Latest / Skin Anarchy / Chris Young, Head of Sustainability and Co-Founder of Circumference Skincare

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Chris Young, Head of Sustainability and Co-Founder of Circumference Skincare · Skin Anarchy

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  SPEAKER_01: Hey fam, welcome back.
• 0:36
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• 0:37
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• 0:52
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  SPEAKER_01: Five stars great.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks guys, and I hope you love this episode with Chris.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: This is your host, Ecta, and today I have with me Chris Young, who is the head of sustainability for the amazing line circumference.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: So welcome to the show, Chris.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited that you're here.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to be here as well.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um I would love to get started and talk about you and um just like the whole you know founding process for the brand, your own background and what really led to circumference and all the good stuff.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: So you can get us started.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, circumference is a um what we call a future forward sustainable skincare line.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: So our focus is really in finding new and innovative ways to develop uh skincare formulas as well as ingredients.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so our our core focus is really exploring um, you know, new avenues for how we source ingredients and how um that can ultimately translate to um you know super effective skincare.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um so that's that's circumference in in a short briefing right there.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's so it's so much more than that though, Chris.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like this is a typical like men's mentality where you guys like simplify everything.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: I always say like men are like linear thinkers and women are like circum, like you know, sir circumferential thinkers.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: So it's so funny.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um I mean you're right, because I think there's there's just so many moving parts when it comes to developing a skincare product, and it, you know, particularly the way we kind of look at how we develop formulas and how we've essentially built up our own supply chain from scratch.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, there's a lot of moving parts.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: So in my mind, I always have to kind of distill it and simplify it, even for my sake, because yeah, um it can be a little overwhelming at times.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely, especially in the industry now.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's nice to have uh brands that recognize the importance of simplifying a very complicated process.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I definitely appreciate it, but I want to know more.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know more about your background, your personal background.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like what's your training in and what's your education in, all that good stuff.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so you know, previous to starting circumference, I've actually worked a number of years in the fashion industry as well as the media industry.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, roughly, I guess 10 or so more years ago, um, I used to work for a uh sustainable fashion line called Sling and Stones, and you know, they're no longer around, but I would say this was before sustainable fashion had kind of taken off, and Sling and Stones was really the first of kind of its early generation in terms of creating something that was sustainable and eco-friendly.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_02: So we used to source our cotton from um our sepima cotton from Peru, and we would have it sent to uh Japan to have it, you know, um turned into denim and create jeans out of it.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that was there, there was a kind of a lengthy process of creating um you know apparel back in the back in the days.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_02: And so that was, you know, one of actually my my first ventures.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um and alongside that Gina, who is my wife as well as the co-founder of Circumference, um, she actually also worked in fashion, helping launch a sustainable athletic wear line.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: And so between the two of us, we you know have always had an interest and passion in in sustainability, um, but primarily worked in fashion.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, with circumference, it was a mixture of our personal interest in sustainability as well as I guess our curiosity within the beauty industry.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, for me personally, I've always um struggled with my skin.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: I suffer from eczema um seasonally.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, as a guy, I there wasn't a lot of avenues for me to turn to to learn more about um skincare.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: And so um I lean quite a bit on Gina and the products that she would use.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: And um that's kind of where the conversation started kind of rolling was um understanding and really educating ourselves on how skincare works.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but even beyond that, um, understanding where sustainability kind of fits into place.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: So when we launched uh circumference about three years ago, sustainability wasn't really much of a conversation in skincare.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_02: There's obviously the I think that the topic around natural and organic was already drumming up quite a bit.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um but sustainability as a more specified topic within beauty, um, there wasn't much going on there.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, um, you know, starting circumference uh was really about kind of opening up those channels and uh starting that conversation around sustainability within the beauty industry and even our name circumference um references, um, the image of kind of circularity, uh, which is again inspired by wanting to create a sustainable beauty line.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, honestly, I I love that you are talking sustainability with me because honestly, um, you know, the line is just so beautiful aesthetically, like it's so, it just looks so pretty, like sitting on my vanity and also it works so beautifully.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, and and on top, I love that you've kept that fashion sense there, but still created a line that is so geared towards, you know, all these amazing things, you know, that you just talked about with sustainability.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to dive deeper into that actually, because I'm not gonna lie, I'm um not very well uh versed in the in the world of sustainability.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: I know my little um bits and pieces, but I want to know more from you.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what were some of the hallmarks or the pillars that you really wanted to focus on um with this aspect for your line?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, what were things that you were really kind of aware of or or continue to be aware of as you um, you know, try to propagate your brand towards this?
