Aliett Buttelman @ Fazit Beauty

Speaker A: Hi, everyone, this is your host, Kate Stevens. Welcome back to another episode of the Omnichannel Marketer. Today, I'm very excited to have Elliot Buttelman, one of the co founders of Phaseit Beauty, here on the podcast today. Elliot, how are you?

Speaker B: I'm doing well, Kate. Thanks so much for having me.

Speaker A: Super excited to chat today. Why don't you just start with your own personal background?

Speaker B: Yeah, of course. I have a very non traditional beauty founder background. Or maybe that is what the common thread between entrepreneurs and founders are, is not having a traditional background. But, uh, I started fashion modeling at the age of 15. I lived around the world. I lived in New York, on school breaks in Paris, Milan, Sydney, Australia, Berlin, and had really a, uh, firsthand understanding of fashion and beauty companies and just like behind the scenes of what it takes to make an advertisement or a production, meeting with the best CMOs, art directors, professional hair and makeup artists, and quickly realized that I had a lot to say on set. And that's not really the role of a model. You're supposed to be the silent one and you're lost on the totem pole, as we kind of say in the industry. From there, I went to Columbia University, uh, to do my undergrad. I studied economics and art history. And throughout my whole college experience, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do for a living. I took every random internship from publications, working at Hearst Magazines to tech startups to art galleries, and really felt a lack of stimulation in everything I was doing. And I remember my mentor at the time, who's still my mentor and friend, kept asking me, what do you want to do with your career after college? And I said, it'd be great to do something in business development. And she's like, well, you can't really do anything in business development unless you're an executive at a company. So, uh, I, uh, started my own company. I started a consulting company in college that was focused on taking stage A, emerging brands in fashion, beauty and tech and really taking them to that stage B, C level, getting them into retail, getting, getting them press, doing branding on those companies. And I started doing this while I was in college for free, for friends who had brands. And my first client was actually my now co founder, Nina labruna, who was making potions of, uh, beautiful face oils and scents in her NYU dorm room and teaching yoga in her dorm room. And her products were amazing. And she really introduced me to the world of clean beauty and took her products. We rebranded, we became partners in the company. We got into Nordstrom's we sold out into 24 hours. That was really my first experience into the beauty world. I quickly realized that my tech and fashion clients weren't as fun or satisfying to me to work on than labruna Skincare was. And then during COVID my co founder now, you know, presented to me, why don't we start something together? 50 50. Throughout Covid, we saw a lot of saturation in the clean beauty space. Labruna Skincare was, uh, self funded. It was highly feminine, very expensive to run. The. The ingredients that we were sourcing were very, so hard for, you know, two young women who were putting their own savings into the company to really keep growing that business. So we decided to start PhaseIt Beauty about two and a half years ago, first with skincare patches. So phase it Beauty. The mission was to create a new application and format of the way we apply skincare. So we first focused on acne. Acne scars, ingrown hairs, we called it. You know, bumps and blemishes is what we were targeting and quickly realized that people thought applying patches and peeling them off were so satisfying and love showing it in short form. Content that was going viral. So we had a hypothesis of what if we could apply cosmetics and makeup in patch form like we have in Skincare.

Speaker A: Okay, that's, um, that. And then how did. How has the brand evolved?

Speaker B: Yes. Um, I think owning a brand and being an entrepreneur, you really have to keep adapting and if something's not working, be nimble and quickly change the path if it feels right to, you know, the brand mission or the founders. We launched our the first ever makeup patch category in April of 2024, and that really put us on a map in a super disruptive way, unlocking retail relationships, going into retail for the first time, hitting, you know, our first million in 2024. Uh, so, yeah, the business has really evolved in the last year.

Speaker A: Tell me a little bit more about what a makeup patches.

Speaker B: Yeah. Um, our patches are paperbacked technology with a print on the other side of it. Place it on your face, you dab it with water, you peel it off after, you know, saturating it in water for 30 to 60 seconds, and you have a beautiful design on. On your face. Um, we call it makeup artist skills, uh, without having to have the technicality of being a makeup artist. Uh, super easy to use. You can put it on top of foundation or on bare skin with sunscreen. Super easy to use and super fun.

Speaker A: Awesome. So you launched your brand initially. Was that on dd?

Speaker B: Yes. Direct to consumer first, and then quickly after Launched on Amazon.

Speaker A: Okay. And so is DTC and Amazon that the two channels that you're in currently,

Speaker B: currently in direct to consumer. Amazon Urban Outfitters nationwide and online cvs in 400 doors, a bunch of small indie boutiques that we love. And we have a big mass retail launch coming February 2nd.

Speaker A: Oh, that's so exciting. Well, talk to me about how you think about the role that different channels play for you as a brand.

