa: Still to this day, um, It is, to me, the best place [00:03:00] to make a cosmetic brush. It's a handmade item if it's done right, even if it's premium or not. And the raw materials now, which used to be animal, which we no longer use, the different kind of synthetic fibers that we use and how we extrude them, they are done very well in China.
Deanna: Excellent. And am I correct in remembering that you opened one of your facilities while much of the world was experiencing this sort of stay at home or lockdown during the COVID 19 pandemic? Is that true?
Anisa: Yes, we moved into our newest facility in 2020. You know, China had really started to experience COVID before we did in the U. S.
Deanna: Yes.
Anisa: And thank goodness we had opened a new facility because we were allowed to stay open because the facility was so spacious, so clean, so transparent that really was fortuitous, even though the world was shutting down, I could manufacture, we could still, uh, ship because the government allowed us to stay open.
Deanna: Wow. Wow. Can you talk with me a little bit [00:04:00] about collaborating with your team during that time?
Anisa: It was very difficult. It was very difficult for me because I am more of the sales and marketing and product development being on the road. So I had to stand still, which was. Very, very interesting, but what it did for me and for the organization was I was able to understand our infrastructure and I was able to now really support the operational structure.
Anisa: And so it created a lot of changes for about 2 years. I really was able to dig in and understand what was working for us operationally and what wasn't. And I'm very excited about that because we have restructured, um, new things we have implemented. We have hired some people that have more expertise. It was transformative and how we became a global culture and connected much, much deeper.
Anisa: And we're continuing that connection.
Deanna: Yeah. Interesting. Thank you for that. Um, I've been observing recently and I'm not alone in this observation, right? Domestic beauty in China is growing quite rapidly. I've, I've [00:05:00] seen in country investment go up. Um, I know, um, Uh, in June, for example, a research and development, uh, investment was made from a company called Yatsen Group.
Deanna: They opened a, an R& D, uh, center in Shanghai, um, and also at the start of this year, uh, there was an article in the Financial Times, uh, reporting that nearly half of the top 40 beauty brands in China are now Chinese brands, uh, and that imported brands are actually losing market share. So. In that article, uh, the reporter called Gloria Lee, she pointed out that the responsiveness of in country factories is actually helping local brands keep pace with consumer trends and expectations.
Deanna: So, what I'm wondering here, Anisa, is do you currently work with any China based brands that you can tell us about, or do you have plans to engage more directly with the local China market going forward?
Anisa: So the local China market also includes global brands. So they may say. You know, right. However, you have some brands that are really making amazing inroads in [00:06:00] China that are so we, they want to purchase differently, right? For 1111 or 4, is it red book or whatever, you know, their types of social media, uh, purchasing channels.
Anisa: They want us to be very focused on their market and what cost of goods and design and style is. So we are welcoming that direct. Uh, communication and P, you know, product development. So it is happening. We are not working yet directly with solely owned Chinese brands.
Deanna: Okay.
Anisa: However, when you look at some of again, the brands, they do work very independently, whether they, For us, or they purchase for China and their teams are very independent, even though they have a global brand look and feel.
Anisa: That's the way I think we're going to begin because the currency that needs to be, you know, manage the different kinds of whether you pay or not now, whether we export to a free trade zone, what are the regulations going to be now on the, um. The manufacturing, you know, [00:07:00] um, you know, markings and education.
Anisa: So, and price point, even though volume will be there, price point will be very different. So we are starting that process. And my team in China would love for us to sell directly to China. So that is something that's very important to them because they're very proud of what we do.
Deanna: That's helpful. Thank you for sharing that. I'd love to talk more about the actual brush manufacturing process. You mentioned a lot of the work is done by hand and I had the opportunity before our interview today to look at a short video about your new facility there. And it was clear there are a lot of people doing what I would describe as hands on work to create the brushes.
Deanna: I'm hoping you can take us through some of the steps between, you know, a raw material and a complete brush. What's automated? What's not? Okay.