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, in the beginning, I think naturally most everyone kind of focuses on packaging.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: And even today, when you think about sustainability within the beauty industry, I think um, you know, most brands tend to focus on reducing waste in terms of packaging, which um I think at this point it's really uh it's really table stakes and it's incredibly important for all of us to reduce waste.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_02: But um the thing that we wanted to really focus on is you know, reducing waste and packaging doesn't necessarily make for a more efficacious skincare product.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, we wanted to understand can sustainability be the uh the vehicle for delivering more sustainable skincare products as well as more um effective skincare products?
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: So the core thesis kind of distills down to this, which is the higher quality ingredient and the way in which we harvest it and process it and extract it and ultimately formulate around it, has a great effect on the efficacy of a skincare product because at the end of the day, skincare products are a delivery system for nutrients and actives to your skin.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_02: So the higher quality of the ingredient, um the more efficacious the product is.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: So that was kind of the um the at the very core of how we wanted to think about skincare products, that's um where we really um drilled into and expanding on that was again this idea of okay, well, if we want to source the highest quality or the purest quality ingredients, then we need to source it in um the most sustainable way possible and process it in the most um, I guess, most conscious and friendly way possible so that we don't um, I guess, dilute or um, you know, we don't affect the uh the nutrient levels of the said ingredients.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_02: So um that was kind of how we started to think about ingredient sourcing um in a sustainable manner.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: And we felt like from a holistic standpoint that all of those um things matter quite quite a lot for our formulas.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think you know, with sustainability, I I it's very, very interesting what you just said um in terms of making sure the products are doing what they are meant to do, you know, and you know, with all the science um that's emerging in this uh this industry and this uh specific uh niche of skincare, um, you know, uh we either have a conversation around sustainability or there's one around science.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so for the fact that you're mentioning, you know, both in in one, it's I I really, really love that.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's something that a lot of brands can learn from because you know, you don't have to compromise your science to still be a sustainable brand.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to compromise quality, you know.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, and that's something a lot of people don't understand.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I can honestly tell you, you know, when I tried your products and have been using them, I am in love.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the results I've seen for my skin have been wonderful.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think a lot of people know this about me, but I've never gotten Botox, I've never gotten any kind of, you know, like um invasive method for taking care of my skin.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so I rely on products like yours because I think that if you use good skincare and if you use it, if you use products that are really doing what they're meant to do, you're gonna see the results.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you're gonna see that.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I I want to talk more about um, you know, just the whole uh like the formula and like the the creation of these products, if possible, because I you guys have really done a great job.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, really appreciate that.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_02: And um to go back to what you were saying around science and and you know, brands that rely on science versus brands that rely on natural, I think, you know, one thing that we've always tried to maintain is a more kind of complicated or or nuanced way of thinking about this.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: And in saying that, you know, it's I think a lot of times this industry tends to look at things in black and white and say, natural doesn't work or chemicals don't work.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: And it we're we've gotten so conditioned to think about things in extremes.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but really natural can work, synthetics can work, everything can work as long as it's done with respect to the ingredients and as long as it makes sense, really.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: So uh we take a lot of pride in using both synthetic um ingredients as well as natural ingredients because again, it's really a combination of the two that helps create um effective but also state safe and stable formulas.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I want to actually ask you your opinion about um green greenwashing in this industry because you know, it's for me, you know, it day in and day out.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: I interview founders who are very like, you know, people are focused on their little thing, you know, for their brand.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like I just can't wrap my head around it.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like I don't understand the difference between clean beauty, green beauty, um, you know, like whatever beauty.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's just new terms every day.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, what are your opinions around um screenwashing and the industry in general?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I you know, what's funny is green, clean, organic, natural, you know, all of these terms are really at the end of the day, marketing terms.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_02: There's really no designation from any kind of authoritative figure in terms of how these terms are defined.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: So um theoretically, if you're a um brand that's using, let's say, like 1% of your ingredients come from a natural source and they market it as natural, uh, no one's going to debate that.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: And there's really no way for anyone to really uh question that either, which is really the challenging part, and which is why greenwashing has become a really harmful part of this industry.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because as we've kind of maintained it, claiming to be clean or natural or sustainable really doesn't mean anything if you can't be transparent about those claims.