Speaker B: Yeah, I think, uh, each channel unlocks a different type of customer. Us. Direct to Consumer was really a platform where our Digital community on TikTok or Instagram could come to shop the product. And the brand awareness was started over social media. Amazon for us is reaching a new type of customer. Unfortunately, they don't give us so much data of who that customer is. But, well, we think of Amazon is that impulse purchaser, the somebody who wants it as soon as possible that our direct to consumer channel can't necessarily offer with shipping. Urban Outfitters was the first retailer we ever wanted to be in. It is our Gen Z demographic who is looking to go to Urban Outfitters to buy their occasion wear. If it's getting ready for a game day or a concert or back to school or Halloween, having our products there is a great impulse purchase for them to really complete their look, accessorize their look and also, uh, meet new and emerging brands they want to try for the first time. CVS for us gives us that accessibility to our customer who wants the product quicker than Amazon prime can get them. It is again that impulse purchase of oh my gosh, I forgot. Like I have this concert tonight or I have this date. I really want our phasic glitter freckles to really like complete my look.

Speaker A: Amazing. So it's a discovery and new customer acquisition for you.

Speaker B: Exactly.

Speaker A: Amazing. Um, and you talked a lot about social media being kind of where you've built your brand. So has that been TikTok? Has that been Instagram? You know what's really worked for you there?

Speaker B: Yeah, we started our company with savings. We put in $13,000 to get the business off the ground. And I'm pretty sure the stat is you need a million dollars invested in a beauty company to really disrupt the industry. And that wasn't us. And we were really scrappy in the early days and the only thing that we could control is content. We weren't graphic designers. Creating beautiful, intricate Instagram posts or a website was not our strength, but our strength was knowing how to create very disruptive short form video content. And TikTok is where we were able to get that reach without having a ton of followers and really speak to the demographic that we were going after. Was it the customer who was struggling with acne or, or ingrown hairs or very like specific bumps and blemish skin concerns and really seeking out that customer who is authentically talking about those conversations already on their platform. And we would gift product on TikTok and from there we had a very organic strategy that allowed us to create an organic community.

Speaker A: And when you talk about kind of disruptive content, what does that look like for you? What's kind of what's been working for you on TikTok?

Speaker B: Yeah, in the early days, it was these very graphic patch peels of the bumps and blemishes and that shock factor content that people loved. It's. It can be so gross. But our comparison was always like, look at Dr. Pimple Popper and her following. Like, uh, everybody kind of loves watching that stuff. And we applied that to, you know, formulating the makeup patches of having that same instantaneous results. I think people love before and afters. They love instant gratification. And all of our products really showcase that, uh, you can and have this intricate, beautiful makeup pouch design super quickly and you can show your followers at the same time.

Speaker A: Well, that makes a lot of sense. So, you know, at the time that we're Talking about this, TikTok is, you know, going to be banned in the U.S. how are you guys thinking about that as a business?

Speaker B: Yeah, if you would have asked me last year before, um, you know, the disruption in growth our business had in 2024, um, um, I would have felt a lot more pessimistic about it because as a small business, uh, TikTok was so much a part of our strategy and it was for us, the cheapest way to get our brand out there. So I really feel for emerging and indie brands at this time. Um, also content creators who are making personal brands. It's been a great platform for that. Uh, but for right now, you know, since last year, we really decided, you know, we've had this ban looming over all of our heads. Uh, let's get in front of it. We started regularly posting on YouTube shorts and Pinterest and utilizing our content on other platforms. We re engaged back with Instagram and Instagram reels to figure out what worked for us on that platform because we've realized the content that was performing well on TikTok wasn't necessarily performing well on Instagram. So diversifying our content and on different platforms and now it's I think everyone's forced to think about marketing and advertisement differently. I think most brands focus was on TikTok. So now I'm thinking, you know, maybe it's going back to out of home marketing, pushing Instagram reels a little bit more YouTube shorts, kind of seeing where the TikTok user decides to spend their time more on. So I think everyone's going to have to get a little bit creative moving forward. But let's see, maybe there is no ban.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It's unclear at this point, but makes sense on the diversification of channels. I know Taylor Swift has used your product and I think you guys are pretty creative about how you got in front of her. So could you just, you know, talk. Talk me through that story?

Speaker B: Of course. My background being in the fashion industry, I knew that getting celebrities, publicists or their management team is so difficult to reach. And we've tried this with other brands and other clients I have had. And you always get rejected. Nobody responds back to you of gifting them products. So, uh, I thought, okay, well maybe like her stylist or her makeup artist, that would be like a better contact of getting her product and maybe more likely to be used and seen by her. So I did some research. Taylor works with one makeup artist. Her name is Lori Turk. She's represented by an agency. Her agency gave me her address center product back in May when we first launched the product last year. And I, uh, didn't really expect to hear anything with that single strategy. So I was like, all right, how do we get Taylor to see Phaseit everywhere? So we sent to Sabrina Carpenter, who was opening for her on the European leg of her ERAS tour. We sent to all the other wives and girlfriends of the Chiefs. I was like, all right, well, if she's in the VIP box around the girls, like, I don't know, maybe the camaraderie there. And then lo and behold, October 7th, she walks into Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs home game and she is wearing our glitter freckles. And you know, ever since then, everything has been absolutely insane.

