Latest / Skin Anarchy / Simran Kalra, Founder of HALDI

Transcript

Simran Kalra, Founder of HALDI · Skin Anarchy

• 0:00
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• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: I have a very special guest, and I am a huge fan of this brand.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: They are really revolutionizing the beauty industry, I must say, especially the skincare industry.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the founder of Huldi, which is Simran uh Khalra.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show, Simron.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for joining.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Ekta, thank you so much for having me.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so thrilled to be here.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: And happy Diwali to you and everybody else.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great day to connect.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: It's a wonderful day to connect, and I'm so honored that we're speaking.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: I absolutely am your biggest fan at this point.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_02: I think what you've created here with Huldi is just brilliance upon brilliance upon brilliance.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I want to get started.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: I want to ask you the whole journey.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: I want you to tell us all the details.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: So start from the beginning.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Tell me how you came up with this concept.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what was the journey like?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know, all that good stuff.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, let's get started.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'll I'll remind and take you back.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like my own journey into skincare started about seven or eight years ago.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: I had moved from uh the East Coast here to San Francisco, and my skin suddenly became like really dry, and I was getting like this weird red patch on my left cheek.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, what's going on?
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: And everything I had used in the past felt like it had stopped working.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: And out of pure curiosity and frustration, I kind of started digging into ingredients and formulations and really started educating myself as a consumer.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I learned that a lot of things I was using were actually not great for me, and I had no idea.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: For example, I was using St.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_01: Ives face scrub, which is super popular, and did not realize nightmares, right?
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: About that face scrub.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: Right, did not realize that it has like the walnut shells could be giving me the micro-tears, which is what was maybe making me sensitive.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, on the other hand, I was like splurging on this Chanel moisturizer because it smelt great, only to learn that fragrance was probably so high on the list that that was what probably maybe was drying me out.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, really, uh really kind of a little bit of a painful and longish journey for myself, but I really landed up understanding the brands, the products, that ingredients that are kind of working for me, and I want to use them and the ones that are not.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: And that was like my personal journey.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then fast forward like a couple of years, I've here in San Francisco, I'm having like dinner with a girlfriend, and she's talking about her shopping trip to a big box retailer and how she was completely overwhelmed.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: There was just too many choices for every product, and she had no idea what to get for herself.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I had some time on my hands, and I'm like, why don't I help you pull together a routine for yourself?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I recommended a few products for her based on, you know, kind of what the research I had done over the years, and it was interesting.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: She landed up telling her friend about it, who landed up telling her friend about it.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: And before I knew it, I had like 300 people emailing me back and forth for like skincare recommendations.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just like this woman in my PJs at home responding from my Gmail account.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even have a company.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I didn't realize that oh my God, there is this huge need in the industry to help people navigate the overwhelmed in skincare because there's so many products launched every day.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Even clean beauty is getting so cluttered, and there's so many products out there, and it's hard to know what's right for you.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how Halby was born.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, you know, and also I just want to I want to plug something right here.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: I hope you don't mind, Simmeren.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm holding a um actually doing my first panel, and it's gonna be about what does clean beauty mean.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: So I want you to tune in on November 6th because I think it's a gonna be a good one.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: But I wanted to just plug that real fast.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_02: But wow, that's that's really interesting that you said that because I think the biggest problem is that people ask for skincare advice and they want, you know, they they want you to just tell them, like, okay, here's the routine, and they've seen all these pretty products online, and you know, you know, packaging is everything, right?
