Hardware Podcasts

Lush Cosmetics: Mark Constantine

How I Built This · 5 Oct 2020 · 1h 25m

What this episode covers

Mark Constantine, co-founder of Lush, recounts his journey from making natural shampoos in a small room to launching a global beauty brand after the catastrophic failure of his previous mail-order business, Cosmetics To Go. He details his early partnership with Anita Roddick of The Body Shop, the subsequent fallout, and how he and a core team of former colleagues rebuilt their careers by creating the bath bomb and launching Lush with minimal packaging. The episode highlights Lush's unique business model, including its refusal to go public, its implementation of a living wage, and its adaptation to pandemic pressures through a surge in digital sales.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Lush, The Body Shop, Cosmetics To Go, L'Oreal
Products
Bodkins, Aqua Sizzlers
Also
Anita Roddick

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 36m

    Founder Feature: JoLynn Henke and Peter Clarkson

    JoLynn Henke and Peter Clarkson, co-founders of Protéger, discuss their eco-luxury skincare brand and its flagship product, Dermal Serum, a full-body, unisex formula born from JoLynn’s experience caring for her mother with ALS. They explain their strategy of targeting diverse use cases—from tattoo preservation to post-manicure hydration—to bypass saturated traditional beauty channels and secure retail partnerships through personal connections, such as with Figgy Co. The founders also detail how they turned a logistics failure involving damaged inventory into a successful 'rescue bottle' charity initiative with the Beagle Freedom Project, while emphasizing their commitment to gender-neutral marketing and clean ingredients.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceRetail, wholesale & distribution
    5 chapters

  • Product Startup · 53m

    019: Organic haircare products with Susana Stewart & Caroline Maina of Fro Butter

    Susana Stewart and Caroline Maina, founders of FroButter, discuss launching an organic haircare line for curly textures, starting from a cosmetologist-client relationship and developing four functional butters over two years. They detail their pivot from scent-based to function-based product categorization, their strategy of using micro-influencers and organic social media growth, and their decision to keep manufacturing and fulfillment in-house to maintain quality and customer service. The episode highlights their bootstrapped funding, trademarking efforts, and the importance of balancing entrepreneurship with personal wellbeing.

    Validation & product-market fitMarketing & brand
    10 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh

    Tabi and Meena Hoshmand, co-founders of Tursh, discuss bootstrapping their Afghan-inspired green chutney brand from their respective homes in New York and Los Angeles. They detail the product's development based on their mother's recipe, the strategic decision to hire an external designer to translate their cultural vision into commercial packaging, and their cautious, slow-and-steady approach to scaling into boutique retail. The sisters also reflect on the emotional journey of reconnecting with their heritage and the operational realities of running a two-person, side-hustle CPG business.

    Starting a product companyPricing, margins & unit economics
    7 chapters

  • Product Startup · 41m

    021: Using Public Research to Develop WINK Lash and Brow Oil with Megan Cox of Amalie Beauty

    Megan Cox, founder of Amalie Beauty, explains how she developed her WINK Lash and Brow Oil by applying publicly available scientific research on essential fatty acids, starting with a $2,000 budget and self-filling 500 bottles. She details her journey from prototyping in her MIT dorm room to scaling production, including a critical packaging failure in China that taught her to trust her gut over design by committee. Cox also discusses her marketing strategy, which relies on organic content and influencer relationships rather than expensive paid ads, and her transition to using a third-party warehouse in Chicago while maintaining close oversight of the customer experience.

    Prototyping & iterationManufacturing partners & offshoring
    10 chapters

  • Product Startup · 49m

    006: Customizable swimwear with Kelsey Duffy of Versakini

    Kelsey Duffy, CEO of Versakini, explains how she pivoted from the failed Mix Bikini to launch her own interchangeable swimwear brand after appearing on Shark Tank. She details the challenges of manufacturing, including early errors with overseas factories and the importance of building personal relationships with reliable partners in Colombia. Duffy also discusses her strategy of collaborating with Project Runway alumna Amanda Perna to design collections while maintaining a lean team and focusing on direct-to-consumer sales to control brand identity.

    Industrial & consumer product designManufacturing partners & offshoring
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.