Speaker A: Yeah. Did that. Was that just a complete, like ultimate viral moment for you guys?

Speaker B: A hundred percent. I mean, we've had so many viral moments on social that we've seen, you know, these upticks and sales, but with her, the global stage that she is on that. I mean, I realize there's journalists, their sole job is just to write about Taylor Swift every single day. So it was so overwhelming. I mean, we had people saying, we're seeing this coverage in the Philippines, in Australia, in the uk. The reach it had was absolutely insane. Her eras tour North America was coming back to the US two, uh, weeks after she wore the product. Halloween was three weeks after. I mean, we could not have asked for better timing. Every media outlet, press like press outlet was writing about us in the US and internationally. You know, 48 hours later, Peacock NBC set up a set in my living room to do a documentary on the Swift effect. CBS Inside Edition had me in their studio in New York. We were flying to New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto, Vancouver to do, um, interviews where her tour was going next. It was absolutely insane. We saw 35x increase in web traffic and sales. We did over seven figures in 48 hours. Crazy.

Speaker A: Um, do you have any idea what, where she saw it or is it impossible to know?

Speaker B: I have no idea. I mean, I think there's like major walls up of like not being able to reach her somehow. Like we've penetrated those walls. But, um, we sent her makeup artist and Taylor, you know, handwritten thank you letters, hoping that was, you know, the way that she received the products. Um, but I guess for right now, we'll never know.

Speaker A: So I went to Taylor's Indianapolis concert and I, that was the first time. So I saw, I saw your product on Taylor and then I saw it on so many. I was there too girls at the concert and I was like, whoa. I was like, I felt so uncool having normal, um, glitter on. I was like, I need this. So, yeah, I experienced the Taylor Swift effect.

Speaker B: Yeah, I have a funny anecdote. I also went to Indianapolis night too with my fiance and walk in and I would say probably about one in four girls were wearing our glitter freckles of an 80,000 person stadium. And I think that was probably the most overwhelming moment in my whole career was I don't think anyone ever gets to see their product worn by that many people in one place. Yeah, I mean, we were sitting in our section and people started recognizing me from the video of me crying and on TikTok and wanting to take pictures. Uh, it was so surreal.

Speaker A: Wow, that is incredibly surreal. I mean, I think that like the Taylor Swift effect is a channel that like this has been a massive, massive channel for you guys.

Speaker B: Yeah. And what is so great about her community is they were the kindest community of people on the Internet that I've ever seen. I mean, quickly we started having these dupes ripping off like our exact packaging, which was super unfortunate. And we could not really get the legal system on our side to make Them go away. And we had all of these Swifties onto TikTok shutting um down. People who were choosing to use the dupes over a female minority founded business, you know, two young women. So, you know, it's been incredible to have that community on our side and I'll be a part of our community.

Speaker A: That's awesome. So how do you think about all of the channels that you now sell? And it sounds like you've got some major retail coming up in the future. How, you know, as you grow and scale as a brand, is the business changing?

Speaker B: Yeah, for us in 2025, it's really about our retail expansion and supporting those new retailers. We have a different strategy for each one because like we talked about earlier, they each bring a different demographic and customer that we're serving for Urban Alfred is for example. We've been able to grow with them so quickly and we are supporting them in, in real life activations. We stopped at all of the ERAS tour locations with them, um, doing, you know, Glitter freckle, Get ready with me for the ERAS tour. We're doing something with them for Super Bowl. We have been offering them exclusive products. We're doing two exclusive SKUs for Valentine's Day. So really keeping a freshness and diversity in your product selection just so it gives your customer a reason to go support you in that location. Um, you know, CVS, we have our 1 bestseller and again that's going to continuously be our impulse buyer who's going there or you know, our customer who, you know, forgot to order it online for a certain event. So, you know, and along with that, it's influencer strategies are so different. The drugstore customer and influencer is so different from like your niche, you know, Urban Outfitters, which I think is like more of like a boutique department store.

Speaker A: How do you support a cvs? Like what, what are the methodologies there?

Speaker B: Yeah, we're still learning. I mean, we're so lucky to have a team that is betting on an emerging indie brand to come into CVS to give them that freshness and excitement and bring like our disruptive community into their stores. Also bring a younger demographic in there. So I think with CVS it falls a little bit more on us because it's a little bit more of your non traditional beauty destination versus I would say like a Sephora, Ulta Target, a Walmart. You already have a customer there who is used to buying their beauty products in those locations.