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_02: These days, and like people go with packaging and they think, oh, this is gonna be perfect for me.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: Turns out you just wasted$90, you know.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: So like I really I the whole brand and what you've created with Huldi is so interesting to me because not only is it centered on the customer, but it's also like e-commerce and it's easy, and you don't have to walk into an Ulta or a you know, a Target or wherever, you know, all those different um, you know, retailers.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I love that.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: So I want you to talk about really the um maybe the IT side of all of it.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: That would be a good place to start because like how did you get it together, like in terms of like the database or or partnering up with certain brands, you know, that kind of stuff.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, let's get into kind of the behind the scenes, right?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, so a couple of things.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: One is, you know, when we when I knew I wanted to kind of solve for this overwhelm in beauty, kind of uh realized that it was going to be a personalization model.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: And personalization is not a new concept, it's existed actually for decades, with Amazon, you know, introducing people who pop this, also bought this, and there've been many versions of that.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: The problem with personalization as it sort of exists is it never really feels personal.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: And you're often left with that feeling, did they really get me?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, did they understand me?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that's like the feeling users have.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, that's the nut we need to crack is it really needs to feel personal.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: So there are a couple of things we've done which are like really unique.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: The first thing is we build people's routine around their bathroom shelf, around products they're already using.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: And from a user point of view, the reason that's really important is that nobody wants to start from scratch.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: They're products you love, they're products you've been using for a while, you've spent good money on them, you don't necessarily want to waste them.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: And what we do is we we use the products you've got and kind of build around it, fill gaps, tell you what's missing.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: If something needs to be replaced, we'll let you know.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: But it's really built around your bathroom shelf.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the technology side of it is that you know, users' products, what they're currently using, tell us a ton of information about them.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it tells us the brands they prefer, it tells us like the price points that are right for them, it tells us like the gaps, it tells us the products they may have too many of.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: And what we do is from a technology point of view, take the products that you tell us you're using and mine that data, use that data intelligently to really kind of make the right recommendations for you.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: And that's like really unique.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody is, even though people are doing personalization, nobody's taking this unique approach, which is really looking at your bathroom shelf, making it personal, and using that data behind it.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one big unique element of the IT.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: And the second thing I would say is that uh when people think about personalization, they always think about replacing the human and all of the technology, right?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: But the reality is that technology can do certain things very well, but it's still at the point where it cannot replace a human in certain elements.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: You know, so uh, you know, honestly, Simmer, and I love that you said that, and I'm not trying to interrupt you, but seriously, she hit the nail on the head because I I cannot tell you how many times, as a scientist researcher, I have this conversation all the time because obviously, you know, it comes up in like you know, science.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: And people are like, we want to create something that's better than the human body.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, that's never gonna happen.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_02: What you can do is mimic what we already have and just try to like aid, you know what I mean, what we've got going on because it's you're you're trying to tell me, you know, like you can't you can't recreate a perfect design, you know.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's I love love that you said that.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: I really do.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: And also, just before we continue, I love that you said that you guys really let people utilize the products that are on their shelf.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's the biggest problem, is I think people forget that they bought that cleanser the other day or that toner, or you know what I mean?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I love that.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: Please continue though.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, thank no, thank you.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: Those are great points to highlight.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and just kind of completing the point on uh the human and technology.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: So our goal is here is like we leverage technology for what it does well, but a human can come and override what technology is saying.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: As an example, if uh if a customer comes in and says, you know what, I just had a baby and my hormonal acne is going crazy, that's something that technology cannot respond to at the moment, but a human can intervene and say, Oh my God, I know exactly what you're saying, let me help you here.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of where the magic is is like bringing that technology and human together instead of trying to replace the human.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why kind of we're able to create that experience which people feel that is really personal to them and not an algorithm just like spitting out something.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_02: No, I love that.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I I'm not gonna lie, you know, one thing I like to make sure everyone listening understands is that I curate every brand that comes on the show.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, a lot of the PR people get annoyed with me because I'm like, where's the PR?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: Where's the but I need to make sure that whoever I invite on that is somebody I can stand behind, a brand I can really believe in.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, let me tell you, when Hulde created my routine for my skin, I was blown away by how perfect it was.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I have been using your products.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, just this is the most like consistently I think I've used any routine ever.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's literally something I rely on at this point.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: You know, everything you sent was perfect.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: It was exactly what my skin needed.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, the algorithm is so smart because, you know, the website, you think, okay, I'm gonna go on there and it's gonna ask me a million questions.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: No, it only asks you like a handful of questions, but they're very important questions.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: And they give you all the information, I guess, that you need because I mean you guys really nailed it with my routine.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: It was amazing.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god, that's the best thing you could say here.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: Getting your customer's point of view is like what makes my day.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much for saying that.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: We live for that, literally.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: So your customer's perspective is like hugely valuable.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And the fact that he thought it was right for you and it was personal, and it's and you're staying consistent with it, that kind of saves a lot.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for saying that.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, of course.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I think that you're also targeting here's the thing I think you're solving more problems than you realize.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: Because, okay, yeah, you know, we have the idea that you people have too many screen care products and they need to organize, you know what I mean, or they need a routine, but you're also helping people get something they can really practice every day because you're not sending us like 18 products, you know.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone listening, when I went through the whole, you know, process of going in onto the uh website and then going through and doing it, it created a very manageable routine for me, and that's huge, especially in the industry right now, when everywhere we look, products are everywhere, right?