Anisa: So. The fiber, you know, has always been in some sense, even when it was animal, I don't want to say automated, but when it used to come in, you would have to address it. You would have to [00:08:00] do certain things because it's been harvested. So the cleaning of it, the dressing of it, the bundling of it. So that was a very handmade process.
Anisa: Now, with manmade fibers, you have an automation to create that fiber, but still, there are some handmade, um. Aspects of bundling or mixing. So the dressing of the most important part, which is the fiber, whether it was animal or man made, still has a lot of, uh, like you said, hands on. Then you move into the ferrule, which connects the head, the, you know, the middle part and the handle.
Anisa: The ferrule is punched through automation. It used to be a very dirty hand ons process to color it, but we have automated that process, which we're very proud of. I did about then the handle can be wood or plastic or aluminum. We again with plastic and aluminum automated wood is laid, but we are doing our best to automate some of those processes for
Deanna: Are you working with silicone ever[00:09:00]
Anisa: For handles, um, mainly with brush heads or, you know, skincare type
Deanna: Yes. Okay.
Anisa: Yeah. And then for the head itself to shape it is still very handmade. However, There are things that we're doing to speed up that process so that our operators will only use their hands when it's the most important part.
Deanna: Okay.
Anisa: And consistency and quality, uh, all the things that are very important that you don't have hair fall out.
Anisa: You don't have the head detach, you know, the, the type of glues we're using the automation of how we use the glue. There's so many things that we want to do to improve and we're talking about artificial intelligence. How do we pull that into a manufacturing?
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah. Listeners to the Cosmofactory podcast will remember our first episode was actually, um, with a company called Sayovision that uses artificial intelligence for quality control processes in lipstick manufacturing in particular. Um, and as, as you know, that's [00:10:00] one of. So many possible applications.
Deanna: So it's really interesting to hear that you're looking into it. Do you expect to use AI? I mean, are you exploring it more in terms of the manufacturing process that you've just outlined, or would it be more, you know, in terms of design or other applications throughout the company?
Anisa: I think it's both. Yeah, definitely both because if we can design with it, then there's elements that we would carry that through the, through the production to ensure the design was consistent.
Deanna: Yeah, it's so interesting what all the various suppliers and stakeholders are dreaming up with artificial intelligence. Um, you mentioned earlier that Anisa International was, um, originally a brush distribution business or agency. Um, and you mentioned shifting into your own manufacturing. I'm wondering, do you act as your own distributor now?
Deanna: Do you have partners globally? How does that work?
Anisa: Yes, we're our own distributor. So we, you know, I am considering like what you said is very interesting because I am considering how do we expand?
Deanna: Uh huh.[00:11:00]
Anisa: And I think because what we do is so customized, really training sales, our sales team to really understand how to guide a customer because we're not just one size fits all.
Anisa: We do not walk in the door and say, here's a brush. Would you like to buy it? We have to design it for the purpose in which they need it. That's how we work. And that takes a lot of training.
Deanna: Yeah. Tell us more about that customization. What is that process like with your customers and what sorts of, uh, you know, details are you customizing for?
Anisa: So the brush doesn't work alone. It has to work with a product. It has to, to me, the idea of a perfect product pairing, so that we can ensure the fiber type and the head shape really will have the payoff and pickup that the formula was designed to have. That is to, to me, very critical for customers today.
Anisa: And it's what makes brands stand out if they're going to have a brush. [00:12:00] So For us to guide our customers to be really, you know, focused on their ability to have something unique and have something that makes sense is a dynamic process. We do not want people to have the same brush all over the world. We want them to have something very unique to them, but there are certain shapes that might have some general characteristic traits that we want to ensure we meet, but then how do we Again, create a little bit of a differentiation because their formulas are different.
Anisa: Not all formulas are the same, their demographics, how they want their gestures to be. So this is the art of the book. Um, I think this is why we exist today because we have really created. a premium tool. A brush is a tool, right? It's a really vital piece to the puzzle when it comes to cosmetic and skincare application.