Speaker A: Mm. What is, where's your placement in cvs?

Speaker B: It is a new aisle called Beauty Minis So it's really focused on a mix of trial and travel, new and emerging brands. You know, kind of what you're seeing on social media, ending up in stores.

Speaker A: Cool. Um, really neat. I haven't seen it yet in cvs, but I, um, I will definitely check it out.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: So, you know, this is the Omnichannel marketer. How do you think about the end to end consumer experience across all of your channels? You know, how do you think about that as a brand?

Speaker B: Yeah, um, for us, I mean we still operate out of small business mentality, which I think is always important to have. I think running a business, you should always think of yourselves as a startup, even if you're a corporation. I mean, that's why I think retail has been failing, especially department stores, is because they're not bringing newness fast enough. They don't have the ability to be nimble based on their business models. Um, so that's what we find so important. This is being edited, correct?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Okay. Sorry, what was your question?

Speaker A: That's great. It's connecting, um, basically the consumer experience across channels.

Speaker B: Got it. Okay. So on that point we love having the touch points with our customers as much as possible and that's what we're able to do on uh, selling on TikTok shop or selling on our direct to consumer channel. It's, you know, you know, showing them the new products, the limited edition products first, making them a part of our community, um, where we have a bit of lack of that touch point with an Amazon or a retailer, the way we can show up for the retailers are the influencer marketing strategies, the pop, uh ups. With those retailers really showing up in stores to meet our customers, learn a little bit more about them and their needs.

Speaker A: Topical focus, something that you feel bold or passionately about.

Speaker B: Any subject matter or any beauty, any subject matter. Okay. I think for us and what we've experienced is wishing and hoping there will be more female investors who are there to support female founded brands, especially in CPG.

Speaker A: Um, yeah, well, with women getting less than 2% of venture agreements.

Speaker B: Yeah. Um, the early days we thought we wanted to be, you know, VC backed and probably had hundreds of calls and I would say 95% were with men. And I think every female founder has the same experience of, uh, let me have my wife try your product or I don't under, I don't get it. And um, unfortunately for them, they missed out on really great opportunities for their ability to not think bigger. And I just think like within beauty and for the most part Serving women as our demographic would, uh, be great to have more female investors empowering and funding more companies like ours.

Speaker A: Yeah, makes complete sense. Moving into our lightning round. Favorite omnichannel brand.

Speaker B: Ooh. Um, I would have to say elf

Speaker A: m thing you wish you can change about our industry.

Speaker B: Mhm. More women at the top.

Speaker A: Favorite podcast?

Speaker B: Female Female Founder World. Because it got me through those really early days needing to hear other female founder stories and realize I wasn't alone in the process and all of my feelings were completely valid.

Speaker A: That's incredible. Um, follow that Instagram. I, um, haven't listened to the podcast, but I will need to. Favorite newsletter?

Speaker B: Female Founder World does a newsletter. I just signed up for Hot Rich Smart. Yeah, yeah, Maggie Sellers. So I just got my first newsletter, so keep you updated.

Speaker A: Favorite social media channel?

Speaker B: TikTok. I am a complete late night scroller. But, um, I justify it that it's for work and I'm, you know, fueling my creative product ideas and marketing tactics.

Speaker A: I mean that is actually very true.

Speaker B: So if my fiance asked, that's why I'm on there.

Speaker A: You're working.

Speaker B: I am working.

Speaker A: Favorite book?

Speaker B: Uh, Just Kids by Patti Smith. Um, Patti Smith's a rock star. You know, back in her day she was dating the famous photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Um, she's a legend. I think she's in her 70s now and she's still performing and is an artist at heart. And it's just great non fiction memoir.

Speaker A: Um, any events that you're excited about going to in 2025?

Speaker B: Uh, very excited for the Super Bowl. Uh, we're doing a pop up at Urban Outfitters. Uh, we have all of the colors of whoever could be going to the super bowl ready to go. Uh, game day. Um, and team spirit is a big strategy for phaseit in 2025. So yeah, looking forward to the Super Bowl. We have a live TV segment airing as well. Um, and then I'm getting married this year, so that should be the number one event some.

Speaker A: And where can people connect with you?

Speaker B: Yeah, um, of course, Phase of Beauty across all channels. And then my personal is aliette butts on TikTok and on Instagram. I'm a lot more vulnerable on TikTok, so hopefully you'll keep seeing me there.

Speaker A: Um, Elliot, thank you so much. It was awesome to, to learn your story. I really appreciate it.

Speaker B: Thanks so much, Kate. Pleasure.