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: So, like you're really creating, I think, uh something that goes far beyond just finding a skincare routine.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's more about good skin health habits that you're promoting.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I absolutely love that about the brand.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you exactly.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And also to the point you said earlier is about like minimizing the waste because there's so much kind of waste in the industry.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to work with products that in your case, like there were many great products you were already using.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: So we wanted to build around what you had and supplement and complement those products.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we're not like telling people, you know, start from scratch, like nothing you're using is good, because that's as a customer, I don't want that, and I don't want to recommend that to our users either.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, exactly.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I think I one of my biggest questions is, you know, um, I know that there are a lot of buzzwords right now in the industry, and you know, um I'm gonna be addressing a lot of those in this panel I told you about.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: But like my big thing that I really like, I actually really like this about your brand is that you are very clean brand focused.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you're you're trying to, I think the way I see that is that you're you guys are trying to really work with brands that are trustworthy that you know are gonna resonate with the people that are coming to you for advice.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: So I want to talk to you about your process of doing that.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how do you figure out like which brands to really work with and what you know what I mean?
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like how what is that like, the vetting process?
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, great question.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: We have a very, very stringent uh approach, and I would say very boutique-like approach because we don't want to carry every brand.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, of course, the brands we carry are kind of clean, but I would think that's like kind of becoming baseline at this point, you know.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: But really kind of digging deeper into the founder's philosophy, their approach to ingredients, like are they, you know, what kind of formulations are they um are they putting out there?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: And uh then really kind of testing every product.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: And even the best and best brands don't make everything really well, right?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody will make a couple of hero products well.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll then zero in on those uh hero products and make sure we can recommend only the best of the best products.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we start with a universe of products, then we're like, okay, which of them are of course clean?
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then within that, which are the brands we can really kind of stand behind?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: We can test, we know they kind of deliver results, and those are the only ones that will make the cut.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: Those are the so to give you a sense, like we'll if if Sephora or Alta will carry a few thousand SKUs because they'll carry pretty much everything in the skincare world, we'll carry just a few hundred skews, but we know that those skews will are the best of the best, and they will kind of deliver results.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: So that's like the fun, that's like kind of the boutique stringent approach that we have.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I just want to do a huge shout out to Alison McNamara because she was like literally my first guest, her and Brian Underwood on this uh podcast.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: And Alison's line, Mara Beauty, is part of Huldi's uh catalog, and I love that.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: I absolutely love that.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: She's an amazing person, the brand is amazing, so I love that you carry her line.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: So she's like a great example of the brands we want to carry.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: She cares about her formulations and ingredients, how she sources them, and those are that's a great example of the kind of brands we want to we we carry.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and and you know, the thing is you know what's crazy, Simran, is like I honestly, like before I had um filled out the form and gotten my whole day routine, I was actually having a discussion with a friend and we were talking about retinol.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_02: And we were like, you know, does everyone need retinol?
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: You know, where do you really start with retinol?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: That kind of stuff, right?
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: And so I was sitting there and you know, I you know how it is, like you go into PubMed and then you never come out, right?
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: So I was like doing all the researching and stuff.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: And um, when I was filling my routine out, I had many, I don't know what I what question I answered, but you guys ended up the product you sent me by Mara is their retinol oil.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: And it is the best product.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: It really like for me, like it really outperformed what I thought retinol would do for me and my skin.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: So that's how I know that the brands that you're choosing to work with are really extraordinary brands, and that's something that I absolutely love that you guys are so stringent.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: Love that, love that.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad we found you the perfect products, and it's uh it's really a testament of the team and the technology we've built and your personal experience like means the world to me.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I want to know.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_02: So, how did you design the questions that are part of this algorithm?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: So, what what what um went behind that?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, great question.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: I would say everything we've done, Ekta, has really been driven from a customer's point of view.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I had talked earlier on about like in the early days, I had 300 people emailing me back and forth with the questions.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, based on those is what we designed the questions like.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: So earlier on, the first questionnaire we had like had eight open-ended questions, and we were listening to what users were filling up in those questions and uh what information they were giving us and kind of learning from that.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, and an example is that if you ask people what their skin type is, like nobody really knows, right?
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody really knows are you dry, are you oily, like who knows, right?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: So that became a redundant question really quickly.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: And we realized we want to ask people the experience of their skin, and that became like a better question to ask.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like when you wake up in the morning, how does your skin feel?
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: As the day progresses, how does your skin feel?