Deanna: That's helpful to hear. I, um, [00:13:00] I will admit to watching a fair amount of video commerce about beauty. And one of the things I hear said sometimes when brands are showcasing both a product and an applicator is, you know, something like, well, the brush will do the work for you. And that's a little bit of what you're, you're getting at there with the particular design meeting, matching the formulation, but also, the target customers expected gesture and what have you.
Anisa: Yes,
Deanna: Yeah, that's so,
Anisa: I love that you said that because I do believe that a brush can be very intuitive. It can also, you know, it's this, this idea of creativity, um, adventure, education, there's so much that comes with it.
Deanna: yeah, yeah, no, so true. You've said before that there's a cadence to what you and your team at Anisa International does. I'm hoping you can tell me about the innovation cadence and what it means really in terms of design, development, and launch. What's the process? What's the, what's the innovation calendar look like, I guess?
Anisa: So we're, we're, we're Improving upon that now we've [00:14:00] really met, you know, when it was external, right? So the, the cadence of the trade shows, the of our strategic partners and when they need to launch, you know, their seasonal or when they're going to be launching a complexion new collection. So we really have been matching.
Anisa: What our customers and strategic partners needs have been. We want to evolve that a little bit where we could have a little bit more control and be a little bit more thoughtful. So this is something that we're looking at now in a new stage gate process. Because, again, with cobit. It was, you know, it was tough on us.
Anisa: It was really tough on what it did to us. We had to manage our infrastructure 1st. Now, we're looking at the expansion part of it. So, expansion will come from product development design. It will come from innovation. So we are in the midst of it right now. Um, yeah, I would love to be able to tell you what it will look like, maybe 6 months from now, because
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah.
Anisa: it's something pretty exciting.[00:15:00]
Deanna: Yeah. Oh, no, that's excellent. I know these things take time for sure. Is there anything in the pipeline that you can share? Any prospective launches?
Anisa: Well, we have some new fiber, so that's going to be for next year. We have some new heads. We're launching in September that are a bit of a revival of things that we had a few years ago and things that we've seen to be successful. Now, we're going to re, emerge them with new fibers, a little bit of an extension, expansion on what's already working
Deanna: Mm hmm.
Anisa: and again, powder formulas with light dusting really pretty, uh, you know, again, the feral can be very impactful and how you shape it.
Anisa: So we've really worked on some innovative ferals. How the fibers are going to work with the ferrule, and we'll see how it goes. I hope that people
Deanna: Yeah. I'm sure. I'm sure. It's interesting. The ferrule will actually affect the overall shape of the brush, the brush head itself.
Anisa: Yes. So whether you slant it, turn it in, curve it, create a belly, there's so many things, because that's the [00:16:00] base of the, and the base of the brush creates that density, that control. And then on that you have the belly and on that you have the tip. So what I love about the ferrule is it can, you can do a lot with your base.
Anisa: Yes.
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I think we're assuming that, um, most of our listeners are familiar with the design of a brush, but in case someone isn't, the ferrule is really that sort of collar piece, um, that goes between the brush handle and the, the fibers themselves. Um, I think the word comes from the word bracelet originally, like it has to do with, um, sort of an iron cuff almost.
Deanna: Um, I'm fascinated by words, but yeah. Yeah.
Anisa: Yeah, I have so many brush books that come from Japanese, uh, tradition, you know, from the paint brushes, but I've never seen where the word feral came from.
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah. Maybe I should look into it further. But, um, you mentioned new fibers there. Um, and, and earlier when you were explaining the processes, you talked about all the materials that you're using for the handles, [00:17:00] the fibers, even some of the glues. Um, I'm wondering what your company's role is in developing fibers or which pieces are you sourcing?
Deanna: Which pieces are you creating?
Anisa: So, we start the process, you know, we have a supply chain, we have good partners, and we create with them, we give them the concept, the ideas. And based on again, formulas, looking at what is trending and formulas right now, you have a lot of clean beauty, right? That doesn't have certain things in it. How you pick it up is a little different.