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: So um, for us, for example, you know, we've seen a lot of brands come out in the past couple years as sustainability becomes a bigger topic.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I've seen them claim to be sustainable, or on their packaging, they'll say manufactured sustainably, or on their website, they'll say we care about sustainability.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: But at the end of the day, if you're not putting or releasing or showing your consumers the process in which you're actually creating your products, then what does it ultimately all mean?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: It just becomes kind of a check mark for a lot of um people to just say that they're sustainable.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, for us, you know, we we took a lot of pride in understanding that transparency again has to be a part of the equation.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, you know, when we source our ingredients, we can direct our consumers literally directly to the farm where we're actually sourcing the materials from.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um so you know, that level, yeah, instead of just even saying, like, okay, we source our ingredients from this region, uh, we can actually show them exactly the farm.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: They can actually go meet with the farmers if they really uh.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: Or go on Google Earth and find the farm and look.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, exactly.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that again, that level of transparency is what's really necessary for consumers to understand what sustainability actually means or transparency actually means, but also it builds um a great relationship and trust in our consumers.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: And for us, that's really the most important part is that they understand um for us when we say sustainable, uh, we're an open book.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: And it helps to build this kind of open communication with our customers who have a lot of questions around what that all means.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: I really love that.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to say that I really enjoy the fact that when I go to your website, I'm not seeing a bunch of plants and green stuff and soil everywhere.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like those brands that like they they're just like, look how natural and organic we are.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, okay, I get it, but like I don't want to rub like, you know, just raw plants on my face.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like I, you know, so I really appreciate that.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I appreciate that you've um kept this you know aesthetically pleasing style and you've really kind of stuck to this idea that you know, we want our products to look nice.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: We, you know, I think as consumers, we really relate to the um the appearance of you know products, and we are very much inclined to buy things that we think are pretty, you know.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, and I think like, you know, to to in in respect to our our kind of core demographic and customers, you know, we you know, we think of our customers as an extension of of ourselves, right?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: The way we design our products, the way we talk about our products, you know, we pay respect to our customers in understanding that they are more sophisticated and educated than ever before.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: So they understand that just because everything has pictures of plants or illustrations of trees and plants everywhere doesn't naturally necessarily mean that it's it's a better product or it's a more natural or sustainable product.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they're capable of understanding that a brand can look um a little bit more of a designy kind of um design forward brand, um can also have practices that are environmentally friendly or sustainable, so on and so forth.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, I I think it's really for us trusting that our customers are are smart, educated, and they're empowered to understand all of this stuff in a greater degree.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: I really love that.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you're you know really advocating for putting some responsibility in the consumer's hand as well, because I'm fully on board with that idea is that you have to do your research and you have to find the brands that you really connect with.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, if you're somebody who is very much into, you know, um the environment and you really love sustainability, you want everything to be, you know, um fully like just the maximum amount of sustainability you can practice in all of your products, then you have to do your research.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you can't do word of mouth kind of thing.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I I really appreciate that about your line.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, one thing I want to actually uh address next is your waste not sourcing initiative.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: Can you tell us about that and just kind of explain that to me?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so waste not sourcing initiative, something that we launched um in 2020, and it was actually about two years in the making.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: So the inspiration behind Waste Not Sourcing Initiative was actually based off of a book that Gina and I have here called Radical Matter.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: And Radical Matter is a it's a book that explores alternative ways of creating um arts and architecture and sculptures and such.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: So it's an exploration of sustainability within the art world.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a particular chapter in there that really caught our attention.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a certain um quote that's you know states something like Um, you know, what would it look like when you if you were to look at waste as a place of future query rather than an endpoint?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_02: And that really kind of captured our attention and something that we really wanted to translate to through the skincare world.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, waste not sourcing initiative uh was meant to basically isolate and find ingredients that are byproducts or waste products of other industries and reroute them to give it a new life as a skincare ingredient.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: So we have two partnerships that we did as part of our wastenot sourcing initiative, uh, one of which is a sustainable winery based out of the uh the Long Island region, so Hampton's area.