 Before starting Skinn Cosmetics, I worked for twenty years with the largest cosmetic houses in the world. I found myself constantly frustrated with the way they did business. Unfortunately, the big cosmetic companies never seem to care about making quality products that actually help the consumer. Their "formula" was always the same: make a cheap product, put it in a fancy jar with a nice box and charge as much as possible. After learning that I was never going to change how those big companies do business from within, I realized I needed to change the nature of the very industry in which they operate. When I launched Skinn in 2002 the question most asked was "How are you going to do it Dimitri? How are you going to give us more products, better products, and keep them at a comparable price?" The answer was really quite simple. After working at the highest levels of the big cosmetics houses, I learned that the money they spend does not go into the product. In fact, it seems to go everywhere but the product: ad campaigns, department store counter space, Park Avenue offices, and, most of all, packaging. Believe it or not, most companies spend more money on the container and fancy boxes than on the product that's inside. I used to sit in meetings in those Park Avenue offices to talk about how to improve the company's products. Those meetings always seem to end the same: "Let's change the packaging." Upgrading the product was always deemed too costly as it would require re-educating the consumer about what constitutes a quality product. In essence the secret would be out that water does not have to be the first ingredient in every product. Skinn offers its products only through televised home shopping, the internet and exclusive, privately owned spas throughout North America. This has allowed us to reach the maximum amount of people, while keeping overhead very low. We don't have expensive retail shops or New York office suites; you won't see costly magazine or prime time TV ads. What we do have are some of the finest cosmetics ever made. You'll see the difference! - Dimitri James |