Anisa: You have a lot of these kind of, you know, cream to powders, but those are really evolving like where they're so creamy. Um, but yet they have a powdery base. I mean, it's just. So interesting to me, to me, there needs to be fibers that match that
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah.
Anisa: look at the extrusion and the tip. So the length of the tip, the type of extrusion to see [00:18:00] how they would work better with the formula.
Anisa: So it all sorts of how it begins.
Deanna: Yeah. No, that's, that's interesting to hear. You know, I, when I speak with, um, you know, cosmetic scientists and folks actually developing product formulas, we know there's so much change going on in terms of color cosmetics with this sort of skinification, right. Bringing in new ingredients, new benefits. So that makes sense that there are a lot of product texture changes, um, and, and nuances that you, um, will be addressing with brushes.
Deanna: I want to, um, a little bit about, um, your consumer facing brand called Anisa Beauty. I think you were more than 25 years into leading your business and in brush design and manufacturing. You decided to launch a consumer brand. Um, forgive me, but what were you thinking?
Anisa: Yeah, I don't know. So someone said to me, they had, they saw what we were doing, the B2B business, and they felt like it would be interesting if I were to get [00:19:00] into licensing. So I started with that, like, what would it mean to license? And again, what I realized, what was really cool, I feel like I'm in school.
Anisa: You know, my business has been a school for me
Deanna: Yeah.
Anisa: and what I needed to learn was how the consumer. For my customer was portrait purchasing brushes. Now, everything was changing YouTube Instagram content creators. Everything was changing no longer going to the Mac counter was going to be where you found your 1st brush.
Anisa: And to me, that was a bit terrifying. Um, as. I was very dependent upon, uh, the strategic partners we've had for years and years to get to the consumer first. And so that's what's happening. So it told me that I needed to do something. I needed to make a difference in the sense of finding out what the brush consumer wanted.
Anisa: Did they understand there was a difference that all not all brushes were made the same plus I was innovating head shapes and my, my. Partners were not taking them [00:20:00] fast enough. They had other problems. They had other things they need to deal with. They didn't need another push. So this gave me the opportunity to create some consumer intelligence, some R and R and D kind of incubation opportunity.
Anisa: And it has been a wealth of knowledge. I feel that I am so much better for my partners because I know they're paying now they have to deal with. I know the competitive nature. I understand digital marketing more. I understand. I understand working with a content creator. I understand so much. It is so hard to launch a brand and have it be successful.
Anisa: So I think it's only made me better. And I was able to launch some innovation and show them my partners that I had a vision. That was on trend and they could succeed from it to plus the bigger thing to me was launching skin care brushes because nobody had them. And I believe very, very strongly skin care brushes are away and they are different fibers, different [00:21:00] handles, different glue.
Anisa: They are not to be mimicked after a makeup brush, and they are to be paired perfectly with your skin care. So. It has just made it has been this, this intelligence that I really, really needed that I wasn't going to learn. And I would have been again, just a commodity player. I feel like this has set us apart that we can have meaningful conversations.
Anisa: And I'm actually really proud that I did this, even though it's been truly painful if I have to do it again. I don't know, but I'm glad I did it.
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah. I'm wondering, you, you mentioned that not all brushes are created equal and that's, you know, it's, the brand is also an opportunity for you to educate consumers in that regard. I'm wondering if, if what you're doing with Anisa Beauty is also increasing transparency. Are you sort of letting consumers and competitors know who manufactures a brand's brush with this or, or not so much?
Anisa: No, I mean, we're the [00:22:00] Intel inside. I
Deanna: Mm hmm.
Anisa: it's important that we just talk about transparency and manufacturing and Jenna
Deanna: Yes.
Anisa: that people should be curious and that our customers should care like, everybody should care. Where am I getting my product? People can tell the difference in a fiber from an Amazon, you know, 20 piece brush for 5 dollars compared to my 1 brush that cost 38.