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's a winery called Bidell Cellars.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_02: They're an incredible winery with, I believe, something like 90 acres of a vineyard that you know they produce incredibly high quality grapefruits or grape plants, rather.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that first partnership was really where we take the grape leaves that are typically gone to waste from their operation.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_02: And we actually took it and we tested it and extracted it to be used as part of our moisturizing cream.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and the second partnership was with the olive oil brand called Brightland, based out of California.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: We partnered with Brightland to actually take or source the uh olive leaves from their olive farm.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: So again, all of these um, you know, partners' operations, they take the materials that are relevant to them.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_02: So grapefruits and the olives, and we actually take the byproducts that they have absolutely no use for, such as olive leaves and grape leaves.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, what we're doing is reducing waste on both, and so it reduces the need for us to actually um source plants that are um cultivated and harvested for the exact only reason for our our skincare purpose, and we get to actually tap into a supply chain that already exists to take the byproducts from their operation.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a win-win for both both partners.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, that's really interesting to me because I, you know, I think that um right now is a great time for people to really reinvent the idea of you know, um, using this more like you know, cycling model of like just what you take, you give back what you take, you give back, you know, that and it really needs to become just a lot more advanced and more um, you know, just I think sophisticated.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I love that you're you're so forward about that, you know, the there needs to be more of that in this industry.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm you know, I want to know a little bit about one specific thing.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: I know that you guys um mentioned upcycling of raw botanical materials on your website, and I am very interested in that.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Can you tell us and all the listeners like what that means?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: So we have a, I guess, a policy within our company where once we are able to extract our botanical materials that we source, yeah, um, the what we call the mulch.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: So this is, you know, we take all the nutrients out.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, what we're left with is this kind of biomaterial that you know there's obviously no commercial um value for.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: So we actually return those materials back to the farm where it came from.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: So in the in the case of our partnership with the Dell Sellers and Brightland, what we do is we source the leaves, we extract it in our labs, and then we actually return the mulch back to their farms to be used as compost.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_02: So again, it's it's closing the loop in terms of circularity and making sure that these materials kind of um have have further use down the line to help regenerate um you know future future um cultivation for their farm.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: So um that's an that's an extremely important um piece to all of this is again um creating that circular, circular model within the beauty industry.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, it's interesting, Chris, because like I find these practices to be so um so much rooted and you know, going back to this idea that I think all of humanity has experienced at one point, especially on a rural level or tribal level, you know, where we all really originate from.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that is the idea of like what you take from the earth, you give it back and you use only what you need.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: And you and these are very simple concepts that I think are truly embedded in people.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: But now to bring that forward, like you know, I think it it makes you realize for me at least, more than anything, that these are things that you should just be doing normally, anyways.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: And and I love that your you your brand is so dedicated to like really uh making people understand this.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's Why I'm I'm like, explain this to me, explain this to me, because I think people just don't get it.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they get lost in the marketing word uh words that we were talking about, and they get lost in these big, you know, like terms and explanations.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like really it comes down to, like you said, you know, just a more circular approach.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like you just it's not that hard to be sustainable and to live a sustainable lifestyle, you know.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it people are doing it all over the world as we speak.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and for us, you know, being a small brand and independently owned brand, it does allow us to have more flexibilities to explore these routes.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I could totally understand, you know, if we are a huge company with a million moving parts and you know, all these different products, it can be difficult to maneuver or change your supply chain.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: But um the beauty of circumference is that we've actually built the supply chain up from the start um in order to create these types of flexibilities and kind of innovative ways that we can source ingredients.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: So there's a lot of room for us to play and and kind of maneuver around this.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, we're able to switch ingredients around, we're able to test our formulas um pretty frequently with new ingredients that we can source.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that level of that level of, I guess, nimbleness as as a brand is is really what um kind of fuels how we can you know start to think about our products and how innovative we can be with our products.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: I totally understand that.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I actually want to um move forward because I know you have some amazing products in the line.