April 25, 2014
BBR10 Thought Leader Q&A: Susan Goldsberry & Claudia Stephens, Benchmark Cosmetics Laboratories “Beauty & Innovation – Knowing How & When to Break the Rules”
April 25, 2014
BBR10 Thought Leader Q&A: Susan Goldsberry & Claudia Stephens, Benchmark Cosmetics Laboratories “Beauty & Innovation – Knowing How & When to Break the Rules”
Beauty Biz Roundtable 10 attendees were in for a treat, since it was the first time we had 2 Thought Leaders at a roundtable from the same company! Susan Goldsberry (President & CEO) and Claudia Stephens (Marketing Consultant) of Benchmark Cosmetic Laboratories, both shared ideas on “Beauty & Innovation – Knowing How & When to Break the Rules.”
For over 30 years, Susan Goldsberry has brought her unique talent for creative formulating to the business of beauty, and is now widely recognized as a leading innovator behind many award-winning products in the industry. Her record of success includes numerous first-to-market formulations, creating new standards and benchmarks for others in the beauty industry to follow. With a passion and an insatiable curiosity for new technologies blended with her creativity, chemistry expertise, and knowledge of market trends, Susan is continually sought after and trusted by many of the leading cosmetic companies worldwide. In 2007, Susan founded Benchmark Cosmetic Laboratories, bringing together a talented team of top chemists to deliver cutting-edge R&D and specialized product development tailored to meet the individual needs of each client. Her career began at Jafra Cosmetics, then continued to Levlad, Richardson-Vicks, and Raffaello Research Labs.
Global Beauty Marketing and Business Development specialist, Claudia Stephens, has recently partnered with the Benchmark team to head up their Marketing and Business Development efforts. Claudia has over 20 years of experience in strategic brand positioning, product development and creative business building of beauty and lifestyle brands. When it comes to health and beauty, Claudia is often called upon to develop the strategic pathway for a brand’s global success. She has a well-rounded knowledge in beauty, fashion and lifestyle together with great expertise in Global Consumer Insights, Global Trend Research, Innovation Management, and Brand Visions. With her global vision and proven track record of creating trend-setting marketing ideas, Claudia is the perfect addition to the Benchmark team. Prior to partnering with Benchmark, Claudia has worked on such well-known brands as Cover Girl, Erno Laszlo, Princess Marcella Borghese, Wella, Sebastian Professional and Chanel.
- Rule 1: The customer isn’t always right; sometimes we know what they want before they do.
- Rule 2: Don’t look at the instructions. Those who “follow” the crowd are never “followed” BY the crowd.
- Rule 3: The rules of science can be broken; it just takes guts.
- Rule 4: Do make mistakes. If you never fail, you’re not trying hard enough.
- Rule 5: Don’t follow beauty trends…create them!
- Rule 6: Don’t take your time; it is essential to conduct speed to market through anticipation.
- Rule 7: It’s not a secret – collaboration is the key to success! Be transparent wherever possible without violating professional confidence.
Please tell us about your career path/progression. The road to where you are now? How did you get started?
Susan: After college graduation, I visited family in Southern California. I responded to an ad for a job at Jafra Cosmetics in R&D, and from that point on, I was hooked on working in the beauty industry!
Claudia: I started in the beauty industry right after my International Business studies in Germany. I worked in Marketing and Business Development for all kinds of beauty brands ranging from Chanel, Cover Girl, Borghese to Sebastian, just to name a few. Although I loved working in the high–end beauty world, I wanted to work with mass brands. I also loved the challenge of covering all aspects of beauty from head-to-toe. I’ve always spent at least 3-5 years with a company before I moved on. I have met so many amazing people during my corporate career in the US and Europe. Now that I have my own consulting business, it really helps to still be connected with a lot my former employees and colleagues, since they often hire me for Marketing and Business Development projects for their companies.
Claudia Stephens (Marketing Consultant) & Susan Goldsberry (President/CEO) of Benchmark Cosmetics Laboratories at their BBR10 roundtable discussing ““Beauty & Innovation – Knowing How & When to Break the Rules.”
Why did you choose this career? Why the beauty industry?
Susan: I believe that my career chose me! The Jafra position came about so naturally and turned out to be the perfect fit. There was really never a question on whether I wanted to be part of the beauty industry….it just happened organically.
Claudia: Since I’ve always been a beauty junkie from a young age, there was no doubt that I would end up in the beauty industry. I’ve always been very creative, and couldn’t think of a better career than working in a field that I was passionate about.
Who/what are your biggest career influences?
Susan: I absolutely have to acknowledge Ralph Akyuz, who was my mentor for many years. In addition to Ralph, there are many people, both part of the industry and from other domains, who have served as inspirations. I try to remain open to anyone who has demonstrated vision, originality and dedication and gain insight from them.
Who is today’s beauty consumer? How are they changing?
Susan: They are more sophisticated in terms of ingredients and product claims, and tend to research products more carefully. Many of them also refer to product reviews online, so I would say that “crowdshopping” is a trend, where online consumers compare notes. Today’s consumer also expects more benefits from a single product, and appreciates multi-functional items such as spot-correcting makeup foundation, etc.
What do beauty professionals need to do to continue to connect/attract with today’s beauty consumer?
Susan: I think professionals need to stay on top of the latest products being introduced or developed, in order to be able to converse with their consumers. Even if they don’t carry all the products, they need to be prepared to discuss them. It is also important to understand that a certain segment of consumer is extremely concerned with environmentally responsible ingredients, manufacturing processes, and packaging.
Claudia: LISTEN to what they have to say and communicate with them, so they know that your brand is listening. Involve them during the innovation process. Remember that collaboration is key to success.
What do you see as the latest trends in your industry?
Claudia: I see customer involvement as the latest trend. Brands need to involve their customers on an emotional level, and more importantly, collaborate with them. Product performance is no longer enough. “Gen Z” (those born between 1996 to present day) is raised in the era of “creative class,” where skills and talents rule. In fact, it is believed that the majority of “Z’s” will end up producing a song, writing a book, making a film, or creating a fashion line.
What attributes make a great leader? Tell me about your leadership style.
Claudia: A great leader mentors as much as possible. I always encouraged my direct reports to grow and eventually strive for my position.
What kinds of qualities do you look for in an employee/when hiring a candidate/someone to join your team?
Susan: In addition to talent, which everyone wants in an employee, I look for someone with a sense of being part of a team, and who understands that his or her energies contribute to the success of the entire company.
Claudia: When hiring employees, I always make sure that they can identify the mission, key principles and vision of the company. For example, if it is a fashion-forward company, then I expect the employee to “live” that principle.
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About the Beauty Biz Roundtable Series
Hosted by Mazur Group, the Beauty Biz Roundtable (BBR) series brings together 100 Mid to Senior Level Beauty Executives in a roundtable format that fosters networking and idea sharing. This is not a lecture or panel discussion. Attendees are given the opportunity to sit down in small group settings with industry peers. Past BBR attendees and Thought Leaders have come from every major beauty company here in the West including Stila, Dermalogica, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Neutrogena, Murad, Urban Decay, CND, P&G, Josie Maran, Intelligent Beauty, Sexy Hair Concepts, boscia, MOR Cosmetics, OPI, Smashbox, Sexy Hair Concepts, Orly International, beautylish.com, and more. To see exclusive coverage of BBR events, visit Mazur Group’s YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/mazurgroupla