Anisa: My brush is meant to last. It's an investment and it's not meant to end up in a landfill. It's not a disposable product. So that's how I talk about it. You know, they may not care that I make it. They may not care where I make it. They may not care that I pay my wages fairly. They may not care that I don't harm the environment when I anodize.
Anisa: They may not care about that. They will care that the product is going to last.
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah.
Anisa: product is going to work and the product is not going to waste their products and it's going to make a difference in how [00:23:00] they apply makeup and their confidence. So that's what I'm more speaking to through Anisa Beauty.
Deanna: Mm hmm.
Anisa: It's a byproduct that we make our own brushes.
Deanna: Sure. Sure. That's helpful. You mentioned that the brush is not being disposable. Um, and I'm still a little bit of consumer education on the brain here. Are you helping your customers educate consumers about what I would think of as brush care or making them last in some regard?
Anisa: yes, our brushes are durable the way they're made, or they're very durable, um, long lasting, you know, professional premium quality. So just by when you receive it, you know, you have something that's going to last just by the way you touch it, feel it, hold on to it. And and then, by the way, it works, it will motivate people to care for it.
Anisa: And, yes, we are very much about the and how you take care of brush. Do not submerge it. Do not use alcohol, you know, dry it and reshape it, you know, all these things. And mainly it's getting people just to clean their brushes. They [00:24:00] need clean their brushes. I've had women say, I keep a brush for a year and I don't clean it.
Anisa: And then I throw it away. I don't understand that.
Deanna: Yeah. Yeah. Well, maybe I'll go clean my brushes this afternoon.
Anisa: Please.
Deanna: Yes, it will make me feel more connected. Um, I'm wondering if you can say something just about what innovation means at Anisa International.
Anisa: innovation to me is many, many things. It's it can be in a process of efficiency. It can be in a process of communication. It can be in a, you know, in a way that we are able to move things faster through our supply chain. It can be the cost in which we're able to create a premium product. It also can be in something that's never been seen before, something that's never been created before, something that's never been thought of before.
Anisa: That is consistent with the time today. Like, when you look at it, you understand. Wow. I've been I wanted that. I just didn't know. I wanted that
Deanna: Yes. Yes.
Anisa: to me. That is [00:25:00] innovation and innovation has to do with vision. Like, what is coming next and it's not just a moment in time. There will be, of course, innovations.
Anisa: Okay. This will be a step towards something bigger and we have to test it.
Deanna: Yes. No, I like that. Connecting innovation to vision. Yeah, I like that a lot. I want to just step back before we end here and think very big picture about your business. In my imagination, the industry expects that Anisa International as a company will outlast your leadership tenure. I'm wondering, again, maybe I should ask your forgiveness before I ask this question too, but is it too soon to think about an exit plan for you and your business?
Anisa: Yeah, I don't think I'm going to exit. I think there will be succession.
Deanna: Yes.
Anisa: There is succession. I think that as long as I'm around, you know, this is my lifeblood. This is something I've created from, you know, it's a legacy. So, um, unless I am not breathing, I, I [00:26:00] don't think that I need to exit. What I need to do is allow for growth.
Deanna: Mm hmm.
Anisa: allowing for growth means inclusion. It means equity among all my members so that they can have the same power and empowerment so that we can evolve. Uh, I have been very critical in the growth of this company. I acknowledge that we all acknowledge it. However, for us to get to the next level, I, I want to evolve, you know, I need to move up a level,
Deanna: Mm hmm.
Anisa: and then my team will be doing the same.
Anisa: So that's what we're working on right now is. More of that expansion, and I have so many brain cells left. So what should we use 'em for
Deanna: Well, they seem to be firing quite well. Yeah.
Anisa: so far?
Deanna: Yeah. So far. Anisa, this has been very wonderful. You've shared so much good information here today. I thank you for joining me on the CosmoFactory podcast.
Anisa: Thank you, Deanna.
[00:27:00]