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm typically like a huge mask person.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously, like, you know, my normal inclination is to be obsessed with your masks, which I am.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I want to talk about how you came out with your um your first line, you know, or your first few products, like how uh the design of that and the thinking behind what you wanted to release is like some of the first releases.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: And also I know you guys have a new launch coming up.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: So um if we could talk about that too.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so you know, our first initial launch, um, I believe we launched before products, it was our toner, face oil, vitamin C serum, as well as our um hydration mask.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: So, what we really wanted to focus on were products that um our customers can kind of seamlessly introduce into their into their routine.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, for example, um, you know, before we even started developing products, we did a large mass survey of um beauty consumers and we um you know surveyed these these beauty customers and asked them, you know, what are the products that you're most typically keen on trying new things as well as kind of replacing um old ones, um, but also products that you're open to introducing within your routine here and there.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: And what what we learned is that customers are very open to trying um new masks because um, you know, obviously new masks you can introduce into your routine without disrupting the rest of your routine.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: So trying a new mask doesn't necessarily um you know disrupt anything.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: So we took the mask, um, vitamin C serum was also one that customers are always eager to try new ones.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that it's you know, and a lot of customers tend to change their vitamin C um serum quite often because again, it's like they're always trying to get that texture right.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_02: They're they're trying to get the right efficacy level and so on and so forth.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then a toner was really one that we actually found to be a bit of a uh a gap in the in the market.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: There wasn't a lot of toners that we were very happy with because I think the toners that we've previously used are um you know, they tend to have like something like denatured alcohol in it, which um just didn't work with our skin.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_02: We wanted something that had a similar effect in terms of opening up your pores and helping to kind of refine and balance your pH levels and um really it's and and you know boost your hydration.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_02: And we weren't able to find that.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, um, that was a really personal one that we wanted to formulate.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_02: And then the last one was a face oil, which um you know, for for quite a while was kind of our bestseller.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and for us, it was really about again sourcing really rich, balanced botanicals to be able to extract for our face oil.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_02: So that one we took a lot of pride in how we sourced a lot of our ingredients from different regions, including South America as well as Southeast Asia.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_02: So um it was a fun process for sure.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_02: So again, the the four products were really meant to kind of uh seamlessly be able to introduce in customers' routines.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: I and all of the products you mentioned, by the way, and everyone listening, they're all really phenomenal.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I know I say that I'm always like very hyped up about skincare, but genuinely, like as somebody who's I think what you know, when it comes to masks, I know my I know my stuff.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: And your masks are really, really good.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I know that I've I've hosted a lot of people that are like, you know, more um focused on menopause.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: And like I know there's a lot of skin changes that occur with menopause, especially with like um, you know, pe a lot of um people experience drying out of the skin and like you know, just more dryness overall.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: So the moisturizing um mask is absolutely phenomenal.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like it just it works so well.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: The hydration mask is what I mean.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, it's phenomenal and it works really well.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I I find it to be gentle and soothing.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so anyone listening, if you have like more drier skin, this is a really, really great product.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I think everyone can really, you know, utilize it and really kind of just incorporate it very easily into the routine.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_02: So and I should also mention, you know, we we we took a lot of pride in also really focusing on the micro details of our product.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: So again, scent levels as well as textures are are very important factors as far as uh what customers are looking for.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, we we wanted to create textures that are are easy to apply.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, especially with like a mask, for example, you know, we wanted to make sure that um you can actually rinse off the mask, you know, fairly easily without having to like really scrub your skin.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but also something like a vitamin C serum, one of the most common feedback that we got during our serving process was um how sticky vitamin C serums can be and how it doesn't really layer well with makeup, for example.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_02: And so for us, that was those are kind of important um details in in really nailing um the experience around um all of our products.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: And your vitamin C serum isn't just vitamin C Var and Liz, it's got niacinamide in it too, and it's like really, really nice.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's like a beautiful blend of like, you know, all of the good stuff.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like you've got the ascorbic acid in there, but you've also got this nice niacinamide, you know, in there and then the um olive leaf extract, right?