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: So as we asked that question, we got a much better answer, and then we built an algorithm to kind of triangulate uh uh triangulate uh what people's skin type is.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Another example is uh uh people were telling us that, oh, I prefer vegan, I prefer gluten-free, I'm pregnant, and we sort of including those questions.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Smell is a really good example.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I love skincare that is very aromatic.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's my pain.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, we do.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: But here's the thing everybody doesn't feel like that, you know.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: So we even had to ask a question to say, like, hey, what is your smell preference?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Do you prefer uh skincare that's completely unscented?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want uh slight mild mild uh scents are good for you, or you you enjoy an aromatic experience?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: So every question we have out there is come out of some shape or form of like an our conversation with the user, which is informed the questions.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why to what you said earlier, the questionnaire kind of feels right to you because there's no redundant question in there.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: There's no question in there to just for the sake of being a question, because it's a smart question, it's a really a question because in talking to consumers, that was information that they gave us that we then translated and created questions out of there.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: So it's completely born out of what consumers want their skincare to be about and the information that goes into it.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: I completely agree.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: I completely agree.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the way that you have crafted those questions is so so unique and ingenious because the questions are very like they're standalone questions.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: Like you really need to know this information about your skin.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: And then what is created from that data is extraordinary because you don't have these overlapping, you know, uh like points of data, right?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like everything, like if you think about like you know, those like like those things we used to do in school where you draw like the circles and things are overlapping and stuff, you know, those diagrams, it's not like that.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's like you have a whole painting that's painted about that person's skin and everything is in its place, everything has a purpose.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: And then from there, Haldi, you know, creates you a regimen, and then you know, everything that you put in there is actually addressed.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_02: That was for me.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_02: I think for me, I was I'm not gonna lie to you, be I'm very transparent.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: I was very skeptical to see how this would work, right?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: But then when I got the products and I started using them, I was like, wow, sh they really, really addressed this concern I had and this concern I had.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: And you start to notice that as you go into the routine, is that wow, those questions they start coming back to you.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, uh, okay, I see why she asked me that.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: I see why they wanted to know that because your skin starts responding and turning and changing the way that you always wanted it to change.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_02: So that's it's brilliant, it's really brilliant.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I mean, you hit the nail on the head.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, everything we ask, then we want to address and we want to make sure it's kind of built back into kind of people's routines.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: So the fact that you could connect the dots, obviously, you were looking more critically at it, as you should, given that you needed to talk to me.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um but uh uh you know, people kind of may not look at it so critically, but kind of intuitively begin to understand that look, this is personal to me.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of what we're that's what our whole mission is, that this should feel personal to you, like we built this for you, for your friend.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: And every question is like meant to kind of give us the information we need so we can make it right and personal for you.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, honestly, I think that this is a very interesting um area that I want to shift this conversation to.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I know, you know, if you don't want to answer, that's fine.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to, but I I gotta just Today, like I really see Huldy as the next, like, you know, I don't want to say the brand name or anything, you know what I mean?
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: But it starts with an S.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: And it ends with an A, guys.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I just, I really see it being the next because, like, honestly, it gives me anxiety walking into that store.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm I'm really like, even as much as I love skincare, and I know a lot of people feel the same.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_02: So don't even pretend everyone listening out there, don't pretend like you don't relate to what I'm saying because it's a lot of stuff.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I love, I love what they're doing, and I love that they're showcasing brands, but there's nobody, there's nobody in that store.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know how they have people standing around and stuff, and then you go up to them and you're like, hey, can you give me a suggestion about what I should use?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: And then they're like, Yeah, I just use this or that.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, I wonder how you came up with, you know, like that answer.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: So this is targeting that issue.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so I really see this being the next step.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: Like, this is the next logical, like, you know, evolution to a store like that.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_02: Is this online platform that is carrying the same brands that you love and you cherish and you see on social media all the time.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_02: And it's also doing it in a way that you don't have to leave the house.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to worry about, you know, what's my bill gonna be at the end of this purchase, right?
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's like you know how like you go in and you rack up like a 90, like a$900 bill or whatever, you know, it that kind of stuff.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's very, very, very like I think customizable to the user.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: So I want to ask you about that is like, what is your big vision um with Huldi?
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: Because I know that you guys are still taking off and and you know, you're doing a great job.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: What is the big vision?
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think uh thank you for setting the stage for that, because we really think it's the future of commerce and the future of retail.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, the brand, the company you were mentioning, it starts with an S, was you know, has done has done great, and they were a great innovation when they came out because before that people would go shopping and a Macy's and go from corner to corner to corner, and they came and they consolidated it all, and that was like a great innovation.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then Amazon came and put everything online and everybody followed suit.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: The problem is now what's next?