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just beautiful.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's a beautiful, beautiful serum.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, you've really kept in mind a lot more that goes behind what we are looking from for from a vitamin C, which is like um, you know, just healthier skin.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's like glowing skin, but you know, it a lot of consumers don't understand.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think that you can't just put pure vitamin C on your skin and expect it to be like, you know, like radiant tomorrow.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's not gonna, it doesn't work.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I I like that you've blended that, you know.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: Really appreciate that.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you know, I want to talk about your new launch that happened in April.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I would love if you could uh share some more details behind that.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so we, you know, in April we launched our daily regenerative gel cleanser.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_02: So that was actually our first cleanser from circumference.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that was actually the second launch of our waste not sourcing initiative.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_02: So with our cleanser, we partnered with our friends over at Brightland.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, again, Brightland is a modern um kitchen and pantry brand where they produce these amazing high-quality olive oils.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, we approached the Brightland team and said, hey, look, you know, we want to figure out a way to partner with you for a waste not sourcing initiative and in isolating the olive leaves.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_02: Now, olive leaves are it's an incredible ingredient, it's very high in antioxidants and polyphenols.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it has a multi-kind of layered effect in terms of how it protects our skin as well as it nourishes it with a lot of these nutrients.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_02: And so we wanted to definitely use it for our cleanser.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: So with a daily gel or daily regenerative gel cleanser, um, what we again to kind of um reiterate, we take the olive leaves from the operations from Brightland's operation, uh, and then we take those byproducts and then we extract it for all of its nutrients, and then we return the uh leaves back to their farm.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_02: But the gel cleanser is a super light gel.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: It has a nice herbal kind of scent to it.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's a gel to foam.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_02: So what we wanted to do again was really focus on getting that texture right.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_02: You know, again, we wanted to make sure the gel is not too sticky, it's not too heavy.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we wanted to go on really easily and we wanted the foam to be really gentle and light so that it doesn't leave your skin feeling like stripped.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it actually feels very hydrated and fresh when you actually um use the wash.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: So that was our latest launch um in April of 2021.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: I really love that.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I think um cleansers are often that one product that are so overlooked, you know, in this industry.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that um the fact that you've put so much thought behind it, it it's really refreshing to hear that.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, because I a lot of people just they'll throw something together and it's like, here you go, cleanse your skin.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, wash it all off.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like it's very important to realize that cleansing is the first step and it needs to be done right.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I I I love that.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, everyone listening, I hope you guys will check out circumference.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: Before you go though, Chris, I want to ask you one thing because we got to get more men in skincare, we got to get them on board, we got to get them to understand this is skin, not makeup, you know.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: So um, any advice you have for our male uh audience and any input you can give about just you know, really getting into skincare.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_02: You know, what's interesting is the men's skincare market has opened up quite a bit.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's become a lot easier for I think men to um really start getting into skincare.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of brands that are um, you know, very specifically tailored for the male market.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_02: And so that that makes it easier to introduce yourself.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: But honestly, at the end of the day, don't be scared to try new products.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_02: It's just like taking supplements, right?
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's it the same way that you take multivitamins or even like a protein shake or whatever it may be, uh, we look at skincare as a very similar thing.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's just at the end of the day, it's self-care.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_02: So taking care of your skin um at an earlier age um obviously pays dividends as you get older and older.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: So you're protecting your skin from a lot of those elements, uh, including the sun and various pollution and stuff like that.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: So um don't be scared.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if you have a wife or a girlfriend, start out by trying some of the products that they use and then slowly kind of start exploring what products that you can layer onto your routine.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then um, you know, just find find the ones that are that are kind of tried and true for you.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_02: That will be my advice.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I hope everyone listening, I hope you pay heed to what Chris said because please, it's really is about health.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's not about beauty.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, beauty is, you know, in the eye of the beholder, but like, you know, it's it's about health.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's really about skin health.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I love it.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Chris.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: This has been wonderful.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I hope everyone listening, you know, you guys really genuinely I mean this, check out the line.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's a beautiful, beautiful range of products.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think that, you know, if we can find that one skincare line that really resonates with us and something we can stick to, it makes a world of difference for your overall skin health.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I think um circumference is a shining example of a beautiful line crafted for really everyone.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, I'm gonna link everything.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna put all the information in our post.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_01: But Chris, this has been wonderful.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, really appreciate it.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, everyone.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 33:59
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• 34:04
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• 34:06
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• 34:21
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• 34:38
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• 34:42
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• 34:47
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• 34:52
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• 34:59
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• 35:04
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