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because they are online allows thousands and thousands of products to be out there because there's no limit, right, uh, to the products that can exist in an online store and the physical experiences that are coming the same.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: And we're like, what's next?
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: What do people want next?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And people are gravitating towards personal experience, people are gravitating towards brands that are going to solve a real problem for them.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: And to the point you said, like, if you walk into a store, even the best salesperson out there cannot process all the data of the thousands of products that are in the store to say, like, yes, you you're you're 29, you want something that can solve for wrinkles, and you're pregnant and you want it to be vegan.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: Even the best salesperson cannot process all the information in the store and tell you, by the way, these are the products that you should use, right?
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's just not humanly possible.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why it feels like their responses are kind of random because they just can't do it, right?
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: Even the best person.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so we believe like the future of commerce is really about being truly personal.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's about being personalization, but it's all about being truly personal and delivering an experience to a user that is right for them, versus like this one size fits all approach.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, we do believe this is the future of commerce, and we want to be there to solve it for users and create this next generation of uh beauty commerce.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, I think it that really answered my question.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I also want to actually give you a suggestion, and probably you probably already thought of this, but I was just thinking about this.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: You know, with this whole like sustainability thing, Simran, like I think like with everyone coming out with refillables, are you gonna have an option for that eventually on Huldi with like, hey, you ran out of this, but here's the refillable, and you can like then send out refillables instead of like the whole product.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's absolutely right.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think there's so much waste in this industry.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: We want to do whatever we can to support uh less waste.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, so with we definitely carry every size a brand has.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if they have a travel size, we're gonna carry it.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: And if they have a refill size, we're gonna carry it because we want you to buy the size that's right for you.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: If you're still trying a product, maybe the travel size is better because you you don't know if it's gonna work.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: And please buy a travel size.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: But if you're in love with the product, let's buy the refillable size.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to make them available to users.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: We don't want to hide the travel or the refill size because you know, the most, you know, the most uh effective for you price-wise is gonna be the regular.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: We don't want to do that.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: We want you to pick the size that's right for you.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely whichever brands make refillables, and we love it when a brand makes refillable.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Youth people is a great example.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Their youth people cleanser, which is a beloved cleanser, comes in like three sizes and we carry them all because we want you to pick up the refillable once you know this product you love and you want to keep using.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, one more thing I want to say is like, so what if okay, so how does this work in terms of like working with brands?
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_02: Because I know that sometimes, like, you know, people do want to have that creative ability to like just be like, well, I kind of want to add on this, you know, like maybe like a body care product or something.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_02: Are you thinking of like having like because it is an e-commerce right thing?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: So are you thinking in the future like you'll have something that allows you to like shop those products, you know what I mean?
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_02: Because really, because Hulby isn't just about creating the routine, right?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_02: It's also like a trusted source that's carrying products that are really, really working, right?
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_02: So, like it's it for me as a consumer and also somebody who really cares about the industry and the people in the industry, like I would like to see people go to your page and then be like, okay, I really want body care.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_02: Let me just go to their body care section and pick something, you know, because I know that whatever they're carrying is going to be trustworthy.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: So, like, have you thought about that, or is that in the works or in the future where people can kind of add more things to the cart?
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, you're spot on.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think uh, you know, we're very driven by what our customers want from us.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: And what you're saying, like body care customers have come to us and said, Hey, do you are you carrying a body moisturizer or a hand cream that I would love to uh I would love your recommendation on?
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: So that's definitely the next wave of what we're working on.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_01: We've already begun to test it.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe in your store soon, uh, that uh you know you can get that next, you know, if you want body products, well wellness products, whatever our users are like asking for, we want to be directed in that direction, but then stick to our ethos of really just giving you the best of the best products.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: So, like you said, it's all about trust.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so we want to keep giving you the best trusted recommendations and categories that kind of interest you.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: That makes sense actually, now that you say that.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, and I actually, you know, one thing I want to ask you, and this is very close, I think, to both of us, because obviously, like, you know, as South Asian women, you know, we see the world of beauty, right?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_02: And we see the world of skincare and stuff.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_02: And there's so many brands, you know, there's so many brands that are emerging, and especially, you know, when I when I hear about ingredients like, you know, turmeric or like neem or all these like amazing ingredients that you know our entire like culture grows up hearing about.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I love seeing those brands highlighted.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_02: So have you thought about, you know, maybe like having certain like eye beauty brands featured, like eye beauty meaning like Indian beauty?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, absolutely.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: Ita grew up in India and everything I had in my skincare came from the kitchen because there was no kind of concept of skincare, and I would wash my face with like a concoction of like chickpea flour and turmeric and a splash of milk.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like passionate about that kind of beauty.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: So we're definitely talking to and looking at uh, you know, brands which are using those real native ingredients, which we kind of grew up on.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: So they're definitely a couple on our radar that we'd love to uh we'd love to bring on.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: I really love that.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope everyone out there um heard that because there's there's a few brands, brands on my radar, and I'm gonna give you some suggestions, see what you think.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I love that.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: Please do, please do.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_02: We're all yeah, because they're I mean, you know, we want to support.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_02: I want to support uh anyone I can really.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_02: It's not about your skin color or your ethnicity, it's about you know the work.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I and I think there's a lot of indie brands that don't they don't get a chance sometimes.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, but anyways, I I want to actually I you know I want to conclude the episode and I want to um talk to you about just you know, like where do you see the skincare industry going in the next like 10 years?
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_02: Because you know, that's the biggest question I think on my mind, because now everything is changing, right?
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_02: And especially like with something like Haldi, like you're you're creating it something that's so accessible and it's so easy, and there's so many questions that are being answered.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: Because let's be honest, everyone in the industry is talking about you know accessibility to products, and it's like, well, how much more accessible can you get?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_02: You know, this is like the epitome of accessibility.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_02: So, um, you know, what is your opinion about everything?
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_02: You know, all the but the buzz in the industry and where it's headed.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think firstly, I think the focus on skin care is high and higher than it's ever been, and that's great as people are, you know, here I distinguish between makeup and skincare.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like people are really focused on skincare in the moment more than they've ever been.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's gonna stay because for now, for people, taking care of their skin is like eating healthy and working out.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: So, firstly, the industry is growing, and I think it's gonna continue to grow, which is great because people are interested as they should be.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, secondly, I feel like there's a saturation now happening in the number of products that are out there, and people are gonna look for personalization solutions.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: People are gonna be like, solve this for me, tell me what I can use.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: So like brands and companies that can focus on curation and personalization and have a service-oriented approach versus just pure e-commerce, which has existed with the with the world of Amazon, is just like, hey, here are just a bunch of products and feel free to buy what you want.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think the shift is going to be towards like help me solve this for me, tell me what to use, make this personal for me, and brands that can do that in one way or the other, I think are really going to thrive.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: The third thing I would say is that I think it's about, it's not just about recommendation, where I think it's about the questions people have and how you can solve them through like the value-added services you can give them.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: A really good example in skincare is people are always asking, like, what is the sequence?
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: How do I, what's my step-by-step routine?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: What goes before what and what goes after what, right?
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: And that and that's something is like probably one of the top questions that people have.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: And their blogs and articles up the bazoo that can answer that question, but people are just telling what to do.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: And that's something like we do for people is like, okay, let me take the products on your bathroom shelf and anything you're we're recommending to you, and that's build it into a step-by-step routine so that you know you know exactly what to do.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: And that's like a free service we offer, you know, to our users, and that's like an example of kind of value-added services beyond just e-commerce.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of where I feel the industry should go and will go.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not just about a pure transactional experience, it's about making it personal, having a relationship and giving you value-added services that will make the user come back to you versus just going from one platform to the other.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it'll have users keep coming back to you.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what we believe the future of you know retail and beauty should be, and that's what we're focused on.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_02: I love everything you said, and I really, you know, all of my best wishes, good vibes, all the success in the world goes out to Holy.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's a beautiful concept.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_02: I think you're really doing something revolutionary, and I am 100% behind it.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_02: And everyone listening out there, I really, really urge you guys like you need to check this out.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, go on to http um forward slash forward slash survey.com, and that's your survey.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, when you go on there, you can answer all the questions, and you know, just check it out, try it.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I promise you that you're gonna be very pleasantly surprised.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's like I think a lot of people sometimes get very kind of turned off when things are automated, but this is beyond being automated.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: This is really well thought out and very well crafted.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, Simran, thank you so much for your time and thank you so much for creating something so amazing.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: This is thank you so much, Akta.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me, and thank you for being an amazing customer and really helping spread the word about how the it means the world to us.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_01: So really appreciate it.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, guys, I will be back next time.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_02: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 35:31
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• 35:36
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• 35:38
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• 36:36
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